If you follow the competitive fighting game scene then the name Rivals of Aether may be familiar to you already; created by Dan Fornace - who previously worked on the Xbox One remake of Killer Instinct - Aether has been doing the rounds at various gaming events following its release on Xbox One and Steam.
Fornace has written a fairly detailed analysis of how the game has done so far, and mentions that the future involves bringing it to other systems - with Switch being the priority:
Right now we are prioritizing the Nintendo Switch as we are currently looking into developers who can help us port the game out of Game Maker Studio so we can release on the Switch.
At the moment, Game Maker Studio - in which Aether is built - doesn't support Switch, which means it and many other titles made using the engine (Hotline Miami, Hyper Light Drifter, Undertale) would have to be ported by other means, which is naturally a time-consuming process.
Hopefully Fornace and his team can find external help to bring the game to Nintendo's machine, but it would be lovely to see Game Maker support introduced at some point. In the meantime, tell us if you'd be interested in playing this 2D take on the Smash Bros. concept by posting a comment below.
[source medium.com]
Comments 48
I've seen some cool content from this game and it definitely seems like a fun stop-gap between now and when Smash comes out. Reckon I'd get this if it comes out before Smash
I don't understand the demand for what is essentially a "poor man's" Smash Bros. There is already one available in the form of Brawlout (if the screenshots are anything to go by).
I anticipate that a port of Smash 4 for Switch will be one of the first releases announced for 2018 in the oft rumoured January Direct.
@Damo I appreciate that you mentioned the lack of Switch support by Game Maker. It's a shame because everyone would like to play Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter and others on the Switch.
I think Nintendo should care more about the topic and help to make it happen.
I suggest a feature article on the matter
There does appear to be quite the effort put in to this game. It's a shame the premise doesn't look much more involved than "Hey, let's make a Smash game with Pokémon in it."
This game looks a lot more interesting to me than Brawlout.
I see from the comments that few people have actually played it. It is a really good Smash-clone and considered the best one. This news pleases me and a fair few Smashers who wanted a hardcore Smash-clone itch scratched.
The developer in question even created a Smash Bros fan-game long ago before it. It was called Super Smash Land and that itself was a great game. This developer knows what he is doing when it comes to Smash-clones.
I would not throw this out the window so early and instead watch it closely.
I'm very excited about this one! Much more than Brawlout for some reason...
@SanderEvers How can you think this looks like Pokken? Rivals of Aether is by far the closest any smash-clone has ever gotten to being smash while adding interesting and unique mechanics that possibly surpasses Smash... Well, Smash 4 at least.
@sillygostly But Brawlout is poo. This is far from a "poor man's" Smash. To me, who's put 50 hours into this game so far, this is on par if not better than Smash 4. It introduces new concepts and mechanics to keep it different from Smash while retaining, if not improving, the great fundamentals of Smash we've come to know and love. Every character feels unique and are a joy to play and learn. The game has amazing tutorials to help you learn the basics and differences to Smash and also character-specific tutorials so literally all that separates you from any other player is your skill and ability to string together moves and combos. There are also frequent patches and clear dedication from the devs who listen to their players. I feel it's a very balanced game as a result too.
If anyone here is interested at all in playing a Smash-like game, I implore you to check out Rivals of Aether.
@SanderEvers It's For Glory done right.
Love the artstyle of this game! Very nice and detailed retro graphics. Also the animation for the cartoons is really nice.
First post on nintendolife. Amazing website for nintendo news. Looking forward to be a part of the community!
Wow, the third Smash-like committed to Switch, and they might all arrive before the real deal is even announced.
I really like the character designs and color schemes in this one.
It's interesting how the more simplistic pixel art can be so much more eye catching and appealing than the 3D models of genre contemporaries. I remember Jump Superstars having a certain edge to it as well from a visual standpoint.
I can't help but think of the Luminoth and the Ing battling on Aether now.
Game Maker support should be a priority, I'd think. I was griping on twitter about Mystik Belle not being on the Switch and the Wayforward account hit me up saying that they were lobbying for it. And I feel that Undertale would probably sell very well if it were brought over.
Mechanically, my favourite platform fighter at the moment.
Isn’t there an Xbox guest character as dlc currently? Maybe switch owners could get the cast of Super Smash Land
Guys, this game was created to fill the hole left by the Smash MELEE competitive scene, not to replace Smash 4. If you want the modern smash melee game that will never be made, this is your best bet.
If they manage to port it to Switch, what's going to happen to guest character Ori, from the phenomenal Ori and the Blind Forest (an XBoxOne-Steam exclusive)?
2D Smash Bros style of Anthromorphic Animals.
Ofall the Smash Bros clones out there, this one is definitely the best. I've had an absolutely killer time with it on Steam. I followed Dan's work as far back as Super Smash Land, a gameboy style de-make of Smash, and Tower of Heaven. Really glad to see this making its way to the Switch!
I'm more interested in getting Game Maker on the Switch. Game looks okay but I would like to see some updated graphics.
Wish this was out today. 10/10 would pick up Day One.
I think the graphics look really good. They're a big part of what appeals to me about it.
@Grandpa_Pixel Wait, the guy who did the game boy like version of smash made this?! That’s awesome!! Does this actually play (control wise) just like smash?
@GeminiSaint Exactly my thoughts. I honestly am curious if ori will end up on this version. Microsoft is pretty leanient toward that kind of stuff.
Oh my gosh, I am way to hyped right now for this XD I've been hoping this would come to Switch but I was unsure if the devs of it felt like if it was worth it or not.
This is definitely Day 1 for me.
@AG_Awesome It's rare for me to post wikipedia as evidence, but I can vouch for it myself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Land
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivals_of_Aether
From what my friends have said, Rivals of Aether plays exactly like a Smash game.
Yet another one...nothing beats the original (Super Smash series)!
Would buy day one on Switch! In my opinion, Rivals Of Aether is one of the only Smash clones worth playing at the moment. (I was even an open beta tester for it back in the day, for what that's worth)
@AG_Awesome It's not 100% the same, (the main differences being that smash attacks are mapped to a separate button, and the "shield" works more like a parry) but it's close enough that anyone familiar with Smash should get the hang of it very quickly.
I love Rivals, a lot more enjoyable that Brawlout IMO. It is super fun and well designed for 1v1's. Plus all the characters are pretty unique, a lot variation between them.
@SanderEvers Huh, I guess you're right. You know, I thought Metroid Prime looked interesting, but now that you mention it, you just walk around shooting stuff in space. It must be exactly the same as Halo right?
Sarcasm aside, the sprite work is absolutely gorgeous and the animations flow so smoothly it feels and looks brilliant to play. By the way, it actually does have 4 player free-for-alls you small-minded graphics whore.
@Henmii Why not try it with an open-mind? You'll be pleasantly surprised.
If the original was always the best and nothing could add anything, we'd all still be playing Atari. I'd love to see platform fighters develop into a bigger genre, but for some reason Smash fans tend to be close-minded. This is a super fun game on Steam, and one I will definitely buy again to have on my Switch. I hope it is received as well as it deserves. The Switch needs more whaledogs.
This is one of the best melee clones out there. If you like the melee play style, then you should buy this. If your more casual about your gaming though, just ignore it and stick to main Smash games.
Whereas Brawlout was based on Super Smash Bros., this one seems to be based on Super Smash Flash which is okay, I do enjoy Super Smash Flash a lot too.
Ah yeah, that'd be awesome!
Also, yeah...I'm in the Game Maker developers camp as well. I'm really hoping we get support to develop Switch games using Game Maker.
Whats the reasoning for Game Maker not being supported?
Is that a decision resulting from needing some sorta contract on its use?
What does the Switch need to actually do to support that engine?
Cause every Nintendo Gamer would clearly want all of the Game Maker games listed here...its kind of a no-brainer unless Nintendo wants the Vita to be the only place to play those games on the go...
Take it back we don’t want it. I say this every time a pixel-style game come out... it’s just trying to look fresh and edgy with the pixel style but I see right through it. 2013 is long gone it’s time to give it up...
@GeminiSaint
I'd say it's unlikely, but not impossible that microsoft will let them be in the switch version. They released minecraft on Nintendo systems after they bought out the brand and have made ds games in the past. They've also been open to allowing their characters in nintendo games (see Phil Spencer's tweets from the Banjo in smash speculation). They've also been pushing for cross platform play with Minecraft and Rocket League between Xbox, Switch, and PC (Sony doesn't want it on PS4 for whatever reason). So I'd say it's possible without cross platform play, and mandatory if they want to continue that.
looks like what smash may have looked on the snes.
To anyone who may be on the fence about this game-
IT'S SO GOOD.
It's fun, responsive, has enough nuances for the competitive scene, and worth your time! It's the best indie fighter I've ever purchased (And I've bought a lot of 'em).
I literally just tried out this game on Steam today before seeing this, and thought, hey, this should be on Switch. From what little I’ve played, it is really fun. Leans much more into being a proper technical competitive fighter than Smash does, but its tutorials do a really solid job of helping you understand how to actually execute on that. The graphics looked like generic pixel art to me at first, but after I played it some I was really impressed by the animation. Even the character designs are pretty solid.
Definitely hope this one becomes a Switch release sooner or later; I think it deserves some more exposure.
@Jezo,
If it scores good enough I might try it, maybe.
Water... Earth... Fire... Air...
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the game's developer decided they should beat the crap out of each other!
@sillygostly The thing that makes Rivals not feel like a smash clone is that the movesets of the characters are incredibly unique. I wouldn't call it a poor mans smash cause although it may be a platformer fighter just because its of the same genre of game doesnt mean its the same.
@sillygostly
yo theres another one called brawlhalla on steam and ps4
but dude calm down brawlhalla rivals of aether and smash are good
ppl juge games by how they look don't say anything bad about a game unless its "it looks _____" or "i don't like those types of games"
aside from brawlout that one is just bad
@sillygostly hint hint, brawlout is not that good
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