Aether & Iron news & patch notes

Hey Crew!

We want to know what resonated most with you in Aether & Iron!  What features do you want to see expanded next?

We’ve launched a player survey to gather your thoughts on everything from combat mechanics and vehicle customization to story pacing and future DLC concepts. You can find it right now on the main menu home screen, or click the link below to open it in your browser:

👉 https://www.seismicsquirrel.com/star-gameplay-survey

Your feedback could directly influence what we create next. Share your thoughts and help us make the universe of Aether & Iron even better!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!

- Seismic Squirrel 💛🐿️

Hey Crew!

We are excited to share that earlier this month, Aether & Iron won Best Role-Playing Game at the TooManyGames Indie Game Awards! 🏆

We are so grateful to our team for creating this world and to our community for supporting our development and sharing our game with others. We certainly wouldn't be here without all of you!

The celebration doesn't stop there! From now through July 23, Aether & Iron is also featured in the July Convergence Showcase, a one-stop hub for the very best in new indie-game releases and hot new demos.

If you haven't jumped into our floating world yet, now is the perfect time to download the demo and see what won us that Best RPG trophy!!

Thank you all for being the best crew a dev team could ask for. Head over to the Convergence Showcase page, try the demo, and we'll see you in the skies!

— The Seismic Squirrel Team 💛🐿️

This update focuses on several areas we've seen players discussing, including controller usability, inventory management, combat pacing, and overall game performance.

One of the biggest changes in this update is a new save file compression system. Saves are now significantly smaller and take up less Steam Cloud storage. Alongside this, we've continued optimising performance throughout the game, helping improve loading and startup times.

Patch Notes

Improved

Combat

• Improved the look of the Aether Rat Transport vehicle with clearer primary and secondary colors.

• Reduced the length of Dance Hall combat encounter.

• Reduced the length of Luca Weapon Dealers combat encounter.

• Improved opponent behaviour in Heist Escape combat encounter.

• Reduced difficulty and improved opponent behaviour in bonus combat (available in the demo).

• Increased scrap rewards from combat encounters.

Narrative & Scenes

• Added new sounds to the Undersky Archive.

• Added vehicles to Central Park.

• Added crowds to Ellis Island.

• Improved the appearance of the Dreamland vault door.

• Improved how vehicles of different sizes appear in garages.

• Improved character shadows in the Nations Crusade Dance Hall.

UI/UX

• Added a new tutorial to better explain changing crew turn order.

• Updated button layout when accepting combat and dialogue items and made them more consistent.

• You can swap items of equal size by dragging and dropping them on each other.

• You can double-click items in other inventories to add it to yours (e.g. buy from a store, or take a combat reward).

• Improved item and status effect descriptions in certain ability tooltips.

• Lots of controller support improvements!

  • Use joysticks and D-Pad to navigate tutorials.

  • Select UI elements in combat with the controller cursor.

  • Added clearer controller hotkeys to combat abilities.

Misc

• Added compression to save files so that the game saves and loads faster and so that save files take up less space and cloud storage.

• Reduced memory usage across the game for faster load and boot times.

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed the direction of the Scout Rifle visual effects.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed MacOS-specific progression issue at Marm’s Roadblock.

• Fixed issue where some checkpoints would not automatically progress after they were completed.

• Fixed issue where not all POIs in the Dreamland Garage displayed on first load.

• Fixed an incorrect POI in the Abandoned Shipyard.

• Fixed issue with being able to exit the Dreamland Hippodrome early.

• Fixed an oversized POI at the Crumbling Island’s Edge.

• Fixed the position of Mr Blanc’s cigarette.

• Fixed newspaper reveal not triggering as expected in the Dance Hall.

• Fixed issue where camera focused on the wrong spot at the Rebel HQ.

UI/UX

• Fixed highlight not always appearing on the first dialogue option when using a controller.

• Fixed issue with some storage compartments spilling out of their container.

• Fixed not being able to access “Recover” button in Load Game screen on controller.

• Fixed not being able to access “EULA” button on controller.

• Removed Windowed mode options on Steam Deck (game always runs full screen).

• Fixed issue with being able to exit vehicle customization early on controller.

• Fixed issue with rapidly interacting with the Ferry at The Hole on controller.

• Fixed issue with some store inventories overflowing on certain aspect ratios.

• Fixed issue with control bindings while renaming save files during combat.

• Fixed issue with dropdown options selecting automatically on controller.

• Fixed issue with swapping compatible crew vehicles.

• Fixed issue with interacting with selecting inventory items on controller.

Misc

• Fixed the feedback form sometimes timing out and not sending feedback.

• \ Fixed issue with keyboard not appearing in Big Picture Mode.

• Fixed issue with Texture Quality settings not always persisting on reload depending on other graphics options.

Hey everyone!

The team has been hard at work since launch, and we want to thank you for all your feedback!! It has been incredibly valuable as we improve the game and plan what’s next.

Available Now

• The New Roadside Garage is live, along with a big batch of quality-of-life improvements and fixes. → Full patch notes for Update 1.1 are available here.

Coming in 2026

• New story missions and mini-quests that expand the world and your crew’s journey.

• A brand new dice mini-game inspired by real 1930s gambling games.

We’re really excited about both of these updates and will share more details soon. In the meantime, tune into The Aether Hour live on Twitch and YouTube at Noon Pacific time on the last Wednesday of every month for dev updates!

Coming Soon

Bigger things are still in development. We’re not quite ready to reveal them yet, but we’d love to hear your theories and guesses in the comments below!

Safe travels out there,

The Seismic Squirrel Team &

The Chaos Theory Games Team

Thanks to everyone who has continued sending us feedback since the release of the v1.1 update last week.

This is a smaller update focused on addressing a handful of progression issues, improving controller usability, and cleaning up some UI and dialogue edge cases reported by players.

Patch Notes

Improved

UI/UX

• Made it easier to select buttons in the HUD and in combat using the controller cursor. 

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed issue where selecting a combat action didn’t show “Use here” immediately on controller.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed progression issue with completing The Red Line mission.

• Fixed progression issue with speaking to Sam at The Root Cellar.

• Fixed issue with dialogue repeating after completing certain quest objectives.

• Fixed issue with autoplay dialogue skipping lines when a mission objective completes.

• Fixed a double loading screen after certain surprise encounters.

• Fixed issue with a disconnected road on White Street island.

• Fixed issue with incorrect character art appearing during a Nations Crusade encounter.

UI/UX

• Fixed “Inspect” hotkey being visible at the wrong times in the inventory.

• Fixed issue with the “Cancel” button in the Restore Control Defaults popup.

Thanks again to everyone who’s continued playing Aether & Iron since launch and sharing feedback, bug reports, and suggestions with us.

Today’s update is our first major post-launch update for the game - v1.1.337 - and includes a collection of player-requested quality-of-life improvements, accessibility options, controller updates, and the performance/memory optimisations we recently tested in the \ branch.

A huge thank you to everyone who opted into that beta and helped us test the new asset management systems. Those improvements are now rolling out to everyone and should result in:

• Reduced memory usage

• Faster load times

• Better performance on lower-spec PCs

This update also adds several highly-requested gameplay improvements, including the ability to sell vehicles, reconfigure your loadout after failed combats, and balance changes to several key combat encounters.

We’re continuing to work through community feedback and have more updates planned ahead. Thanks again for all the support since launch - it’s been so so valuable in helping us prioritise what to improve next.

Patch Notes

New

• You can now sell vehicles at garages! There’s a new “Buy” tab in the garage vehicle stores.

• You can now customize your vehicles after failing a combat encounter, allowing you to try a different build without needing to go back and visit a garage.

• Added bonus damage when you collide with the edge of the combat grid. Ram your opponents at the edge to deal extra damage.

• Added a new “spoken voice only” toggle to the settings that disables narrator voiceover when enabled.

Improved

Combat

• Made it clearer when you can’t move due to being Blinded.

• You can now select your combat abilities using the controller cursor.

• Optimised certain combat animations for better performance.

• Updated the General Eli combat encounter to make Eli more likely to use his aether beam, reducing the difficulty.

• Updated the combat encounter with Pearl to change her decision-making in the second phase of the fight.

Narrative & Scenes

• Added new sound effects to conversations throughout the game.

• Added new sound effect to ‘game over’ newspapers.

• Gia is automatically returned to her previous vehicle after the Hippodrome race.

• Improved camera placement when speaking to characters in the Rebel HQ.

UI/UX

• Made it easier to tell distinguish combat skills that come from your vehicle from hero skills.

• Updated how status effects appear in ability tooltips to make it clearer what they do and affect.

• Made it clearer when a surprise encounter is due to your heat.

• Made it more obvious that you can change difficulty mid-game.

• Improved the logo on the main menu.

• Made it clearer how to view combatant info when using a controller.

Misc

• Updated Sophie’s voiceover clips to normalize volume levels.

• Several performance improvements to reduce memory usage and improve load times.

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed issue with healing beam VFX pointing in the wrong direction, sometimes.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed/improved a couple of instances where POIs were too close to the edge of the screen.

UI/UX

• Fixed issue with ‘Concealed' tooltip not appearing while in the store.

• Fixed issue where Graveyard Shift could trigger update notifications multiple times.

• Fixed issue where “Already Equipped” items weren’t listed correctly when customizing vehicles.

• Fixed tutorial hotkeys appearing incorrectly when using a controller.

• Fixed issue where you could “Use” items at the incorrect times.

• Fixed issue with exiting from the newspaper screen when using a controller.

• Fixed issue where the Pier Six store got too full and couldn’t fit more items.

Misc

• Fixed issue where combat music layers could get out of sync, sometimes.

• Fixed issue where the game generates more autosaves than the maximum if reloading a combat encounter multiple times.

• Fixed issue with sound effects playing despite SFX bus volume being 0 in the White Street Dufresne combat encounter.

• Fixed issue where the music track didn’t change in Grayson’s Garage.

• Fixed SFX not triggering when using prev/next buttons on lists in settings.

• Fixed issue with selecting locations that you can’t travel to on the traversal map.

In case you missed them, here are the other patches we’ve released since launch:

• Patch Release: 1.0.607 - Combat Fixes and Localization Improvements

• Patch Release: 1.0.499 - Single Save Mode Added and Accessibility Improvements

• Patch Release: 1.0.424 - Demo Migration Fixes and UI Clarity Improvements

• Patch Release: 1.0.245 - Combat Balance Tuning, UI & Bug Fixes

• Patch Release: v1.0.159 - Addressed Save Stability Issues

Thanks to everyone who’s been playing the Aether & Iron Demo and sharing feedback with us over the past few months.

Thanks to everyone who’s continued sharing feedback since launch.

• Reduced memory usage

• Faster load times

• Better performance on lower-spec hardware

How to Opt-In

Check out Aether & Iron in the Start Your Engine Festival from May 12-19!

This event is a celebration of games that, you guessed it...have engines!!

If you've been curious about the gravity-defying world of Aether & Iron, now's a great time to check it out!! Unravel mysteries, customize your ride, roll the dice, and save your impossible city!

Explore several categories of games on the event page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45993102/sale/startyourengine2026

Thanks again to everyone continuing to play Aether & Iron and send through feedback and bug reports! Our latest update focuses on improving overall usability, alongside fixing several progression and combat issues reported by players.

Patch Notes

Improved

Narrative & Scenes

• Improved timing when cutting between epilogue scenes.

• Reduced camera flashes at Quincy Park Terrace.

UI/UX

• All tutorials can be viewed from the Pause Menu, regardless of whether they are unlocked.

• Added clearer animation when losing HP due to dialogue choices.

• Made changes to several UI labels to improve spacing in multiple languages.

• Made it easier to toggle the “Move all to” overlay on and off.

Misc

• Made several changes to dialogue translations based on player feedback.

• Reduced the target for the Heavy Striker achievement.

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed issue where hazards did not always update the cells they were targeting during each phase of the final combat encounter.

• Fixed issue where vehicles could be knocked back into invalid cells during the final combat encounter.

• Fixed issue with Aether Sludge Thrower weapon VFX not displaying correctly.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed potential progression issue during the Memories Don’t Dance mission.

• Fixed potential progression issue during the Pocket Full Of Stones mission.

• Fixed incorrect POI highlight on Bluebell at Nations Crusade.

UI/UX

• Fixed issue where some combat abilities referenced the wrong damage type.

• Fixed issue where items could be ‘sold’ in Nellie’s Lab.

• Fixed issue where items could not load correctly if placed in certain compartments.

• Fixed issue where re-roll items would show on incorrect dialogue options if you saved and reloaded in the middle of a conversation.

• Fixed issue where scrolling a dropdown list in settings caused incorrect positioning.

Misc

• Fixed issue where the dialogue typewriter effect would sometimes not work when using a controller.

• Fixed issue with reloading from auto saves during the Train Heist could skip past some combat intro conversations.

Thanks again to everyone continuing to play Aether & Iron and share feedback. This update introduces a new way to play for those who want higher stakes, alongside a range of accessibility options, UI improvements, and new sound effects.

We’ve also addressed a few lingering issues around achievements, dialogue flow, and item rewards.

Patch Notes

New

• Enabled the “Single Save” modifier for campaigns, if you want to play with only a single save. No save scumming!

• Added a new option to the settings to enable/disable opaque roads during combat, which helps to reduce motion.

Improved

Narrative & Scenes

• Added new emotes and reactions to conversations in the Root Cellar.

• Added alarm sound effects when escaping The Tomb.

• Added new sound effects when speaking to Popper.

• Added new sound effects when speaking to Banger.

• Added a pause when playing silent dialogue lines during autoplay so it doesn’t immediately skip to the next line.

• Improved the quality of the safehouse environment when playing on “Low” graphics settings.

UI/UX

• Made it harder to delete your campaigns. The “Delete” button has been removed, and a campaign will automatically delete itself when you delete all save files within it.

• Conversations now pause when receiving items and when morale changes, so there’s time to view notifications in the conversation history.

• Added a warning pop-up when trying to save and out of disk space.

Misc

• Improved the starting loadout of Benny’s vehicle.

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed issue where available combat actions were updating slightly later than when a new turn starts.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed dialogue flow issue when inspecting Mr Blanc’s files in the Hidden Room.

• Fixed issue where you could receive multiple Moonshine Casks during Good To The Last Drop.

UI/UX

• Fixed incorrect icon showing for the “Respec” button in the Talent Screen.

Misc

• Fixed issue with main mission-related achievements not firing when expected.

• Fixed some POIs at the International Docks that were not translated.

Thanks again to everyone who’s been playing Aether & Iron and continuing to share feedback with us. We’ve been working through some player-reported issues - particularly around progression and UX clarity - and have our latest patch ready to share.

This update focuses on fixing several cases where players could get stuck when migrating from the demo to the full game, improving combat responsiveness, and tightening up UI clarity and a few localisation issues. There are also a handful of quality-of-life improvements based directly on community feedback.

We’ll keep the updates coming as we continue improving the game.

Patch Notes

New

• Added a new option to the settings to enable/disable pausing the game when defocusing/tabbing out.

Improved

Combat

• Mass Repair now requires that you confirm your target before it activates (like most other combat actions).

• Improved the timing of sound effects and visual effects for several weapons.

Narrative & Scenes

• You can now earn morale with heroes regardless of whether they are in the crew during certain conversations at the Root Cellar.

• Updated the character art for Mr Blanc to improve consistency.

UI/UX

• Made it clearer when the game can no longer save due to running out of disk space.

• Updated and improved some tutorial videos.

Misc

• Updated the logos shown on the splash screen to include third-party tools.

• Increased mission rewards when completing The Heist.

Fixed

Combat

• Fixed issue where available combat actions were updating slightly later than when a new turn starts.

Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed an issue where some players were getting stuck and unable to leave The Hole during The Last Goodbye.

• Fixed an issue where some players were getting stuck not being able to speak with Cress in the Root Cellar.

• Fixed an issue where some players were getting stuck not being able to speak with Cress in Cress' Garage when migrating from the demo to the full game.

• Fixed issue where some players were getting stuck not being able to speak with Alex and Maria at the Pier 9 Workpost when migrating from the demo to the full game.

• Fixed issue where some players were getting stuck when returning to Astoria Bay after Act 2.

• Fixed issue with a missing codex entry in Dreamland.

• Fixed oversized Pandemonium Security guard in the Pandemonium Lobby.

• Fixed issue with dialogue repeating itself during certain conversations when skip was enabled.

UI/UX

• Fixed issue where some UI labels were appearing in English when they shouldn’t have.

• Fixed/clarified incorrect wording of the “Opt Out Of Analytics” option in the settings.

• Fixed/clarified inconsistency in Machine Gun ability description.

• Fixed issue with selling items received from Nellie’s research.

• Fixed not being able to scroll vehicle customization parts list on controller.

• Fixed issue with some particles remaining visible out of bounds on ultrawide screens.

Misc

• Fixed “Smuggling Legend” achievement not triggering at the right time.

• Fixed some instances of mismatched text and voiceover.

• Fixed missing radio effect on some voice lines.

• Fixed issue with continuing save files in permadeath mode.

• Fixed missing vehicle movement sounds when approaching The Well.

Thanks to everyone who’s been playing Aether & Iron in our launch week! We’ve been working through your feedback and have another patch ready to share with you.

Patch Notes

• Combat

  • Changed the starting positions of enemies in the Hippodrome.

  • Optimised performance in some combat scenes.

  • Balance changes:

    • Slightly reduced Eli's health and the number of minions.

    • Slightly reduced Dufresne health and enemy AP in encounter #2.

• Narrative & Scenes

  • Added ‘loudspeaker’ effect to some voiceover lines.

  • The Shipyard Memorial changes visually during conversations.

• UI/UX

  • Updated “Evade” talent graphic.

• Combat

  • Fixed issue where some Nations Crusade encounters loaded into a black screen.

  • Fixed issue loading into the final White Street Train Heist encounter.

  • Fixed the orientation of the trail effects when firing the Scout Rifle.

  • Fixed issue with pausing and unpausing during combat showing the grid.

• Narrative & Scenes

  • Fixed Library Nook POI highlight.

  • Fixed issue with sprite layering at the Pier 9 North Workpost.

  • Fixed empty player choice at The Well.

  • Fixed being able to sell blueprints to Tajana.

  • Fixed missing characters at the War-Torn Mission.

  • Fixed jumbled traversal lines when travelling to Spritzenhaus.

• UI/UX

  • Fixed issue with ‘customize vehicle colors' scroll not stretching on some aspect ratios.

  • Fixed AP cost of abilities spilling out of container during vehicle customization.

  • Fixed issue with selecting “Return To Menu” on controller when completing the demo.

  • Fixed tint/overlay in combat displaying when it shouldn’t on controller.

  • Fixed issue with “play time” being inaccurate for save files.

  • Fixed vehicle part map extending off the screen on certain aspect ratios.

• Misc

  • Fixed issue where some cutscene subtitles are not appearing in the correct language.

  • Fixed banners at White Street Military Parade being slightly transparent.

  • Fixed issue with “Hotrod Obsessed” achievement triggering incorrectly.

  • Fixed issue with “High Roller” achievement triggering incorrectly.

  • Fixed incorrect translations for the Morale tutorial in French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

  • Fixed issue with saves sometimes being out of order when manually saving.

Thanks to everyone who’s jumped into Aether & Iron and had the opportunity to fall in love with both the characters and world that we’ve built. The passion and engagement we’ve seen from the community has broken through all of our expectations as a team, and we couldn’t be more excited by the response to Aether & Iron.

Patch Notes

New

• For any players encountering save file issues: added a “Recover” button in the Load Screen that will re-check all of your save files and display any missing ones (note: this may take a while to run).

Fixed

• UI/UX

  • Fixed a few instances of missing translations for POIs.

  • Fixed issue with purchasing and then immediately customizing a vehicle.

  • Fixed missing POI in Dreamland Garage.

• Misc

  • Fixed issues causing some player’s save files to not appear in the load screen.

We’re excited to team up with Artifice Studio, the talented team behind Legends of the Round Table to bring you a new bundle!

Pair our decopunk narrative RPG Aether & Iron; set in a floating alternate 1930s New York City full of jazz, intrigue, and tough choices with their beautiful medieval RPG filled with honor, magic, and romance.

If you love strong storytelling and meaningful choices, this bundle is for you!

➡️Aether & Iron + Legends of the Round Table Bundle

Aether & Iron is finally here!

Step into a breathtaking decopunk 1930s floating metropolis. Play as Gia, a sharp-witted smuggler with a mysterious past, as you recruit your crew, engage in tactical turn-based combat from your gravity-defying vehicle, and uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath the glamorous skyline.

With full English voice acting, meaningful choices, and a rich narrative full of rivalries, alliances, and moral dilemmas, this is a story-driven RPG where your decisions truly matter.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has been following our development journey. Your support, feedback, and enthusiasm have meant the world to our team. We hope you love playing the final game as much as we loved making it.

If you’ve already been enjoying Aether & Iron, we hope you’ll leave us a review on Steam. Your reviews help new players discover the game and mean a ton to our team. 

Launch Bundles

• Pick up the Deluxe Edition bundle, which includes the full game plus the complete jazz-infused soundtrack composed by Grammy-winner Christopher Tin and Alex Williamson.

• Sovereign Syndicate, another fantastic story-rich RPG with a strong Victorian steampunk vibe.

• Minds Beneath Us a powerful, emotional sci-fi narrative adventure where humans are exploited as living components in a vast AI-driven system.

• Shardpunk a tense turn-based tactical RPG with strong survival and resource management elements in a grim steampunk setting.

If you love deep storytelling, complex characters, meaningful choices, and thought-provoking worlds, both of these titles are worth checking out!

Want to stay connected?

Join our Discord community! Every week we host a live voice call where different members of the dev team drop in to chat, answer questions, and talk about the game. It’s a great, low-pressure way to hang out with us and other players.

https://discord.gg/SeismicSquirrel

Thank you again for following our development, playing the demo, and supporting independent games. We can’t wait to hear what you think of Aether & Iron!

Now take to the skies, you've got a city to save!

~ The Seismic Squirrel Team & Chaos Theory Games

The countdown is on. Aether & Iron launches globally in one week!!

This is it!! Our first game, Aether & Iron, releases globally March 30-31, 2026. Your exact launch time is shown in the graphic above.

The World We've Built:

Aether & Iron is a fully-voiced 1930s noir Narrative RPG set in a gravity-defying alt-history New York. Play as Gia, a smuggler caught in a conspiracy that threatens the impossible floating city.

🚗 Master turn-based vehicular combat on the Aetherways - outfit your car with weapons, armor, and modifications, then take on enemies in tactical battles.

🕵️‍♀️ Develop your skills by spending talent points in Brass, Hustle, and Smarts. Navigate encounters with dice-based skill checks where you can persuade, intimidate, or lie your way through the branching narrative.

🤝 Recruit companions who have their own agendas. Your relationships with them shape the story and determine final outcomes.

✍️ Featuring hundreds of hand-drawn Leyendecker-inspired characters and environments, plus an original jazz-noir score recorded by a live orchestra with Christopher Tin (Grammy winner, Civilization) and Alex Williamson.

To Our Community:

Thank you. To everyone who wishlisted, played the demo, joined our Discord, watched our dev diaries, left feedback - you've been part of this journey. Your support means the world to us!!

We'll see you in the skies next week!!

~ The Seismic Squirrel & Chaos Theory Games Teams

Hello everyone!

We are just over a month away from Aether & Iron's full release on March 31st and wanted to release an update to make sure the demo best represents the experience you'll have in the game's full release.

This update focuses on early-game stability, combat balance, UI clarity, and presentation polish.

Thank you to everyone who has been playing the demo and sharing your feedback!

New

• More voiced dialogue in the demo (plus fixes for VO that fired at the wrong time or didn’t match subtitles).

• Combat feels fairer and clearer with early-encounter balance tweaks, and improved tooltips.

• UI/UX improvements for vehicle setup, inventory, tutorials, and controller play.

• New accessibility warning before combat for players sensitive to motion sickness / flashing lights.

• More robust save support (including behind-the-scenes improvements so saves behave more reliably between updates).

Improved

• Combat & Balance

  • Early combats rebalanced for pacing and readability (including HP/AP tuning and encounter flow tweaks).

  • Aura and hazard tooltips now communicate effects more clearly, including who they affect and hazard type.

  • Better enemy/vehicle consistency so bystanders and enemies are easier to identify.

  • Improved combat performance in several encounters (especially around turn transitions and heavier VFX moments).

• UI/UX

  • Vehicle customization defaults to a clearer “part map” view to help you understand what fits where.

  • Storage upgrades are easier to compare, with clearer slot counts and “net gain/loss” info.

  • Improved presentation for tooltips, popups, and UI text (including non-English layouts).

  • More readable POI outlines across key early locations, making it easier to spot what’s interactable.

  • Better handling of widescreen monitors.

• Miscellaneous

  • Campaign sorting order now matches your save file sorting order, so your most recently updated campaign appears at the top.

  • Repairing vehicles at The Hole is now free.

  • Improved translations in several key early-game areas.

Fixed

• Combat

  • Fixed cases where visual effects or auras persisted after enemies were eliminated.

  • Fixed several encounter-specific issues that could cause odd deaths, broken flow, or incorrect outcomes.

• Narrative & Scenes

  • Fixed a large set of issues where the demo could block progress, including:

    • Getting stuck in certain conversations or mission states.

    • Edge cases around leaving/returning to hubs and key locations.

    • Several cases where interactions or POIs didn’t appear when they should.

• UI/UX

  • Fixed multiple issues with controller navigation (including history screens and incorrect prompts).

  • Fixed issues in the control remapping UI (mouse wheel scrolling and keybinding behavior).

  • Fixed UI bugs like double victory text, fuzzy icons, and misaligned roads in some areas.

• Misc

  • Fixed audio continuing to loop after pausing/unpausing in some cases.

  • Fixed some localization edge cases (including missing characters and incorrect fonts).

Known Issues

• There are still instances of missing and/or mismatched VO.

Thank you for playing, reporting issues, and helping us make Aether & Iron better.

March 31st is just around the corner, and we're excited to release our first game!

If you enjoyed the demo, be sure wishlist the game:

And if you haven't joined our Discord yet, come hang out. We're active daily and always happy to chat: https://www.discord.gg/SeismicSquirrel

See you at launch!

- Seismic Squirrel & Chaos Theory Games

It's official. After years of development, countless hours of writing, recording, and iteration, we're thrilled to announce:

Aether & Iron releases March 31, 2026 on Steam and Steam Deck.

As production wraps up, we're deep in final QA, localization into 8 languages, and finishing touches. We're committed to delivering the best narrative RPG experience we possibly can. In the meantime, wishlisting helps us immensely! Click the Star in the widget below to help us reach more fans!

What is Aether & Iron?

An alternate 1930s New York transformed by anti-gravity technology. You're a smuggler caught in a conspiracy threatening the entire city. 🤝 Recruit unlikely allies 🚗 Fight in turn-based vehicular combat 🎲 Roll the dice and live with the consequences

Start rebuilding your tarnished reputation and take your first job in our free 2+ hour demo!

Thank you for your support. We can't wait to share the full story with you on March 31st! See you in the skies! The Seismic Squirrel Team & Chaos Theory Games

Developer AMA

Our Art Director, Gary Jensen, will be stopping by to talk about visually designing the world of Aether & Iron from early concepts to the Decopunk style that shapes everything you’ve seen so far!

Do you have a question for Gary? Drop it in the comments here or stop by during our live AMA call on Discord! We’ll be taking questions about characters, environments, visual direction, and anything else you’re curious about.

When & Where

• Wednesday, November 19

• 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET

• The Seismic Squirrel Discord: Join Here!

We hope you'll stop by, but if you miss it stay tuned to our social media channels for clips!

Demo Update v0.3.479

Quality of Life, Combat Tweaks, and More!

Thank you to everyone who's played the Aether & Iron demo so far and sent in feedback!! Today we pushed out our first demo update with loads of quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, accessibility options, and several additional languages to bring Aether & Iron to even more players.

We hope these improvements smooth out your ride down the Aetherway!

📢 Indicates changes inspired by community feedback.

🆕 New

• Civilian vehicle variety added: 2x1 Buses and 3x1 Trucks now appear in combat to create more interesting encounters

• New language support for:

  • Spanish (Spain)

  • Spanish (LATM)

  • French

  • German

  • Polish

  • Russian

  • Brazilian Portuguese

  • Simplified Chinese

• Controller rumble now supported!

• Contraband preview: a new tooltip now shows what you’re about to hand over.

• Auto-closing bark timer toggle added to Settings.

• Bulk move to Stash: You can now move items in bulk to the Stash from the “Move All To” utility menu in the inventory.

• 📢 Combat speed setting added so you can fine-tune the pacing to your taste.

• 📢 Reduce Background Motion toggle now available in Settings.

🔧 Improved

⚔️ Combat & Balance

• AP limit and AP balancing revisited for clearer expectations and pacing.

• Hero defeat flow tightened; heroes are auto-restored and given an option to instant repair on return to The Hole.

• Hazards of the same type/turn are combined into a single entry in the turn list.

• Bootleg Turn and movement/jump previews updated; missing jump lines addressed.

• Combat encounter objective text standardized for consistency.

• Control is returned to the player (and AI units) faster after ramming, improving flow.

🖥️ UI/UX

• “Stash” can be selected as a destination from the Move To menu at The Hole.

• Part equip/unequip UX made clearer; warnings appear if a part doesn’t fit.

• Turn list auto-scrolls to the active combatant.

• Update the 'Welcome' popup in the demo

• Combat ability description copy pass (consistency + readability).

• “Civilians” have been renamed to “Bystanders” in combat.

• Settings tabs can now be scrolled, as there are more settings in them!

🛠️ Misc

• Campaign sorting order now matches your save file sorting order, so your most recently updated campaign appears at the top.

• Repairing vehicles at The Hole is now free.

🐞 Fixed

⚔️ Combat

• Fixed zoom-out lock after lane splits.

• Reinforcement Incoming tiles no longer display as guaranteed-destruction warnings.

• Combat no longer ends before all actions/SFX/FX are complete.

• Skip to Player Turn no longer delayed by certain NPC attacks.

• The missing movement line when jumping between grids has been fixed.

• “Move All To” on the combat rewards screen works as expected.

• Fixed an issue that could cause Gia’s action bar to disappear for a turn.

🎭 Narrative & Scenes

• Fixed an issue where the wrong character would highlight during dialogue, in some instances.

• Fixed the black zone in the camera on Percy's zoom-in in Cress's garage.

• Fixed room panning not working in The Hole on narrow aspect ratios.

• Room panning works correctly on 4:3 and narrower aspect ratios.

• Skip-to-choice no longer triggers Parade post-cutscene dialogue early.

• KO lane display issues addressed.

🖥️ UI/UX

• Select SFX no longer fires when new options appear in dialogue.

• Fixed various breadcrumb and minor UI inconsistencies.

• Fixed an issue where inventory SFX would play louder on first open.

• 📢 Fixed an issue where the feedback screen would get wider when typing.

📝 Known Issues

• There are still instances of missing and/or mismatched VO.

Thank you again for supporting our development by sending feedback, reporting bugs, and sharing your kind words with our team. We're listening!!

If you have something to report, you can use the in-game form, visit our Community Hub here on Steam, or join our Discord.

Now get back out there!! Defeat some bad guys and smuggle some contraband in the name of resistance! ːsteamhappyː

- Gina

October was an exciting month for Seismic Squirrel! We sponsored Episode 2 of Critical Role’s Campaign 4. We released our Composer Reveal Trailer, announcing that Christopher Tin and Alex Williamson are composing the score for Aether & Iron, which is an incredible honor! We also sent a representative to Brasil Game Show, our Product Manager, Josh, attended TwitchCon, and our co-development partners at Chaos Theory were busy networking and promoting the game at both SXSW Sydney and PAX Aus. But the biggest and most exciting moment of all was finally putting our demo out into the world for Steam Next Fest!

And all of that was just on the marketing side! Our engineering and design teams have been hard at work on improvements and new implementations. They’ve enhanced readability and controls across the world map, refined combat visuals, polished post-battle screens, improved tooltips, and made quality-of-life updates to the inventory system. During our latest showcase, we also got a sneak peek at the new layered combat music, which dynamically reacts to the flow of battle and ramps up the tension as things heat up. And, much to my inner goose’s delight, you can now press H to honk and during combat vehicles have a small chance to honk as they pass each other. This is the important stuff, people!!

Jokes aside, we can’t thank everyone who has been playing and sharing feedback enough!! Your reports and comments are helping us make Aether & Iron even better -- so please, keep them coming!

The Aether & Iron demo is available now in Steam Next Fest!  If you are live-streaming, recording videos, sharing guides, or otherwise engaging with our game, we want to know about it and reward your participation!  That’s why we’re partnering with the folks at JustAbout to host community challenges where you can earn rewards for things you’re already doing.

Make some fan art of an Aether & Iron character!

$50.00 Reward

Share your favourite piece of writing in Aether & Iron!

$5.00 Reward

Are these not for you? Check the site for other reward categories:

Other Rewards

Whether you’re diving into the demo or sharing your favorite moments of Aether & Iron gameplay, we’re genuinely grateful to have you with us.  These challenges are a small way for us to express our gratitude and highlight the creativity of our growing community.  Visit JustAbout to learn how you can take part! 

Hey everyone,

We’re excited to share that Aether & Iron is part of Steam Next Fest, and our free playable demo is now live!

This is the first time players outside our dev team have had hands-on access to the game, and we couldn’t be more excited to invite you into our retro-futuristic version of New York City.

In the demo, you'll take on the role of Gia Randazzo, a smuggler-for-hire navigating a world of floating islands, corrupt factions, and tangled loyalties. You will:

• Meet key characters like Nellie, Cress, and Needles

• Explore The Hole, your gritty home base and repair shop

• Recruit allies and customize your ride

• Engage in turn-based vehicle combat

• Bluff, bribe, or outmaneuver your way through tough decisions and dice rolls

Whether you're here for the story, the strategy, or the aether-powered weapons, we hope you enjoy the taste of what’s to come!

Where to Play

Play the free demo and wishlist Aether & Iron on Steam now:

Meet the Talent Behind the Music

Our Composer Reveal trailer is live! Aether & Iron features an original score by Christopher Tin (Civilization) and Alex Williamson (Old World). You'll also get a glimpse of the acclaimed Fame’s Skopje Studio Orchestra, which recorded the game's opening theme.

Join the Conversation

We’re always thrilled to hear from players. Here’s where to find us:

Discord Reddit Twitter/X Bluesky Facebook Instagram Threads TikTok

Thank you for supporting Aether & Iron. We hope you love our demo, and if you do, wishlist the game and help us spread the word!

– The Seismic Squirrel Team

Watch the creative director Duane Stinnett, and narrative lead Tyler Whitney play the Aether & Iron demo!

This summer marked a huge milestone for Seismic Squirrel. After years of

development on Aether & Iron, we're finally sharing our work with the public!

Most recently, we met with press and content creators at Gamescom and PAX West.

I joined the team in March and had never attended a game industry convention, so

I wasn't sure what to expect. What I discovered was a whirlwind that left me

exhausted but energized. We sat down for nearly 40 interviews between the two

events. We also connected in person with some of our marketing and localization

partners, attended educational talks, explored other developers' games on the

convention floors, and hit up a slew of after parties for networking and game

demos.

The best part was definitely meeting several team members in person for the first

time though. We've become so accustomed to remote work and only seeing one

another through screens. It was nice to sit down together and talk about things

other than work for once.

The reception for Aether & Iron exceeded my expectations. The decopunk art

drew people in, the character writing sparked genuine reactions, and most players

took to the turn-based vehicle combat quite naturally, exploring all ways to engage

enemies and asking questions about what happens when you hit the civilians on

the road. Multiple interviews ran long because people didn't want to stop playing.

The voice acting and audio design consistently drew praise, with several people

commenting on how immersive the sound work made the experience feel.

We wrapped up at PAX feeling exhausted but energized. Watching people connect

with our game makes it all worthwhile!

Next up, we’re excited to share Aether & Iron with an even wider audience by making our demo available during the month of October 2025. If you haven’t already, be sure to wishlist the game to keep up to date on development!