Gameplay in general favors offense more than defense compared to Smash Bros. This creates a meta game of not only attacking other players but also affecting the arena itself. In addition to fighting game-style moves, characters can also use elemental-based attacks or passive abilities that also affect the stage. Each character must try to knock the others out of a two-dimensional arena. Rivals of Aether is the spiritual sequel to Super Smash Land, a fan-made remake of Super Smash Bros., and therefore its gameplay mechanics are heavily based on the latter game. A third spin-off game, Dungeons of Aether, was released in 2023, while a sequel to the original game, Rivals 2, is currently planned for 2024. A spin-off comic series, Tales of Aether, was also released in 2021, detailing the backstory of the game. The game received two spin-off video games: a dating sim, Lovers of Aether, released on April 1, 2019, for PC and a deck-building game, Creatures of Aether, which was released for iOS and Android on September 28, 2020, and for PC on August 2, 2021. It received positive reception from critics, who commended its deep gameplay.
Rivals of Aether is an indie platform fighter video game created by Dan Fornace, and released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2020.
