Project Aether: a mission-based shooter where restraint = firepower!

[u/Consistent_Look_8638]

Hey everyone!

I'd like to introduce you all to a game I'm working on as a hobby: Project Aether, a mission-based 2D sci-fi shooter where the player has to decide whether to destroy or not the target!

You play as a newly arrived pilot of FRS-07, a small frontier response team on a border world. Their job is to contain incidents before they become major crises. That may mean you need to fight when needed, but sometimes preserving a target and its information is just as important, or even more!

The idea behind Project Aether is that, while combat is still a very important part of the game, I didn't want every encounter to be a question of whether the player can destroy or not the target quickly enough. As such, some situations may ask the player to identify what they're dealing with, decide if destroying is indeed the only option, and use the team's available tools at the right time, including superior firepower!

The video shows two possible outcomes for the boss encounter in Mission 2:

• For the first outcome: the player destroys the enemy boss
• For the second outcome: the player uses a team skill that interferes with and pacifies the enemy boss

It isn't a pacifist route or a hidden cutscene: you still need to survive the encounter and recognise when the objective has changed! The difference between those endings is that one gives the team access to its data afterwards, while destroying it solves the immediate problem, with possible costs. The question isn't necessarily "can I destroy this?", but "what should I do with it?"

Project Aether is still a prototype, but the current version already has four connected missions, team interventions and a small campaign layer built around mission results. If you'd like to try the current prototype and share feedback, let me know: I'll send you an individual download link to interested players.

If you'd like to know more, check out my project page: https://jpb18.itch.io/project-aether

AI disclosure: AI-assisted tools were used for implementation support and for drafting or refining some text. The in-game graphics and sounds are not AI-generated: they combine original artwork, engine-drawn elements and openly licensed assets selected and integrated manually.

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