Challenging pixel art dungeon crawling abound in Aethyr, as you battle blobs, bats boney skeletons and big bosses across endless randomised dungeons.
The player begins in a small house with a random weapon and spell scroll, where they must equip their weapon and exit the house. The game is played in levels portrayed by dungeon rooms with a locked door to the next zone. The object is to hit all the orbs to unlock the door, while avoiding death of course.
There is a fine array of enemies scurrying about the dungeon dead set on ending the player’s run. Bats, skeletons, and slime blobs populate the dungeon, waiting to engage in a real time hack-n-slash combat. Timed jumps and swings will help with one-on-one, or even two-on-one situations, but when the swarm arrives, it might be time to dart around the level until you separate the fast from the slow to reduce the numbers you fight at a time. All that cardio pays off however, as jumping will increase the player’s athletics stats. It’s even possible to get the enemies to fight amongst themselves if the player times their movements just right.
Pots and crates can be smashed for a slight chance to get some items, which can be equipped to armor, weapon, and ability slots. This action game plays like an RPG gauntlet with absolute consequence – thanks to the looming threat of permadeath.
Enemy drops are of course beneficial, however a split-second decision must be made when a swarm drops and the player’s health is low. Will you hit the orbs and book it through the door to the next room? Or would you stay and fight, hoping to be the last one standing, left to collect the items the enemies have dropped? There is a bit of versatility to this highly replayable demo, offering a variety of weapons and items to accent this fast-paced action RPG gauntlet.
Survive long enough and face periodic boss battles. The high challenge is highly rewarding, fueling that desire to play again and again, building frustration after being swarmed to death, then starting all over again and running in head on to redeem yourself. A delightfully dangerous dungeon crawler.
Note: To open the door in the first area, you must equip your bow (‘R’ to access inventory), then attack the orb with your bow (‘J’ to attack)
Follow Aethyr’s Development HERE
Download the Aethyr Alpha Demo HERE