AETHUS
Developer Pawsmonaut Games
Explore a vast underground world to mine and craft hundreds of items while building up your modular Outpost on the surface, to prospect for gems, refine resources and farm hydroponic crops in this top-down sci-fi survival-crafter where the story always provides a reason to dig deeper. From the Steam store page
391 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
288 positive · 25 negative
95% range 88–95%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 288 | 25 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 18 | 0 | 54 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What players are saying
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 284 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,985 of 2,095 positive).
Some reviewers warn the game is more linear than its tags suggest. [1][2][3]
- [15]
I really hate to do this. I went back and forth on if I should review this or not. I understand this is a solo dev and honestly I had a decent time in the 40 hours I spent with it, but after reading through other reviews and not really seeing much criticism calling out any of the games issues, I feel I must. I do like many things about the game. This is a really solid effort and I can see and feel all the love put …
- [4]
This project is an incredible achievement for a solo developer. It genuinely feels like every QOL improvement gamers have asked for over the past decade has been thoughtfully implemented here. For example: crafting pulls from all storage containers, storage chests have LED capacity indicators, you can rename every placeable item, dismantling buildables gives a full refund, there are hotkeys for everything, and …
- [1]
Fun game, though a bit misleading in its current categorization. As many others have pointed out already, this is a pretty linear experience and certainly not an open world game. You're mostly told exactly where to go and what to do next, with the building and mining aspects being more of a vehicle to enable you to reach the next stage in the plot. Speaking of the plot, Aethus is very narrative-driven. Your two main …
- [6]
Hell yes, I recommend it. You, random Steam reader, might see these tags and think "oh, another buildy-crafty-grindy-don't die" small game....and shrug, and move on. There's a lot of those. I get it. They can be dull, mechanical and samey. But hear me out: this isn't one of them. It really, really isn't. It's BETTER, especially if you crave an interesting and tangled storyline. The thing is: AETHUS may start out …
- [10]
Awesome game. Not perfect, but still awesome. A solid 7/10 where a bit of balancing tweaks could get it to 8 or 9 of ten. The bad: * Main gripe: too much walking back and forth. I quickly ended up throwing the difficulty selectors to "easy" to remove some of the tediousness of walking and trying to survive oxygen depletion while exploring. * Lots and lots and lots and lots of walking there-and-back, and inventory …
Summarised from 34 of the 363 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
Players who liked AETHUS talk about excellent quality-of-life features like crafting from storage; those who didn't talk about game is linear, not open world as tagged. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 391 · most liked firstThis project is an incredible achievement for a solo developer. It genuinely feels like every QOL improvement gamers have asked for over the past decade has been thoughtfully implemented here. For example: crafting pulls from all storage containers, storage chests have LED capacity indicators, you can rename every placeable item, dismantling buildables gives a full refund, there are hotkeys for everything, and there’s a huge range of gameplay settings to tailor the experience to your liking.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to leave this more as a message to the devs than anything else. I’m the kind of player that usually comes to games like this because I want to explore. Let me run around, gather materials, punch trees, pick up stones, build something, and get lost in that loop for a while. That’s the game I enjoy. That’s the itch I’m always trying to scratch. Full transparency, I’m also a little biased here. I spent years working with some amazing people from the UK, Scotland, and Ireland, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really hate to do this. I went back and forth on if I should review this or not. I understand this is a solo dev and honestly I had a decent time in the 40 hours I spent with it, but after reading through other reviews and not really seeing much criticism calling out any of the games issues, I feel I must. I do like many things about the game. This is a really solid effort and I can see and feel all the love put into this. Everything here is of the highest quality and if you decide to do a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first review on steam after 22 years on this platform. This game is great. I like survival / crafting games but always struggle with keeping up the motivation to keep progressing. In Aethus the story drives you forward. It forces you to craft that new thing, get to that resource and keep everything moving, while being an engaging story all on its own. Oh, and it is not Early-Access, so I don’t need to wait 2 years to get to the ending (by which time I have long moved on to something…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Keep your expectations in check: this is not the open-world survival crafter it appears to be. AETHUS is actually a linear campaign where you are given specific tasks to complete in limited areas with limited resources. The gameplay loop can get a bit annoying, as your base is on the surface. You end up constantly zoning in and out, grinding for stuff below just to drag it back up to the surface over and over again. My biggest issue, though, is the camera and controls. The videos make it look…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, though a bit misleading in its current categorization. As many others have pointed out already, this is a pretty linear experience and certainly not an open world game. You're mostly told exactly where to go and what to do next, with the building and mining aspects being more of a vehicle to enable you to reach the next stage in the plot. Speaking of the plot, Aethus is very narrative-driven. Your two main characters are fully voiced and developed characters, so if you need some mute…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hell yes, I recommend it. You, random Steam reader, might see these tags and think "oh, another buildy-crafty-grindy-don't die" small game....and shrug, and move on. There's a lot of those. I get it. They can be dull, mechanical and samey. But hear me out: this isn't one of them. It really, really isn't. It's BETTER, especially if you crave an interesting and tangled storyline. The thing is: AETHUS may start out feeling a little overly familiar, but that feeling fades as your story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished the game and am not disappointed in the ending. This game is a great story-driven survival crafting game with a well balanced gameplay loop. There is s a bit of grind as with all survival/crafting games, but this is really well balanced and the dev has put a lot of thought into the huge amount of quality of life features. The story was engaging, exploration rewarding in the reveals, and managing the environmental hazards was challenging at times without being overbearing (no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I happen to randomly come upon this game while surfing through Steam. As I watched the trailer I was intrigued but uncertain if I would purchase it. As I read up on it more and seen that it was more of an exploration/base builder/survival without combat I really liked what I read. Then when I found out it was done by a solo developer unfunded, and seen the heart and soul they put into it. It was a no brainer to buy. The gameplay is slightly challenging, but very chill experience for the most…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It a rarity nowadays to find self funded & published solo indie dev with: 1. Straight to full 1.0 launch with complete storyline and gameplay, no early access with slow updates for years 2. Well polished gameplay with acceptable optimization for UE5 (my rig is from 2020 so it's not exactly the strongest) 3. Fully voice acted by Scottish VAs! 4. Fair pricing with VERY friendly regional pricing AND launch discout + bundle discount straight from the gate 5. Gives you Demo that can continue into…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Progression by Russian Nesting Doll AETHUS has some genuinely great systems: mining, crafting, exploration, base building, automation. Unfortunately, its progression often feels like the developer is trolling you. My favorite example: Craft a Servomotor. Simple, right? Servomotor → needs Microcircuits → needs Gold Bar → need Gold Ore → oxygen limits reaching the gold → the habitat that would help with oxygen needs... the Servomotor → finally find Gold Ore → SURPRISE! Your smelter can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After three years of work, AETHUS is out... NOW! 👩🚀⛏️ This is my love letter to survival-crafting games, and it's a full 1.0 package - no EA! $15.99 at launch for 30+ hours of proper story-driven gameplay. Can you help me spread the word about my little indie game? #AETHUS #GameDev #IndieGame
positive · AI labelView post →So I'm in my early 50's and know just how hard it is to find a good game. Aethus is better than a good game, it's an absolute cracker. Enthralling to the end, I couldn't wish more luck to the sole dev behind the game. If you enjoy mining, building, terraforming and talking drones then this is probably a really good game for you to check out. Well, I'm dropping in for a quick edit. I now have almost 500 hours in Aethus and have done 4 complete runs of the game, the latest purely to build. I've…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, I had a good time with this game and I thought I'd leave some constructive feedback (mostly just nit picking) instead of actually reviewing it. I think the default mode of mining interaction should be click-and-hold, rather than click-repeatedly to mine. This control scheme is generally more friendly to use. And a new player might not know to change it until they see the tip in a loading screen. The tutorial for jumping is probably not presented in the right place. In the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The developer is a long term friend of mine and I tested this game in early development. Coming from knowing the dev for a long time, I expected his first indie game to have a deep story that takes time to unfold. Aethus didn't disappoint my expectations. In fact I had to remind myself while playing that this game was developed by a one-man-band game studio. It's easy to forget when some elements of the game are so well polished I'd expect it to be AA. I'd…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to like this but it's just not the game the reviewers claimed and the issues bug me more, rather than less, as I get further into the game: Beyond the first area, where it is about exploration and improving your gear to explore further, it quickly becomes super errand quest instead, where each new discovery requires you at best to return to base to craft item X to unlock door/elevator Y, but as the game goes on instead you find Location A, to unlock it further you need to go to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredibly well polished game for a solo developer. Really happy with the straight to 1.0 release for a genre that is full of perpetual early access games. Quality has been really good, story has been engaging and gameplay loop is just what I like for a survival crafting/base building game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+ I like base building games. + The dev's actions to add many accessibility options are great. This is not your classic "you fun is wrong" developer. + I like the story and characters. + The art and sound are good. And it seem the optimization is good enough I can turn down graphics to save computer resources usage. - Little to no replay value. ? Choices don't matter here. Although, I don't like choices matter games anyway. ? While I agree with the ideas put forth regarding evil capitalism…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its ok but definitely does not deserve overwhelmingly positive reviews it has at the time of writing. The core loop of the game (mine, return to base, upgrade, mine again) is a tried and tested formula which, while far from novel, kept me engaged for the length of time I stuck with Aethus. Just about everything else turned me off. It is mechanically frustrating at the best of times. The camera is overly constrained, not allowing to actually look at one of the few redeeming factors of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes you're just in the mood for a nice, laid back game that you can chill and relax in, and actually complete without spending an ungodly amount of time on it. Aethus ticked all those boxes for me. Aethus is a story-driven base building, crafting, and adventure game. The core gameplay involves mining minerals, using those minerals to build up your base, and then crafting things in your base which let you explore to greater depths. All of this is driven very nicely by the story.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out the new gameplay trailer for my solo-indie survival-crafting game, AETHUS, as featured by @ign.com! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUem... #ScreenshotSaturday #GameDev #IndieDev #IndieGame
neutral · AI labelView post →The store tags seem to be misleading, this is not an "Open World Survival Craft" game, but more of a story driven crafting and base building game with somewhat linear progression, which is what I like about it. I love open world sandboxy games like Satisfactory, however this one's selling point to me is precisely because it's not an open world sandbox game. So far I'm mostly annoyed by a small thing, it's that I couldn't properly keep track of who's who in message logs, not sure if they always…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have put in about 11h so far and have enjoyed it quite a bit. Good story, starting to get a bit grindy at this stage, but most games of this type do. The Devs stance on "No use of AI, no early access, no microtransactions or purchaseable cosmetics." easily made me buy his supporters pack. Nice to find a rare decent Dev who enjoys what they are doing. Runs great at ultra settings.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like base-building, exploration, and/or games with a great story, you NEED to give this game a try!! The voice acting is phenomenal, the story takes many unexpected turns, the biomes are well crafted, and there are LOTS of different difficulty setting so you can make your playthrough as easy or as hard as you want! It's made by a single developer who has been very hands on. They're a former AAA developer, and you can tell they've put a lot of love into this game. I had the wonderful…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quick Sum-Up In-depth analysis further down. No AI was used to write this review. 🟩 Pros 🟩 • The base building system is well-designed and intuitive, with excellent quality of life features that make management, resource processing and storage convenient. • Solid exploration mechanics that pose new challenges in each biome, and reward players for going out of their way to fully explore every corner. • An interesting storyline that keeps interest high, is competently written, and has…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome game. Not perfect, but still awesome. A solid 7/10 where a bit of balancing tweaks could get it to 8 or 9 of ten. The bad: * Main gripe: too much walking back and forth. I quickly ended up throwing the difficulty selectors to "easy" to remove some of the tediousness of walking and trying to survive oxygen depletion while exploring. * Lots and lots and lots and lots of walking there-and-back, and inventory management. * Some quest lines send you all the way back to base to craft a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A former Rockstar dev is making a Satisfactory-style survival game about doomed expeditions on a strange planet. Aethus is "Satisfactory through the eyes of Diablo", in the eyes of this critic, who has now been turned into plant food.
neutral · AI labelView post →Very fun game, brought back the feeling of exploring in Subnautica for the first time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is two games in tension--a survival extraction game and an adventure game with the former serving to gate progress in the latter. The core gameplay loop is traveling out into the hostile caves under your outpost to gather the materials needed first to meet your basic needs. then to solve the next problem in the storyline until you roll credits. Along the way you sell portions of what you find to buy upgrades to make the next trip out easier or unlock the blueprints needed to solve that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Chuffed to wake up to a @rockpapershotgun.bsky.social article on AETHUS! 😍 Less than a month to go until launch now, and creators and press are playing the game! www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-former-roc...
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm back, BlueSky! I'm a solo-indie making a survival-crafting/base-building game featuring a dystopian sci-fi narrative and physics-based world - AETHUS! 👩🚀⛏ Check out the trailer and Wishlist!: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwB0... #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames #indiegaming #soloindie #survivalgame
neutral · AI labelView post →I really appreciate the developer's philosophy, but not their game design, sadly. There is a fine basis for a game here, but with what I feel is one gigatic issue that destroys it. I can sum it up like this: Extremely linear progression with constant hand-holding, driven by bland dialog from a voice-acted "hey-listen" robot that tells you what to do every. step. of the way. is a perfect recipe for tedium and the absolute opposite of what "exploration" means. The game simply refuses to let the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was fun for a single playthrough. I played it through once and doubt I'll ever play it again. The problem with this game is that gameplay is too guided by the story. The story has explicit instructions that tell you exactly what to do. Just follow them and you beat the game. All the resources you need for more advanced constructions are only acquired by following the story through. It is also impossible to explore the map without following the story. That said, I think the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →AETHUS is an impressive story-driven survival crafting game, made even more remarkable by the fact that it was developed by a single developer. The survival crafting mechanics are solid and engaging, with a steady sense of progression that kept me invested throughout the experience. Initially, the survival elements are what draw you in, but unlike many games in the genre, the story turns out to be just as compelling. The narrative unfolds in a way that continually motivates you to keep…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just completed this game after 34 hours. An absolute pleasure to play. The base building was fun and resource collection. the survival elements kept you on your toes, characters and plot was engaging and i only encountered one time i was flung across the map into space randomly. 10/10 would recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The AETHUS September Development Diary is now live! This month: 📺 - New Gameplay Trailer 🔥 - The Magma Rifts ✅ - Steam Achievements Check out the September update below! 👇 store.steampowered.com/news/app/254... #GameDev #IndieDev #SurvivalGame #IndieGame #IndieGaming
neutral · AI labelView post →I can't quite believe it, but AETHUS is coming to consoles! I've partnered with @makingport.bsky.social to bring the game to all major consoles, add several text localisations, and make a bunch of gamepad improvements! Check out the full announcement👇 store.steampowered.com/news/app/254...
neutral · AI labelView post →Experience a 30-hour-long, fully voice-acted storyline where your crafting, exploration and building always have an actual story-driven purpose! You can grab AETHUS right now for just $14.99 - find out why the game has 94% positive reviews! 👇 store.steampowered.com/app/2541530/... #IndieDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Artificial slowness. It's a slog. Though it's nice to see dev paying attention. Updated review below. I played on normal settings with minor ux tweaks like "pick up crafted items". Though I understand some of my gripes, like carry weight, may be alleviated with settings, and maybe I will do so, that's a curious take that these are expressed as difficulty modifiers (easy - hard). Slog is not hard, and it's just pushing ballance issue to the player. Anyway, the way I see it, there are many…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →~30 hours in, and Aethus has revealed itself as a rare gem. Recent controller support addition greatly appreciated. . What makes this game special is the intentional design. The world unfolds naturally, the systems make sense, and the narrative is woven directly into the gameplay. It’s the kind of early access title where you stop expecting disappointment and start trusting the developer. I haven’t finished the story yet, but I’ve already crossed the point where I can say: this game is built…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How it started vs How it's going: Happy #Blocktober from AETHUS, my solo-indie survival game! Why not give it a Wishlist or try the demo? store.steampowered.com/app/2541530/... #IndieDev #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieGameDev #LowPoly
neutral · AI labelView post →A review copy was provided by the developer. Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews, so you can be updated whenever I post a new review. Overall Rating - Mediocre ★★★☆☆ First Impressions As someone who enjoys most game genres, when I haven't played a certain type for a while, it starts feeling overdue. Needing to scavenge supplies in an isolated environment, building a home base, and gathering valuable…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One week of bliss. I devoured this game like nothing else in a long time. It's just right combination of sci-fi story, exploring, bit of crafting and no combat survival gameplay. Maybe you could say this game doesn't bring anything new to the genre but everything it does is just well done. Game is mostly story driven and thus all the adventures are precisely crafted for limited spaces of underground caverns. I loved visuals, everything looks so neat and polished. Crafting part is just enough…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Restoring my faith in game development, a 1.0 release that feels amazing, developed by someone who doesn't think they know better than the people playing their games, everything asked for in survival crafting games over years is included, the atmosphere and voice acting is incredible, loving it so much already.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey! I'm a solodev with a demo in NF for my sci-fi survival crafter, AETHUS, launching straight to 1.0 (no Early Access!) It's a survival game with an actual story - you've always got a reason to go out and explore, build up your base, or craft something new! bsky.app/profile/beac... #ShowCasey
neutral · AI labelView post →A former Rockstar dev is making a Satisfactory-style survival game about doomed expeditions on a strange planet. Aethus is "Satisfactory through the eyes of Diablo", in the eyes of this critic, who has now been turned into plant food.
neutral · AI labelView post →#PitchYaGame My solo-dev game, AETHUS, is all about story-driven survival! 🛠 Mine using tons of tools including powerful lasers, explosives and drills! 🚀 Build a futuristic base using a library of modules, 💬A fully voiced dystopian narrative, 🤖And a Scottish AI companion... #IndieGameDev #GameDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Hi #PitchYaGame - this is AETHUS, my chill, non-violent, narrative-driven solo-indie survival/base-building game! 👩🚀⛏ Build up your mining outpost on an alien planet while exploring the open-world physics-based underground caverns below! www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwB0... #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieDev
neutral · AI labelView post →Finished the game. It was a cool ride and I definitely recommend it, though would give developers some time to cook. Wanted to outline overall impressions and share some thoughts. (may be useful for developer) Campaign I was playing on a normal difficulty with all settings untouched for reference. 1) There were some places where progression seemed to bump a wall for me which almost lead me to abandoning the run - it was past the first stone wall that you had to explode with the mining charge…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its an alright game, but an open world survival / craft game it is not. If anything it is a highly tailored and linear experience, directed by a shallow storyline. I thought the voice acting and dialog in general were good, but the story in general was pretty generic. And that would be fine, if the game were truly an open world experience. But that's not what you're getting here. It consists of a lot of 'go here, go there, unlock this'. Its not a freeform gameplay loop, but a forced one. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't even know where to begin with this one. Aethus has been on my watchlist since I first played the demo in NextFest. Even then, I was pretty sure it was going to be something special. It did not disappoint. Let me start first with what it isn't. This is not an open world game where you are a nameless protagonist building your future on a dusty planet. It is also not a multiple endings "choices matter" game. If that is what you expect out of Aethus, you need to either adjust your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For the casual review scroller seeing the “Overwhelming Positive”: Be aware that this game was created and is maintained by 1 crazy, and overworked, dude. That means that this game is very much evolving and being live patched [as in, ERRORS and CRASHES] particularly with Linux/Proton/Nvidia -and the other usual culprits. The game is a casual base building and exploration genre, no combat [as far as I’ve seen]. The learning and progression curve is gentle, but some mechanics such as the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far everything about this game is great. Its hard to believe it was created by just one person. The story is interesting (still have not figured out the mystery), the building fun, the resource gathering makes sense, and progression is good. Also voice acting! Unbelievable that its genuinely fantastic as well. Overall so far 10/10 as a game worth your time and money.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's discourse happening around #Silksong not having difficulty options so I wanted to show the gameplay modifiers for AETHUS, my survival-crafting game! Everyone enjoys games differently - if you want to make it easier/harder in particular ways, who am I to stop you? #GameDev #IndieDev #Gaming
positive · AI labelView post →This has been a tough secret to keep... AETHUS has a publisher! 🥳👩🚀 As a solo-indie dev making a game during a really tough period in the industry, I feel very proud to have achieved this partnership and can't wait to bring the game to as many people as possible, together! #IndieDev #IndieGame
neutral · AI labelView post →Looking for a new survival-crafter this #WishlistWednesday? Here's AETHUS! With a focus on narrative to drive you through the game, explore an alien underground world to mine for resources, build up your outpost, and escape the grip of a dystopian megacorporation! #Gamedev #IndieDev #IndieGame
neutral · AI labelView post →AETHUS has passed 1,500 reviews on Steam! 🥳 I never imagined I might achieve this goal within two months, and for the game to still be Overwhelmingly Positive is just a dream come true. I'm incrediby happy that this little story has resonated so much with everyone. Thank you so much!
positive · AI labelView post →AETHUS is now on its first post-launch discount at 20% off! If you haven't picked up the game yet, now's the perfect time as I've pushed over TWENTY patches since launch containing countless fixes, new features and QOL improvements! Grab it here!👇 store.steampowered.com/app/2541530/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Good game. Played on all standard difficulty settings. The best way I can describe this game is "handcrafted Minecraft", although that undersells the presentation and the existence of a plot... Just a tad. It's a full game, entirely cool to have been put together by one person and completable from start to finish. Any complaints I had are honestly minor but do tug at the overall enjoyment of the game. Let me get into a few of those. - A large portion of the game is crafting. There is no way to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →AETHUS features on @gamerant.bsky.social today!👩🚀⛏️ The header image is even from the game 🥰 gamerant.com/biggest-upco... #GameDev #IndieDev #IndieGame #SurvivalGame
neutral · AI labelView post →
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