Games worth discovering

Aether Gazer - What's in the new update 'Shadow Under Convallaria'?

2K View2023-09-07

Now, if any of you have read my Quick Review, you'd know that I'm new to
Aether Gazer. That said, I've hit the ground running as best as I could, just so I could give an in-depth look at the newest update, to see what it brings to the table and to find out just how accessible it is to newcomers.

So, first things first- it does take a little bit of work to actually get a gander at what's being offered. Initially, this amounts to the new flagship character for the current chapter, Hades- who has a delightfully gothic design, and a fairly unique means of attacking, given that she wields puppets and threads against enemies- providing a lot of zoning, without sacrificing much in the way of offensive power. Secondly, there's Oneiroi - who is essentially a supporting character with some fairly interesting skills under her belt (and a unique team-up attack with Hades). Mind you, I didn't manage to successfully roll for either of these characters despite my best efforts, but well - this event provides some fairly decent avenues for experimentation, despite that.

That said, I should mention that before you can get into the meat of what it has to offer, you are going to have a fair bit of legwork on your agenda to get your profile up to snuff to enjoy it all. Specifically, you'll need to reach account level 30, in order to gain access to Shadow Under Convallaria. Admittedly, this will only take a day or two of dedicated playing- and I was only halfway through chapter 5 before I gained access. So, realistically, this shouldn't be a major hurdle for most players - and if anything, it will provide an adequate amount of time to ensure that you'll be strong enough to enjoy the current content.

Trial & Error

And what it has to offer is pretty nice, admittedly. First off, if you wanted to get a feel for whether or not you had an investment in the characters on the newest banner, you're in luck- since part of the event is a character trial- a series of short stages that let you play as the new characters, essentially serving as both a tutorial and teaser.

(There's also an outfit tutorial, which just lets you saunter through a stage while wearing the new bits of fashion, though I was less concerned about that).

And the ability to dabble with the new characters doesn't actually stop there. As it stands, there's currently a shop with event-associated collectibles- which provides you the means of buying one of the new outfits, as well as a number of upgrade materials. That said, what's really neat about this, is that the stages you'd play to farm up these materials allow you to use the new characters for them, thus granting you the means of seeing just how well they synergize with each other- and whether or not that playstyle meshes with your own.

Or if it properly fulfills your desire to be crushed under the heel of a goth digital deity.

A Fast Track To The Front Lines

Another of the elements central to this particular update is that you're able to jump ahead in the story and play the chapter 10 segments immediately. Now, given that I'm still only armed with level 30 and 40 characters, and only halfway through chapter 5, this wasn't really something I was super inclined to do, especially given the narrative beats were likely going to be lost on me- but it definitely struck me as a neat option, and a means of getting to sample the newest content while it's fresh. And speaking of new content-

There are puzzles. While there's only a small handful at the moment, there's more slated to be released over the course of the next week- each of which tasks players with sliding things around in order to unlock resources- but also some story segments which helped to contextualize the current region where the story is playing out. It's an interesting approach to lore and world-building - and makes a weird amount of sense, given the artistic ...aspects of the latest chapter.

That said, while I could talk about the other event elements still to come, I feel it's more prudent instead to address the permanent content that's been implemented alongside this update.

Side Stories & Seasonal Slaughter

One of the other elements that were recently implemented was a side story, specifically geared towards level 30 players. What's notable about this one is that it follows Osiris- a character whose 'condition' resulted in a boss battle near the start of chapter 5. More importantly, it provides the chance to play as her, and her, uh, companion, as well as another character, essentially serving as a solid teaser for what she's capable of (And even showcasing a certain synergy).

That said, the real star of the show insofar as lasting content, has to be the dimensional Variable- which, is essentially a roguelite mode, that tasks you with throwing yourself through a constant gauntlet of fights without any innate healing. It's up to you to figure out the best ability boosts to snag as you venture forward- and quite frankly? It's pretty awesome. While you don't have a vast array of characters at your disposal for the journey forward, those that are present are provided unique perks they can acquire, which makes playing around with them a lot of fun. ...And I have my favourite Iajutsu user to spam the attack of, so. It's all gravy for me.

Which, is a whole lot to say I found this to be a great time to join the game, if this sort of thing is up your alley. Even now, there are a few characters who I'm hoping to potentially unlock as I progress forward (largely due to their presence in the story *cough*Asura*cough*). That, and to just fling myself face first at the other nasty surprises it no doubt has in store for me. So, yeah- let me know in the comments if any of you have also dived headlong into the fray.

P.s. if you want to see my more indie game oriented reviews, as ever, you can check out my videos! Just Click Here!