A “decopunk” RPG and turn-based tactics game, Aether & Iron, is out now on Steam from Seismic Squirrel.
Set in an alternate-history New York where an element called “aether” was discovered, enabling anti-gravity tech. Cars and entire sections of the city are able to hover in the sky, and the classes are divided between those that live in the wealthy upper city and the lower class who live in dark “Lowers” of the floating cities. You play as Gia, a smuggler who takes a job bringing a girl, Nellie, down to the Lowers to hide, but gets caught up in a much bigger plot involving the various crime syndicates, politicians, and other colorful characters. The game is fully voice-acted and uniformly excellent, as is the writing, which really nails the hard-boiled noir sensibilities of the time period. A large chunk of the time, you will be moving around the city map, moving to destinations to complete various objectives, like speaking to a specific character or recovering a quest item. When you arrive at your destination, you’ll usually engage in conversations with characters, and Gia will have a variety of dialogue options to choose from. Some of the options are tied to her distinct traits, such as “Gumshoe” or “Brainiac”. In order to succeed for those options, you’ll have to roll the dice and meet or exceed a certain roll. If you have special items or have put skill points into the trait tied to that option, you’ll be able to get bonus dice or possibly even re-roll. You’re not cut off from any of the options, but as you decide on what your playstyle will be, some of the options will become much easier than others.
As you progress through the game, you’ll gather a crew of characters that can contribute their own skills to both the dialogue and the combat sequences. Combat plays out on the “streets” of the city as you battle your enemies in your car. If you’ve played tabletop games like Thunder Road before, there are a lot of similar mechanics. You can maneuver your car around the highway, moving in front of, behind, or to the side of enemy vehicles. You can then use a variety of attacks, like ramming into the enemy car or shooting at them with your gun. The combat is turn-based with a timeline moving across the top of the screen, so you always know when it’s your turn coming up compared to the enemies. The highways are dynamic, with bystander cars and police among the traffic, and obstacles like falling debris and lane closures complicating combat. If you are in a lane when it closes, you’ll be in big trouble, but you can also tactically move an enemy into that lane and potentially take them out. It’s a cool spin on the normal turn-based, character combat you might see in other RPGs.
The game looks fantastic, with a fully realized world that mixes futuristic tech with 1930s Art Deco aesthetics, and the music also nails the jazzy/noir tone, adding to the atmosphere. That, combined with the excellent voice acting and writing, really makes the story and setting the total package, keeping you engaged even when most of the gameplay involves moving around a map and talking to characters.
If you’re an RPG fan, Aether & Iron is an excellent new addition to the genre, set in a unique and incredibly well-realized world and full of interesting characters that come to life via the excellent voice acting and writing. Combined with the dynamic and thrilling car combat, Aether & Iron gets a big recommendation if you’re looking for something to play.
