Happy launch day everyone! As of 9AM this morning, Rivals of Aether has officially left Early Access. We're incredibly excited as the full release brings a ton of new content, polish, and ways to play alone or with a friend. For those of you not familiar with our game, YouTube sensation Adam Carra will introduce you in the following instructional video. For the rest of you, let's go over what's been added to the game as well as what to expect for the future of Rivals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLSWgDpH3XI
Version 1.0.0: New Modes and Content
In addition to bringing the long awaited single player modes, the full launch today also packs in plenty of extra collectibles and polish. Content changes this update include:
- Story Mode
- Abyss Mode
- Leaderboards
- Currency / Unlockables (New skins, custom color slots, and more)
- Collectible Steam Trading Cards / Badges / Backgrounds
- New Music (stage music, victory themes, menu music)
- Achievements
Preview of a Rivals background you can unlock for your Steam profile
Balance Changes
Now that we've left Early Acess, you can also expect balance changes to taper down. Early Access was the perfect time to experiment and get feedback, but now you most likely won't see changes unless things are being shaken up heavily (e.g. something like a roster addition). Here's the balance changes for patch 1.0.0:
- Maypul Root not destroyed by hitboxes. Damage 6 > 5.
- Kragg Nair Hit 2 knocks up isntead of out.
- Kragg Fair angle changed from 35 - 40.
- Maypul lower Usmash hitbox reinspect. (only 8 pixels wider)
CEO Dreamland Seasonal Colors
The seasonal colors are back and this time the Rivals are sporting CEO Dreamland styles. Join us in Orlanda, Florida or watch online and support the stream as Rivals makes its first appearance at CEO. If you're also interested in playing Rivals at the event, now's a great time to register as the devs are covering 50% of the entry fee for new players plus a copy of the game.
What's next for Rivals? Abyss Versus Online and Patch 1.1
That's right, just because we're released doesn't mean we're done. We have our eyes set on making some additions to the game that have already been heavily requested by fans. We're planning to put these together as a patch 1.1. Here are the top ones on our list that we'd like to get out in the next patch:
- Enable Abyss Versus Online
- Replay Improvements (Rewind, pause, fast forward)
- Keyboard Control Improvements (C-stick functionality)
We hope you enjoy the full launch. Let us know your favorite parts of story mode or abyss and what you'd like to see most in future patches of Rivals in the comments below.