Creature collecting games are becoming more and more common, but while many of them follow a similar format, Aethermancer aims to be a bit different by adding a roguelite element to it. There is no permanent party you can fall back on, with the game built to make you experiment with what is to hand.
Aethermancer casts you in the role of an aethermancer named Siriux, who has taken it upon himself to dive into the Void, a vast growing disaster that is swallowing the world. Within the Void are different biomes in which various creatures roam, creatures that you can use to help navigate the dangers of this world. In the early access build of Aethermancer there are three biomes to discover, with each one having different paths you can choose to follow and native creatures that you can add to your collection. Within each zone of a biome you will find battles to win, allies that will provide assistance, and various points of interest that can provide boosts and boons at a cost.
Aethermancer’s gameplay has you start a run with one starter creature, and you can gather a maximum of two other creatures to create your battle party. If you lose a creature in battle, that specific creature is gone for that run, and losing if all of your creatures are defeated the run ends. However the start of each zone features a rebirth station where you can bring back the souls of fallen creatures from the dead to help you, letting you change up your party at the same time. What I like about this system is that you are not punished for trying to experiment. A creature that is swapped in is levelled up to match the rest of your party, allowing you to unlock moves and traits that could complement the whole group.
Each creature has moves and traits that can help buff or heal the whole party, or cast debuffs on enemy groups like poisoning or burning them. As you battle, you start figuring out which creature traits work well together, along with moves and items that can be equipped. For example, on one run I managed to create a group that could deal and trigger poison damage each turn while also providing heal and regeneration through each battle round. This party was nigh unstoppable and only fell at the final hurdle of the boss after the end of the third biome.
Aethermancer’s battle system is really fun to experiment with, though I have only tried a few different combos due to which creatures I have had at my disposal. As you make progress through the game you do unlock more, but there is a limit to how often you can swap out creatures or which ones you can use. Earlier I mentioned costs for bonuses and boons. One of those costs can be a monster soul, and if you spend that soul you will not be able to rebirth it on your run to add to your party. You will have no idea which soul has been spent until the next time you choose to change your party.
Finding a great party parity is essential for survival. As you battle and venture through the void, your creatures are at risk of getting Corrupted. The value of Corruption is taken away from a creature’s starting health, so being able to heal that damage at the start of a battle is essential. It seems that Aethermancer will let you build a solid team, but still make sure you do not get too powerful so that there is never a challenge.
When a run ends, you will find yourself in Pilgrim’s Rest which is a location so far untouched by the Void. Here you will find different people that can offer permanent bonuses and upgrades to use on future runs. That can include starting a run with more gold, or soulbonding with a creature so you can use it as a starter. It also a place where you can learn a bit more about the characters you end up rescuing from the Void, and I do wonder what else Pilgrim’s Rest will have to offer when Aethermancer exits early access.
So far, Aethermancer is proving to be a fun roguelike that seems to have a lot of potential depth to it, essentially forcing you to experiment with different party members to find different ways in which they can support each other in battle. I am looking forward to what will come next for the game, and anyone who enjoys roguelikes, creature collecting and battling should be keeping an eye on Aethermancer too.
