DaRmaZat Instead of resting on the legacy of Monster Sanctuary, developer Moi Rai Games is taking a bold new step with Aethermancer. Currently in Early Access, it blends monster taming with roguelite design, throwing you into shifting ruins where nothing ever stays the same. As the Aethermancer, you don’t just collect creatures—you forge soul bonds with them, guide them through perilous battles, and watch them return stronger even after death.
About Monsters, Soulbonds, and Rebirth
In Aethermancer, you encounter the beasts of Terastae—creatures that defied the virtues of this world and are now trapped in a cycle of death and rebirth. As an Aethermancer, you can soulbond with these monsters, forming a party of three and leading them through sprawling maps and dangerous, turn-based encounters. Strategic choices matter: as monsters grow, you must find synergies between them, shaping unique builds across runs.
Undoubtedly, the combat demands sharp thinking. Each turn-based battle relies on the four elements of Aether to unleash spells, purge enemy resources, stack poison, shield allies, or exploit elemental weaknesses. But survival is never guaranteed. If a monster falls, it’s gone for good—unless you use your gift to rebirth its soul into the next run. That rebirth may alter its form, but the bond remains.
Reaching The Core of the Void
The game begins with a stark black screen, lines of cryptic text booming across it. You play as Siriux, the Aethermancer, cloaked in a faceless blue robe, tasked with reaching the core of the Void to cleanse its corruption. Immediately, you soulbond with a starting monster—one of four possible companions, each with strengths and weaknesses.
For my first run, I chose Cherufe. Like every monster, it comes with a signature trait, elemental affinities, and a combat type dictating available actions. The Void—once the Fractured Ruins—now teems with hostile beasts, and your very first steps are blocked by Wolpertingers, introducing the harsh pace of survival.
Weaving the Threads of Aether
Learning-by-doing is possible thanks to preview windows showing max potential damage before committing, but deeper understanding is needed to truly master combat. As typical for this genre, inspecting enemies and combing through menus is crucial—knowing weaknesses, attack types, and conditions makes or breaks encounters.
Aethermancer’s mechanics already go deeper than expected. Aether-based actions, elemental staggers, Worthiness (a progression layer that persists across rebirths), and crafted Mementos all add weight to decisions. Every enemy has at least one Poise weakness to exploit.
After each fight, loot drops include equipment and Blank Mementos, feeding into monster growth. Each battle boosts Worthiness and may grant a monster a new trait, providing buffs for the entire team. Shrines also appear along the path, each allowing you to rebirth a monster one time using Monster Souls (you start each run with three). The choice depends on which Mementos you’ve crafted in earlier fights, which is a neat twist on roguelite progression.
Meanwhile, Siriux himself isn’t passive. Before turn-based combat begins, he can ambush with a Void Blitz, cutting enemy Poise by 2 (or 3 if striking from higher ground). However, enemies can ambush you as well, requiring a quick Void Parry input to counter with equal effect. Siriux’s arsenal also includes rechargeable Artifacts, such as antidote flasks for healing and void crystals for aether regeneration, replenished at Rest Sites.
Journeys Through Fractured Ruins
Between fights, you explore in 2D through Zones. With your starter monster at your side, you dash and jump, a combination the game calls Void Dash/Jump, between vertical layers. Learning to use purple portals for Void Jumps takes some adjustment, as descending occasionally happens automatically, other times with a separate input. This made navigation feel unintuitive—arguably too complex for something as simple as moving between ledges.
Along the way, you meet characters like Lily the witch, who teaches the art of Soulbonding, and Alioth, another Aethermancer. Your dialogue choices do matter, branching into further consequences. At the end of each Zone, you need to choose your next path, previewing what types of encounters await—merchants, NPCs, envoys, and more—feeding into the roguelite loop. However, further exploration offers worthwhile rewards, such as treasure chests filled with gold and resources, while teleporting between discovered points keeps runs efficient. Current runs can also be forfeited to return to Pilgrim’s Rest, and saving on quit is already implemented.
Despite its depth, Aethermancer’s performance is already solid. The turn-based combat and exploration run smoothly with dynamic, tension-filled music. Some small issues exist—like the cursor drifting upward in borderless windowed mode while on controller—but overall, the build feels very stable.
Preliminary Thoughts
Aethermancer makes a surprisingly mature impression for an Early Access title. The performance is smooth, the art style appealing, and the atmosphere spot-on as a successor to Monster Sanctuary. Its complex systems, paired with challenging yet addictive turn-based combat, strike a balance between relaxing play and tense encounters. A promising start, and one that leaves us eager to see how Aethermancer evolves from here!
Additional Information
Release Date: Sep 23, 2025 (Early Access)
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Moi Rai Games
Publisher: Offbrand Games
Website: Moi Rai
Relevant links: Aethermancer on Steam
