Aetherial

Aetherial is a first-person psychological horror game set in a forest that becomes dangerous as daylight fades. You retrace a missing hiker’s steps, recover his belongings scattered through the trees and film things that should not be there. Recording them can hold back your fear for a while, but it is optional and never safe.

Search the forest

While the sun is up, you can navigate the woods and look for the missing hiker’s belongings. You must find everything before dark; there is no combat or escape from the presence that is already ahead of you. Straying from the path thickens the fog, makes time pass faster and draws something’s attention.

Find your way back

Your compass is your only way back to the path, but as the sun sets and danger rises, it drifts, spins and fails. The ambient sound fades until only your breathing remains, and the forest becomes difficult to navigate.

Recorded-tape presentation

The game uses a CRT/VHS filter to give the experience a degraded, recorded-tape presentation. The filter can be toggled for accessibility.