The Joystiq Free Game Club: Aether

by Justin McElroy { Sep 8th 2008 at 12:10PM }

Oh boy, do we ever love Aether, and we bet you're going to as well. Simply put, it's the story of a boy dealing with feelings of alienation as he discovers (with the help of his pet monster) that he is, in fact, not as alone as he once imagined.

As the game begins, you leave your home planet on the back of your beast, which gets through the universe via his long, elastic tongue, allowing him to snap to nearby clouds and planets and then hurtle to the outer reaches of the galaxy. There you'll find several planets, each with their own unique puzzles to solve, requiring a combination of quick reflexes and some non-linear thinking. It's all presented in attractive, washed out pastels and with a hauntingly otherworldly soundtrack.

It's everything you want an "art game" to be, with a unique visual style, a creative gameplay mechanic and a real sense of an artist's touch (two, in this case, Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel). It's a uniquely personal, touching game that we can't wait for you to try and share your thoughts on in the comments.

Tags: aether, armor-games, free-game-club

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Nevers @ Sep 8th 2008 12:28PM

Sounds a bit like the classic children's book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry... am I gonna cry my eyes out at the end of this game too, damn!t...?

CAHLITO @ Sep 8th 2008 12:29PM

COOL!

mr mobius @ Sep 8th 2008 12:37PM

Armor games is a website which seems to have consistent quality free online games. I've played Gemcraft longer than some console games I paid £40 for. It'd make a brilliant DS game. I only just finished it so this comes at a good time.

creid @ Sep 8th 2008 12:57PM

I tried this earlier. Eventually got to planet and found all I could really do was run around it. Two characters had 1 thing to say to me, each. Couldn't leave the planet, and gave up. This is why indie games usually disappoint me.

Poisoned Al @ Sep 8th 2008 1:10PM

The green planet right? You didn't look too hard did you?

syrik zero @ Sep 8th 2008 3:53PM

That's where I got and could get anything. I was on a 15 minute break though. I might give it a shot later

gLitterbug @ Sep 8th 2008 1:02PM

It'd be interesting if not for the boringly awful long eventless flights through space. Being artsy wasn't enough for me to keep playing it after solving 2 planets and having no clue at the third.

Poisoned Al @ Sep 8th 2008 1:14PM

I found it easy, but I've always been very good at thinking outside of the box and jumping on derailed trains of logic.

DudeRed @ Sep 8th 2008 1:19PM

Same here but it was still fun trying to figure out the puzzles. I enjoyed the game, and I'm not sure why some people didn't like flying around it space. I thought that was one of the cooler parts of the game.

pirahna @ Sep 8th 2008 1:38PM

This game makes me sad. Just the things the little guys say, add to the fact I have no idea how to save them and I want to cry :(

This is what an indie game is suppose to be like. I adore it.

mr mobius @ Sep 8th 2008 2:11PM

This game is good.

If there are only the 5 planets as shown by the 5 fairies, then it's kind of short though.

I've completed three so far but stuck on the snow level right now. Help is appreciated.

Lijik @ Sep 8th 2008 3:36PM

The one with snow is Earth, right?
If I'm right, then theres nothing to do there until the other puzzles are solved and then you go back.

Lijik @ Sep 8th 2008 3:55PM

I love Edmund's games, and this is no exception. Excellent use of half an hour.

Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 4:29PM

Is it just me or does that picture look like its been voted down?

gLitterbug @ Sep 8th 2008 5:44PM

After seeing it linked again on another site I went back and played through it. Apart from the music annoying the hell out of me, the puzzles are really easy if you actually swing around and look what is there.

I'm usually all for moody and artsy, but somehow this didn't work for me at all.