From the creators of Monster Sanctuary comes Aethermancer, an upcoming indie release for Nintendo Switch and Steam. The game combines tactical monster-taming combat with roguelite mechanics. At Gamescom, the press build included two new monsters not yet available in the Steam demo. Moi Rai Games builds on its earlier work while adding systems that emphasize challenge and replayability. Our reporter Dennis Fleaman met the team in Cologne and tried the game on the show floor.
A fresh new take on a beloved genre
At its core, Aethermancer casts you as the titular summoner, an adventurer who forms bonds with mystical creatures to explore the Fractured Ruins. The core loop is instantly engaging: you embark on runs through procedurally generated maps, recruiting monsters, gathering resources, and engaging in challenging turn-based combat. The most defining and brutal feature is the concept of permanent death for your monsters. If a companion falls in battle, they are gone for good. However, the game brilliantly mitigates this potential frustration with its “soulbinding” mechanic. Upon death, a monster’s soul returns to you, allowing it to be reborn in future runs with stat bonuses and adaptations earned from its previous life. This creates a compelling meta-progression system where even a epic fail feels like meaningful progress.
Deep, synergistic tactical combat
The combat system is where Aethermancer truly shines. Building on the foundation of Monster Sanctuary, it employs a sophisticated turn-based system that heavily emphasizes elemental affinities (based on the four elements of Aether) and skill synergies between your party of three monsters. The demo on Gamescom build offered a glimpse at a lot more monsters then the 15 that are playable in the steam demo, each having a unique skill tree, leading to hundreds of potential abilities to discover. Success is not just about dealing damage. it’s about managing shields, applying poison, manipulating the enemy’s Aether, and crafting a team whose skills complement each other perfectly. Every encounter is a tactical puzzle strategic positioning.
A world comes alive
Beyond the combat, the world of Aethermancer feels alive. The hub village serves as more than just a virtual menu. it’s a place you actively help rebuild by recruiting NPCs you meet on your journeys. These characters offer changing dialogue and quests based on your actions, adding a layer of narrative depth often missing in the genre. The meta-progression is robust, allowing you to unlock new starting options, permanent upgrades, and of course, carry your soulbound monsters into new attempts. The developers have confirmed the full launch game will feature multiple biomes, boss fights, and more changes based on community feedback.
Areas for polish and final thoughts
No preview is complete without noting areas for improvement. While the pixel art is gorgeous, some users have noted online that the UI can feel a bit cluttered and that certain visual effects during combat could be clearer to read at a glance. A more in-depth tutorial explaining some of the more nuanced mechanics, like specific targeting rules, would be welcome for newer players of the genre, these are minor points in what is otherwise an exceptionally strong debut for the game’s mechanics. Aethermancer is shaping up to be a must-play for fans of tactical RPGs and roguelites. It takes the familiar joy of building a perfect team and adds a layer of high-stakes tension and long-term strategy that is really captivating. It’s a complex, challenging, and deeply satisfying game that rewards experimentation.
Anticipated release: The game is planned to enter Early Access on Steam around September 2025.
