I popped on Aetherion about a week ago as my first RPG Maker game to really attempt to beat. I was instantly taken in by the academy approach and loved how naive Edan really was. Then there was crazy concepts like the Aether, Spirits, and Raythe. Just as I was really getting into the madness and hitting my stride in the combat the story ended and I was left wanting more. More in a good way of course as all my senses and emotions as a gamer were touched upon in the most positive of ways. I seriously had an amazing time playing Aetherion and can only hope they decided to use this universe again in the future.

Graphics:
The academy section was nice to explore for goodies and for setting up the world a bit. You could roam through it and find hidden items and people to talk to. Going into the Aether was even more of a visual treat as you really got to see some surreal imagery.

Gameplay:
The combat system was fast paced and visual pleasing. On top of that I found myself timing attacks or not moving up to higher tier attacks in an effort to break my enemies and prolong my party receiving damage.

Story:
I've already touched upon the fact that I was crazy about the setting both with the academy and Aether but the plot itself is even interesting. There's "terrible secret past" shenanigans going on and I love it. The writing is also top notch and helps deliver the feels.

Audio:
This is the best boss music I've ever had the pleasure of curb stomping someone to. It shows that care was used in choosing the soundtrack and I wholly agree with the music used in this game.

I almost want to give this game a 5 and I even fear that my reason for not doing so may only be a personal qualm and that makes the choice hard. I've always been a fan of the lengthy adventure. I was left wanting to continue the school year and figure out what was going to happen to the three characters that I really liked. I wanted to know if there were other elemental users at the school or even characters with no affinity to the elements but a knack for hitting people really hard with a hammer. I guess I'm just left wanting more in the most sincere way I can muster.

So in conclusion, if you want a high quality story you should play this. Fans of a shorter game are going to be in heaven. Fans of longer games should still play this though as the experience is more than worth the few hours you'll invest. Good job guys, you knocked this one outta the park.