Seismic Squirrel’s decopunk narrative RPG mixes dice-driven choices with turn-based vehicular tactics, and there is a free demo on Steam.
Seismic Squirrel says its narrative-driven RPG Aether & Iron will launch for PC on Steam in Spring 202, the release window is the clearest date lock the game has had so far.
Aether and Iron takes place in an alternate 1930s New York where anti-gravitational aether tech has pushed the city into the sky. Players follow Gia, a smuggler working through a floating metropolis that leans into noir tone, crooked power structures, and factions drawn from real-world New York history.
Battles play out as turn-based encounters built around vehicles, with party members tied to their own rides, where players control up to three friendly vehicles during fights, with a road grid, directional attacks, movement, health, and equipment swaps handled through a garage-style setup.
During the game, you will assemble multiple aether-powered vehicles and tune them for different tactical options, with examples that range from speed-focused setups to heavier builds that trade mobility for survivability and bigger tools like a grenade launcher.
Exploration and progression lean on choice and consequence governed by three attributes:, Hustle, Smarts, and Brass, which feed both social situations and combat odds, with dice rolls deciding whether key moments land your way.
There’s also a heat system that tracks the attention Gia is drawing across the city, with branching points that can change based on how loud your decisions have been.
The game includes full voice acting and recruitable companions with their own stories and talents, with writing team’s past credits, naming Far Cry, Mass Effect, and Sovereign Syndicate.
Aether and Iron is slated for Spring 2026 on PC, and the demo is already live for anyone who wants to see how its turn-based road fights, dice checks, and Heat-driven branching hold together in actual play. Below is my overview video about the game.
