Rivals of Aether is the spiritual sequel to Super Smash Land, a remake of Super Smash Bros., and therefore its gameplay mechanics are heavily based on the latter game. Each character must try to knock the others out of a 2-dimensional arena. In addition to fighting game-style moves, characters can also use elemental-based attacks or passive abilities that also affect the stage. This creates a meta game of not only attacking other players but also affecting the arena itself.
Characters
Each character represents a natural element, and this element is central to their play style. Unlike Smash Bros. characters, they have moves which can change the composition of the stage or add conditions to other players. Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku described Smash Bros. move sets as being more "reserved" compared to those of Rivals of Aether. The playable characters are Absa, Etalus, Forsburn, Kragg, Maypul, Orcane, Wrastor, Zetterburn, as well as 6 DLC characters: Ranno, Clairen, Sylvanos, Elliana, and guest characters Ori and Sein from Ori and the Blind Forest, and Shovel Knight from the series of the same name. On January 17, 2018, the crossover skin of Ragnir from Brawlhalla was released as a skin exclusive to the character Maypul. On the same day, a Ranno skin exclusive to the character Wu Shang from Brawlhalla was released.
Plot
The game's characters are animal champions from different warring civilizations, who battle to stop a shadowy force from threatening the world. Other characters are also available as downloadable content, beginning on August 22, 2017 with the release of Ori and Sein from Ori and the Blind Forest. On October 17, 2017, Fornace released two more DLC characters, Ranno and Clairen. Likewise, on April 2, 2018, Fornace released another two DLC characters, Sylvanos and Elliana. On September 14, 2018, Shovel Knight was released as the second guest character and final playable character.
Development
A focus in the development of the game was making it faster and more combo-oriented than Super Smash Bros. In 2019, the official Rivals of AetherTwitter account confirmed that the Steam workshop would be available for players to create their own characters and stages. In January 2020, Rivals of Aether: Definitive Edition was reconfirmed as a complete version of the game. Later that year, on April 1st, the full features of Definitive Edition were announced through an online presentation, confirming features like new unlockables and a new mode based around tetherball.
Reception
Rivals of Aether was positively received by critics. Nick Valdez of Destructoid scored the game 90/100, saying it is a fully fleshed out fighter that adds additional depth to the Super Smash Bros. formula. Di Stefano Castelli of IGN Italia rated the game 81/100, saying that it lacks originality, but is a technically proficient remake appealing to hardcore players. Alice O'Connor of Rock, Paper, Shotgun said that she enjoyed the game's character design, and that it was reminiscent of Pokémon. Megan Farokhmanesh of Polygon called the game "beautiful" and "the indie answer to Super Smash Bros".
