Aether & Iron

Aether & Iron is a narrative RPG that blends character storytelling in the style of Disco Elysium or Esoteric Ebb with tactical vehicular combat. Set in an alternate 1930s New York that has been transformed into a vertical city by the discovery of 'aether', a key component in anti-gravitational technology, the game has been aptly named 'Decopunk' and is quite reminiscent of BioShock. The visual design combines Art Deco with futuristic sci-fi technology to create a distinctive noir atmosphere.

Players take on the role of Gia Randazzo, a smuggler navigating a dystopian underground world characterised by class conflict, criticism of capitalism and corruption, crime syndicates, political conspiracies and fragile alliances, with different areas of the city reflecting different power dynamics. However, an even greater threat emerges, prompting Gia to team up with the scientist Nellie to investigate. The story progresses through point-and-click elements and meaningful interactive dialogue, where decisions influence the course of events. Success or failure in dialogues is determined by repeatedly passing skill checks (rolling dice) in the areas of Brass, Hustle, and Smarts. Failure here does not usually mean 'Game Over', but rather changes the course of the story. For example, it might mean bribing someone or taking a riskier detour. Failures often lead to interesting alternative storylines. Players also assemble a crew, and each member is armed with talents that can make all the difference in a sticky situation. Skills in the areas of Brass, Hustle, and Smarts can also be improved.

While the plot may seem predictable and rife with clichés, featuring familiar themes such as conspiracies, abuse of power and betrayal, the dialogue and characters are remarkably well written and voiced, with outstanding performances. Notably, no character is purely evil; each has understandable motives, and the story raises moral questions about the consequences of good intentions. At the same time, the writers succeed in making the story both sophisticated and accessible.

The game strictly separates the story elements from the turn-based combat. While conflicts between characters are resolved through dialogue, combat is conducted using a turn-based system featuring customisable flying cars on the Aether Highways. Players can upgrade their aether-powered vehicles with armour, engines and gadgets to suit their play style. Cars can be enhanced with hidden compartments, smoke dispensers and flamethrowers. As the cars are in motion, speed and positioning relative to the enemy play a central role in combat, and crew synergies also come into play as companions ride along and provide various bonuses. While these battles aren't overly complex, they fit well into the world, even if they sometimes struggle with fluctuations in difficulty, making them too easy or too hard. It's a bit disappointing that the smuggling aspect is underdeveloped and could have been explored more deeply. The game consists of an ongoing cycle of preparation (dialogue, crew management and purchasing upgrades), navigation (exploring the world) and combat (car-based tactical combat). However, the game still feels somewhat unfinished in places, and some of the menus are rather cluttered.

Featuring writing talent from Mass Effect, Far Cry and Sovereign Syndicate, the game is fully voiced and has an original score composed by two-time Grammy Award winner Christopher Tin and Grammy nominee Alex Williamson, who are best known for their work on the Civilization series. The music underscores the dramatic tone and emotional intensity of the game. Aether & Iron features full English voice acting and text localisation support for English, Spanish (Spain and Latin America), French, German, Polish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified Chinese.

"Aether & Iron has been years in the making for our team. We've poured a huge amount of care into its world, characters and choice-driven systems so we’re incredibly excited for players to finally step into this alternate New York and see how their story unfolds." - Tyler Whitney, Narrative Director at Seismic Squirrel

Aether & Iron was developed by Seismic Squirrel, which is based in Issaquah, near Seattle, in collaboration with Chaos Theory Games. Founded in 2017, Seismic Squirrel employs around 20 people. This is the company's first game. Chaos Theory Games, which is also known for Crab God, has six employees. Seismic Squirrel is also the game's publisher.

Aether & Iron was released for PC on 31 March 2026.

Features

Despite its rough edges, Aether & Iron is a fascinating, visually stunning and well-written game.

Conclusion

• Strong noir atmosphere and outstanding art design
• Excellently written characters and dialogue
• Superb voice acting and soundtrack