Today, I’m going to introduce Aether & Iron. A story-driven tactical RPG set in an alternate 1930s where anti-gravity tech—known as “aether”—has ripped New York City from its roots and floated it into the sky. You play as Gia, a veteran smuggler with a battered ride and a knack for staying one step ahead of trouble. But when power shifts in the floating city threaten to spiral out of control, Gia finds herself caught in a storm of rebellion, corruption, and survival.
The game blends turn-based vehicular combat with RPG elements, offering a unique twist where car chases and shootouts play out on tactical grids. Players can mod their aether-powered vehicles with smoke dispensers, hidden compartments, or straight-up flamethrowers, and fight their way through everything from corporate enforcers to airborne gangsters. Combat is promising to be smart and reactive, with environmental hazards like collapsing platforms or moving traffic playing a major role.
Beneath the action is a branching narrative shaped by your choices. Conversations, allegiances, and missions all feed into a broader story about power, inequality, and resistance in a city teetering on the edge. Recruiting a crew is about building relationships with fully voiced characters whose stories unravel alongside your own. Some are funny, some tragic, and all are layered with personal stakes.
Character development goes beyond combat, with attributes like Hustle, Smarts, and Brass influencing both social interactions and dice-roll outcomes. The writing team, which includes veterans from Far Cry and Mass Effect, will surely deliver a world that feels as grounded as it is fantastical. Visually, the game draws from Art Deco and 1930s pulp comics to create a noir-drenched style that feels rich, dirty, and distinctly alive.
Developed by Seismic Squirrel, Aether & Iron is expected to be released in 2025 for PC. Below is an overview via Steam, screens and trailer.
About The Game
The streets of New York can be unforgiving without reliable backup. Recruit unique and resourceful companions to watch your back, and follow their stories. Each is armed with a range of talents that can make all the difference in a jam.
Turn-Based Vehicular Combat
What good is a smuggler without a good getaway car? Assemble a wide range of incredible aether-powered vehicles and unlock new tactical options to try out in an interesting twist on strategic, turn-based vehicular battles.
Tinker with your rides to suit your playstyle. Do you prefer moving hard and fast, relying on speed for quick getaways? Or perhaps you might prefer to slap on some steel plates and bust out the grenade launcher!
Save Your City
With a writing team that includes credits on Far Cry, Mass Effect, and Sovereign Syndicate, Aether & Iron brings to life an alternate timeline in which anti-gravitational aether technology has reshaped the city skyline and deepened social divides.
Thoroughly researched and inspired by real-life counterparts from 1930s New York City, explore its backstreets, dive into its seedy underbelly, marvel at stunning architecture, and peel back the city’s many layers of power and greed.
Your choices shape not just your path, but the city’s fate as well. Will you rise as a savior, withdraw as a renegade, or evolve into a symbol of resilience in a world of authoritarian barons and high-stakes strategy?
More Features
- Dive Into An Underground Life: Navigate secret paths, dodge enemies, hide contraband, and stay ahead of the big bosses out to get you. Perhaps join a rebellion along the way.
- Your Choices Matter: Your decisions will shape the unfolding history of New York and the lives of its citizens, determining whether they will be able to find hope in a corrupt world of manipulation and violence.
- Grow Your Talents: Level up your Hustle, Smarts, and Brass abilities to improve your chances in combat and social situations. But no matter how good you are always a dice roll away from success or failure.
- Drive In Style: Upgrade your aether-powered rides to suit your playstyle. Enhance your cars with every trick in the smuggler’s toolkit – hidden compartments, smoke dispensers, and flamethrowers, of course.
- Fascinating Visuals: Inspired by 1930’s Detective Comics and the Art Deco period, Aether & Iron brings a unique visual identity to gameplay.
- Full Voice Acting: Experience an alt-history 1930s New York directly through through our talented cast of voice actors. Learn the characters’ stories; sometimes funny, sometimes philosophical, often tragic.
Note: The list of supported languages and the timing of their releases is still being evaluated and may be updated in the coming months.
