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Not only is Rivals of Aether a great competitive fighting game but it is one of the biggest surprises of indie gaming. The project has been lead by a passionate and talented team and it clearly reflects on the product after playing for hours upon hours. The characters are fleshed out masterfully in all aspects. Their appearance is simple yet inviting. Think Avatar The Last Airbender but with animals. But it doesn't end there, the developers put expert care in the gameplay. This title teaches developers a worthy approach to balancing a roster. Yes, it's true, there isn't the largest selection of fighters, but each offers so much depth that exploring two characters fully is nearly impossible. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses, and gimmicks that are displayed in their toolkit. But there is no overlaps or clones. Each character is different, and that's what fighters NEED. The sprite work is a love letter to retro gaming and revamps it further with fluid animation. The chirpy musical tunes synergise with the 16-bit stages to immerse the player in a competitive trance. The game on the surface is easy to learn for beginners but rewarding to those who want to devote the time to master it. Although Rivals is a fantastic game it does have its share of problems that I hope the team addresses heading launch. The game is unforgiving to people who play with keyboards. Keyboard play feels unintuitive and jarring compared to controllers, which may alienate potential consumers and players to continue playing. Also, the $15 pay wall indefinitely hinders the game to grow. I agree with this payment method personally and see that it supports the development team, but objectively it does push consumers away to rivalling titles which are cheaper or even free. Unfortunately, if such problems continue to exist it will negatively affect the game and it's playerbase in both the short and long term. Alienating potential players will make the game less lively; there will be less people to play against in either the ranked or exhibition mode. A lack of new blood will raise the question if it is worthwhile to continue playing to veterans. Admittedly, these are difficult issues but I have complete faith that the team will succeed. Ultimately, Rivals of Aether is an outstanding game and an even more special experience with friends. Most importantly, you will not regret buying this game if you are striving to 'get gud'.