Hi Guys! We are back for another official RIVALS OF AETHER developer update! Sorry for missing August – but we’ve had a busy month and got some big news to share, so let’s get right to it!
Firstly we can now announce the platforms for our title. In 2015, RIVALS OF AETHER will be releasing on Xbox One and PC! It will be coming to Xbox One through the ID@Xbox Program and you can definitely expect online multiplayer through Xbox Live! This is huge news for us and we are very happy that RIVALS OF AETHER will be made available both to home console owners and PC gamers.
Secondly, we would like to share with you some of our exciting stories from August. At Gamescom, RIVALS OF AETHER was shown on-stage during the ID@Xbox Montage along with other fantastic indie games such as Speedrunners and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Then, just before PAX Prime, we were invited to bring RIVALS OF AETHER to ID@Xbox Open House at Microsoft Campus. We demoed a three-character build at the event, so players in Seattle got a sneak peak at an in-development character!
Finally, we’ve also released a playtester build to select players who applied through our Smashboards Thread. We have gotten great feedback from the playtesters, squashing numerous bugs and making further balance adjustments. We’ve been spending all of September making improvements based on player input.
Some development updates since July:
- We created new menus allowing players to select their characters and change options including two control schemes, flick up to jump, and right stick options for Strong Attacks.
- We added Wall Jumping as an additional tool for getting back on stage when a Rival is knocked out of the ring. RIVALS OF AETHER does not have traditional ledges, but if you can make it to a wall, you can walljump against it to use your Special Recovery again.
- We have adjusted the balance of the three characters in the build, aiming to accentuate the strengths and weaknesses of each character.
- Having developed and begun polishing the third character, we are now hard at work on the fourth character. Both characters will be revealed together in the future with a new trailer featuring their gameplay, so stay tuned!
We have also updated our website with the new Characters section, where you can learn more in-depth information about the Rivals. You can read up on their backstories, observe their special moves, and catch a glimpse of their gameplay in action. As of this post, Zetterburn and Orcane have been revealed.
Thanks for tuning in and check back next month for more exciting RIVALS OF AETHER developments!