In an era where RPGs often feel derivative, Seismic Squirrel has crafted something genuinely special with Aether & Iron. This decopunk narrative RPG transports players to an alternate 1930s New York where anti-gravitational technology has literally elevated the city into the clouds, creating a stunning backdrop for one of 2026’s most ambitious indie titles.
A World Where Gravity Has No Hold
Set in a meticulously researched alternate timeline, Aether & Iron presents a New York City transformed by aether technology. The floating metropolis isn’t just window dressing—it’s integral to both the story and gameplay. Players navigate the “Lowers,” the grittier underbelly of this sky-bound city, where social divides have deepened alongside the literal elevation of the wealthy elite.
The game’s art direction deserves immediate praise. Every hand-drawn environment tells a story, blending Art Deco sensibilities with noir atmosphere and sci-fi wonder. The visual design successfully captures the essence of 1930s detective comics while maintaining a unique identity that sets it apart from countless other retro-futuristic titles.
Character-Driven Storytelling at Its Finest
What immediately strikes you about Aether & Iron is its commitment to character development. Protagonist Giovanna “Gia” is a refreshing take on the detective archetype—she’s everything we love about deadbeat detectives but with genuine depth and agency. Rather than falling into the tired “strong female character” trope, Gia feels like a real person with flaws, motivations, and a distinct voice.
The supporting cast of over 200 voiced characters brings the world to life in remarkable ways. From your crew of smuggler companions to the various power brokers and street-level contacts you’ll encounter, each character feels purposeful and well-developed. The voice acting quality varies occasionally—some minor characters feel less polished—but the core performances, particularly Gia’s, are genuinely excellent.
The writing team, which includes veterans from Far Cry, Mass Effect, and Sovereign Syndicate, has crafted a narrative that respects both its noir influences and its alternate-history setting. Rather than simply dressing modern sensibilities in 1930s aesthetics, the game genuinely grapples with the era’s social issues, integrating them meaningfully into its world-building.
Strategic Combat That Actually Matters
Where Aether & Iron truly differentiates itself is in its vehicular turn-based combat system. Instead of controlling individual party members, you’re maneuvering aether-powered vehicles in tactical encounters that feel genuinely unique. The positioning-based gameplay emphasizes environmental hazards, status effects, and strategic movement in ways that traditional RPG combat rarely achieves.
Your fleet of customizable vehicles can be upgraded and modified to match your playstyle. Want to prioritize speed and evasion for quick hit-and-run tactics? Outfit your rides with enhanced engines and smoke dispensers. Prefer a more aggressive approach? Load up on armor plating and mounted weapons. The upgrade system provides meaningful choices without overwhelming complexity.
While some players might find the frequency of combat encounters inconsistent with the heavily narrative-focused gameplay, the pacing generally works well. Combat serves as punctuation for the story rather than the main course, which aligns perfectly with the game’s noir sensibilities.
Choices That Echo Through the Sky
Aether & Iron places significant emphasis on player choice, though not always in the ways you might expect. This isn’t a power fantasy where you reshape the world according to your whims. Instead, you’re playing as Gia, a character with her own personality and motivations. Sometimes you’ll feel “railroaded” into decisions that might differ from what you’d personally choose, but this serves the narrative coherence.
The choice system excels in its subtlety. Many decisions don’t immediately reveal their consequences; instead, they ripple through later story beats in organic ways. Your relationships with crew members evolve based on accumulated interactions rather than single pivotal moments. The game tracks your choices and presents them in a satisfying slideshow conclusion that demonstrates the long-term impact of your decisions.
Technical Excellence with Room for Polish
Aether & Iron launched with some rough edges that don’t quite reach game-breaking status but do occasionally pull you out of the experience. Text and voice acting sometimes don’t match perfectly, loading times can be lengthy, and minor glitches pop up here and there. However, Seismic Squirrel has been actively addressing these issues with post-launch patches, showing a commitment to refining the experience.
The game runs well on Steam Deck (marked as “Playable”), supports full controller functionality, and includes comprehensive accessibility features. System requirements are reasonable for the visual fidelity offered, making it accessible to players with modest gaming setups.
A Few Clouds on the Horizon
Despite its many strengths, Aether & Iron isn’t without flaws. The shared talent trees feel somewhat limited when you’re trying to create distinct builds for five different characters. Combat encounters, while unique, can become somewhat repetitive once you’ve established effective tactics. The contraband smuggling system feels underutilized, more like a minor side activity than the central mechanic it could have been.
Some players will find the heavy emphasis on dialogue and exploration off-putting if they’re expecting action-heavy gameplay. This is very much a visual novel with RPG elements rather than a traditional RPG with story elements. If you don’t enjoy spending significant time reading, listening, and making conversation choices, Aether & Iron might not be your ideal gaming experience.
The romance options feel particularly underdeveloped. While there are hints of romantic subplots, particularly involving Gia’s ex, these elements feel more like missed opportunities than fully realized story arcs.
Worth the Flight
Aether & Iron succeeds brilliantly at what it sets out to do: create a compelling narrative experience in a unique setting with memorable characters and innovative gameplay mechanics. At $24.99, it offers excellent value for approximately 25-30 hours of content, with enough choice variation to warrant multiple playthroughs for dedicated players.
This is a game that prioritizes atmosphere, character development, and world-building over mechanical complexity or combat frequency. If you’re seeking a systems-heavy RPG with endless customization options, you’ll want to look elsewhere. But if you’re drawn to noir storytelling, alternate history settings, and genuinely innovative combat mechanics, Aether & Iron delivers an experience unlike anything else available.
The game represents a strong debut for Seismic Squirrel, demonstrating both ambition and execution in nearly equal measure. While there’s room for polish and refinement, the core vision is so compelling that minor technical issues fade into the background.
Should You Play Aether & Iron?
Play if you enjoy:
- Rich narrative experiences with meaningful choices
- Unique tactical combat systems
- Noir and alternate history settings
- Hand-drawn art and atmospheric world-building
- Character-driven storytelling with full voice acting
Skip if you prefer:
- Action-heavy gameplay with minimal dialogue
- Deep character customization and progression systems
- Open-world exploration and side quest abundance
- Romance-focused storylines
- Mechanically complex RPG systems
Aether & Iron: Aether & Iron is a remarkable achievement that successfully blends genres and creates something genuinely fresh in the RPG space. Despite some technical rough edges and limited mechanical depth in certain areas, the game's strong narrative focus, innovative combat system, and gorgeous presentation make it an easy recommendation for players seeking something different from their RPG experiences. In a gaming landscape often dominated by sequels and safe choices, Aether & Iron dares to be different—and largely succeeds. This is exactly the kind of ambitious indie title that deserves support, and we're eager to see what Seismic Squirrel creates next in this fascinating universe. – Flare