Dungeons of Aether

Introduction

Dungeons of Aether sends four heroes from the Rivals of Aether universe into the Julesvale Caverns, fighting through turn-based encounters that draft dice for both offensive and defensive options each round, layered with a resource-management system governing stamina and ability use. Developed by Aether Studios and ampersandbear and published by Aether Studios, it released 28 February 2023 for NZ$21.99, currently discounted 50% to NZ$10.99. Over three years on, it holds 655 Steam reviews sitting at Very Positive, roughly 82.7%, with recent sentiment holding close at 81%. This review reads nearly the entirety of the negative sample and a substantial share of the positive one, and finds a game whose presentation earns close to universal praise, wrapped around a combat system this review's own sample genuinely can't agree on.

Presentation reviewers agree on almost completely

Start with the point of near-total consensus: Dungeons of Aether looks and sounds excellent, and reviewers on both sides of the recommend button say so with real consistency. Sprite work and animation draw strong, specific praise in keeping with the visual quality the wider Aether franchise is known for, and music earns matching credit for reinforcing the dungeon's tone throughout. Writing and character work land well too — the four playable heroes draw praise as likeable and distinct rather than interchangeable stat blocks, and even reviewers who ultimately recommend against the game frequently open by crediting how well-crafted and stylish the whole package looks and sounds.

A combat system this review's sample genuinely can't agree on

Where consensus breaks down entirely is the core mechanic underneath all that presentation. A large share of this review's negative sample describes the dice-drafting combat as tedious rather than tactically satisfying, with several reviewers reaching for the same comparison independently — doing arithmetic homework rather than playing a strategy game. A specific, mechanically concrete complaint recurs often enough to be treated as a real design issue rather than a matter of taste: stamina persists between fights and can be farmed by blocking repeatedly, which several reviewers describe as pushing the optimal strategy toward stalling out fights for several turns rather than engaging with the dice-drafting system actively. But this isn't a one-sided verdict — a meaningful, vocal share of the positive sample pushes back directly against exactly this complaint, arguing the combat carries real strategic depth around resource denial and pre-planning once a player understands it, with one detailed reviewer specifically addressing the "tedious and RNG-based" criticism point by point and disagreeing with each part. That's a genuine, substantive disagreement between engaged players rather than a case of casual complaints against dedicated fans, and this review treats it as exactly that rather than resolving it on the reader's behalf.

A back half that loses some players regardless of which side they're on

A separate, more broadly shared complaint concerns pacing: several reviewers describe a strong, enjoyable opening stretch that gives way to a noticeable difficulty spike and drop in enjoyment in the back half, with certain playable characters — one specifically singled out as leaning too heavily on random chance — drawing more frustration than others. Dungeon navigation and exploration draw a smaller complaint too, with reviewers noting the crawler structure feels thinner and more linear than a dungeon-crawling framing implies, with the actual moment-to-moment experience centred almost entirely on the combat encounters themselves.

Final Verdict

Dungeons of Aether earns its Very Positive standing through presentation this review's sample agrees on almost without exception — genuinely strong art, music and character writing that live up to the wider Aether franchise's reputation. What keeps this from a stronger, more confident recommendation is a real, unresolved argument at the game's mechanical core: whether the dice-drafting combat system is a genuinely deep strategic puzzle or a tedious, exploitable chore, a question this review's own sample answers both ways with real conviction on each side. For players willing to invest the time to find the strategic layer its defenders describe, Dungeons of Aether has real substance underneath its presentation. For anyone who bounces off the combat early, the same presentation won't carry the rest of the way.