AETHUS follows Maeve, a former mining engineer for the Astral Resource Corporation who takes up her own claim beyond the megacorp’s control. The work of building a new life is bound to an older mystery: Maeve explores the remains of a failed science expedition and abandoned facilities while investigating a powerful new element and corporate secrets. Story is central to the design, with new narrative intended to keep the investigation moving alongside the mining.
The claim is both workplace and home. Players assemble a modular operations hub from refining, processing, and crafting stations, then head underground to gather resources with tools such as lasers, explosives, and drills. Those materials feed into refining and the creation of new exploration tools, while upgrades for Maeve’s suit and AI drone support journeys deeper into the world. Away from the mine, cozy habitats can be decorated, and activities include growing plants, raising fish, and prospecting for gems.
AETHUS also lets players use adjustable Game Modifiers to shape the experience, from a laid-back exploration style to a tougher survival challenge, with settings changeable during play. The mix of mining, crafting, habitat-building, and narrative investigation gives that solo format its particular character.
