Project AETHER: First Contact game banner

Project AETHER: First Contact

$12.99
Release Date:
Platforms:
Windows
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About This Game

As a threat from beyond looms over the solar system, Project AETHER is ready to deploy! Take control of the powerful AETHER mech in this rhythmic and tactical space shooter which combines classic arcade-style twin-stick action with stunning 3D environments and an engaging sci-fi story!

Fight the alien threat across 9 unique levels, each with a powerful boss to defeat.



Customize your mech's loadout with an assortment of powerful weapons, including the rapid fire assault rifle, high impact railgun, concentrated particle beam, and more.

Choose your own approach to combat. Pick your foes off with ranged weapons, or get in close with devastating sword strikes. Adapt your tactics to the scenario at hand.



Use the enemy forces to your advantage! As you damage foes they become primed for a powerful EMP blast, which will destroy them and any ships caught in the blast.

Prove your prowess with boss rush and survival modes, and get your name on the leaderboard!

Build and upload custom missions to the Steam Workshop, and play community levels!

A range of difficulty modes allow hardcore players to experience the ultimate challenge, while providing a more forgiving experience for genre newcomers.

Screenshots

User Reviews

Overwhelmingly Positive
8 user reviews
100%
Positive
3 hrs at review
Recommended

I haven't played many twin stick shooters in my life, but Project AETHER is a great place to dive in. Very polished and enjoyable. Playing NieR: Automata recently and seeing the twin-stick shooter bullet hell style sections in that game made me want to play a more fleshed out version of that kind of thing, and Project AETHER scratched that itch. For being a seemingly limited game with its brief (albeit well-voiced and polished) campaign, there is a lot of bonus content, unlockables, playstyles and an immense skill ceiling. I really do love this game. My only real criticism/feedback is that I wish there was more visual feedback when i-frames were active during the dash, especially the default basic one that I prefer using.

3 helpful
26 min at review
Recommended

Tight controls, satisfying combat (using the EMP blast to chain explosions is particularly fun) and good visuals make Project AETHER one of the better bullet hell games I've played. Especially for newcomers to the genre!

2 helpful
35 min at review
Recommended

An enjoyable twin-stick shooter, Project Aether has done the impossible (or improbable) of making me kinda want to try for scoring in a shmup (especially on my first playthrough), with the addition of wave based rankings a la DMC. Blowing up half the screen with a chain of EMP explosions is immensely satisfying, as does dashing through a sheet of bullets. Playing on hard, a few stages in, I'd say the game is pretty well balanced, the game expects you to use it's mechanics, but compared to other shmups you may or may not be familiar with, the difficulty feels about right (importantly for me, it doesn't feel too easy, I desire at least some [strike]pain[/strike] challenge)

2 helpful
10 min at review
Recommended

Excellent graphics and plenty of movement to keep you on your toes. Looking forward to playing more! Just finished first play through on easy. Very enjoyable!

1 helpful
1 hrs at review
Recommended

Tl;dr: real diamond in the rough. Doom-style executions in a unique vertical scroller/twin stick shooter format. B-Everything about this game is cheap. It looks and sounds like a budget ps2 title from a no-name studio. Fortunately, it's also about as expensive as one of those games would be today. Actual effort was put into this game: enemy patterns are well designed, as are the bosses.It's also got a fairly unique mechanic, where you shoot an enemy until a circle indicating they've become vulnerable to your EMP appears around them. The more damage you've caused, the bigger the circle. If you move into the circle and activate EMP, the enemy will be instakilled and explode, possibly taking nearby foes with it. Getting that close is a gamble, so there's a bit of a risk-reward dynamic going on.Another interesting dynamic is that you usually want to get enemies to the max EMP level without killing them so they can serve as bombs. You can also cause chain reactions if enemies' circ...

4 hrs at review
Recommended

Project Aether is a pretty fun shooter. Great mix of ranged and melee combat. Decent amount of customization, 2 weapon slots, a few special abilities, and colors Don't ignore the trials. Some of them are a ton of fun and unlock items. Also has an acid thrower.

54 min at review
Recommended

This is a good game

2 hrs at review
Recommended

Really enjoying the game, alot of fun! ★★★★★

System Requirements

Minimum

Minimum:
  • OS *: Windows 7/8/10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GPU with 1GB VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 4 GB available space

Recommended

Recommended:
  • OS *: Windows 7/8/10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 or above
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 4 GB available space

FAQ

How much does Project AETHER: First Contact cost?

Project AETHER: First Contact costs $12.99.

What are the system requirements for Project AETHER: First Contact?

Minimum: Minimum: OS *: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: Intel Core i3 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: GPU with 1GB VRAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 4 GB available space Recommended: Recommended: OS *: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: Intel Core i5 or above Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 4 GB available space

What platforms is Project AETHER: First Contact available on?

Project AETHER: First Contact is available on Windows PC.

Is Project AETHER: First Contact worth buying?

Project AETHER: First Contact has 100% positive reviews from 8 players.

When was Project AETHER: First Contact released?

Project AETHER: First Contact was released on Feb 24, 2020.

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