Elemental fighters launched off the stage edge and crashing back, controller gripped tight.

Rivals of Aether II's profile hides a real surprise, to read with caution given how few votes there are. First thing: if you had to take one to a desert island, the community ranks it very high, ahead of nearly nine games out of ten. And yet, look at the fun criterion, the one you fire up for a session that drags on, and it drops right to the bottom, ahead of barely one game in ten. That's the tension here: people want it with them, but the early returns don't see it as the instant rush you expect from a fighter. Attachment and art style sit in the lower middle, to be confirmed.

In the platform fighter world, heir to Smash, the genre lives on competition and nerve. It is a game of mastery, savored over time more than in the first controller grab.

So, for who? For you if you love learning a character, climbing the skill ladder, coming back for the long haul. Much less if you want explosive fun from the very first match.