Aethermancer Is an Excellent Evolution of the Creature Collector

Aethermancer is really good. I'm leading with that so that you know what the deal is here, but let me talk about the first game from Moi Rai Games, Monster Sanctuary, for a moment. Monster Sanctuary is the only other game this studio has made, and the short sell is that it's a monster-taming Metroidvania. It's hard to understand just how much fun it actually is in practice, as your team composition dictates what you can and can't explore in the world. That's such a clever concept, and more of you should play it.

Anyway, Aethermancer takes plenty of lessons from Monster Sanctuary, but it pushes them into a different battle system where the way your team works together is the most important thing. It's also a roguelike with none of the platforming stuff in there. There are things to dash to, but that's about it. The result is a creature collector/monster tamer/Pokémon-like (hahahahahaha) that feels like a meaningful step forward for the genre. Seriously, I know roguelikes aren't for everyone, but good gravy, combat in this game feels good.

Battles are 3v3, for the most part, and each creature you're fighting can be staggered if you hit it with the right elements. When staggered, not only can you catch their memento, which means you can potentially summon them in later runs, but the creature also misses out on one of its attacks. Most creatures only get one attack, so that's very relevant.

Different monsters generate different elemental aether to use for their various moves. Along with that, as they level up, they not only get new active moves, but also new passive ones. Plus, the creatures all have different general categories, allowing you to build a team that specializes in just absorbing damage with no issues, or getting all three monsters to attack whenever one of them attacks.

It's really fun to play around with. Roguelike mechanics means that, while they do level up in each run, you lose a lot of that when you die. You don't lose all the options you've gained, though, and there's a separate levelling system that means they can get stronger the more you use them outside each run as well. You can even buy passives that give you more healing potions and whatnot.

Aethmancer is also bloody beautiful in motion, and yes, I'm being a little over-the-top in my appreciation of this game. But as we're on the cusp of not just a new Pokémon game, but also another entry in the fantastic Digimon Story series, it's worth also pointing this one out as a truly sublime indie option. If you want a creature collector that feels genuinely new, then this is it.