Rivals of Aether hits early access this month ahead of Xbox One release

Rivals of Aether, the 2D fighting game by indie developer Dan Fornace, has received a Steam early access release date ahead of its Xbox One launch later this year.

Inspired by Super Smash Bros, Rivals of Aether will feature eight characters at launch representing each of the four elements; earth, air, fire and water. Two characters for each element will be represented, each with their own individual move sets and specials. Originally early access wasn't planned, but Mr. Fornace indicated why he wished to do so after all in order to polish the game for final release.

Rivals of Aether is a competitive fighting game. Therefore the balance is very important to us. We want to make sure that every character has enough tools to deal with every other character. We will be adjusting each character throughout Early Access as we work toward a balanced launch roster.

A tentative timetable of six months has been discussed for Steam early access, but that could change depending on the bugs and technical development as the game progresses. Whether its Orcane the water based elemental whale with legs, Maypul the seed throwing, tree dwelling monkey creature or any of the eight included characters, Rivals of Aether is set to be an ID@Xbox launch game as well as a PC release next year after Steam early access.

[Official Site]