Developer Sleepy Spider Studios is hard at work on a great-looking new game titled Project Aether: First Contact. Veterans of bullet-hell titles will feel right at home with the game, and so too will almost everyone else. The game is designed with a number of features and innovative abilities that will allow anyone to pick up and dive in without the frustration that comes with more intense games in the genre.
In a sense, Project Aether: First Contact can be classified as a bullet-hell lite, if such a term exists. Like most twin-stick shooters, players take control of a single unit, commanding the pilot’s seat of a prototype mecha Aether sent to fight off a robotic alien force that seeks to destroy mankind. The accessibility comes in the form of more health than traditional games in the genre, along with a customizable loadout of ranged and melee weapons, and something brand new—an innovative EMP Burst system.
Compared to other bullet-hell games, the EMP Burst mechanic stands out in the creativity behind its design and utility in dealing with what can appear at first glance like an overwhelming force sent to destroy the player. Put simply, damaging opponents causes a limited-time indicator to appear around an opponent, and players can dash in close to set off an EMP Burst, dealing massive damage to the target.
The utility of this ability becomes apparent when applied to multiple opponents, which means that maneuvering with the intent to kite opponents into small clusters allows for a chain reaction of EMP Bursts that can destroy even the toughest of attackers. What may appear as an insurmountable wave of foes turns into a puzzle that rewards careful movement and precise timing to capture as many opponents into a group of blasts as possible.
Speaking to TheGamer while showing off a demo of the game, Ryan Premrl, the Game Director for Sleepy Spider Studios, discussed how the intent has been to make a game that can be challenging if one so chooses, but also highly accessible with a different customization loadout.
The game is looking as though it were ready to launch today, but players will need to wait until February of 2020 for the release on Steam and the Humble Store. At launch the game looks to feature a total of nine unique levels with a powerful boss to defeat in each, a range of weapons like assault rifles, railguns, laser beams, and more. Players can check out the Steam page and add the game to their wishlists.
Source: projectaether.ca
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