Arms & Aether

Command the board. Fight the battle.

A clever move gets you into the fight. Your skill gets you out alive.

Arms & Aether blends chess-like fantasy tactics with directly controlled, real-time combat. Lead an army of warriors, archers, spellcasters and creatures across the warboard. Challenge an enemy piece and the board gives way to an arena: dodge, close the distance, aim your shots and fight for the square.

Think like a commander. Fight like a champion.

• Two distinct armies. Lead Light or Dark, each with its own roster of weapons, magic and special combat styles.
• Every capture is a fight. Swing a sword, loose a shot, unleash a spell or force an opponent into your area attack.
• The battlefield starts on the board. Choose your matchups and terrain carefully. Shifting squares can turn a favorable attack into a dangerous gamble.
• Two paths to victory. Defeat the opposing commander, or hold all three central strongholds through two opposing turns.
• Wounds matter. Survivors carry their remaining health back to the board. Hold a stronghold to recover and fight again.

Choose Easy, Normal or Hard for single-player. Experimental online room play is also available for challenging a friend.

Play in your browser

No install required. Best played on a desktop or laptop with sound on. Use fullscreen for a clearer view of the warboard and arena. The first load includes the character artwork and soundtrack, so give the armies a moment to assemble.

Controls

• Warboard: click a piece and its destination, or use arrow keys and Enter. Escape cancels selection.
• Combat: WASD to move; arrow keys to attack in a direction. Space casts for spellcasters or attacks in the current facing direction for other units.
• Gamepad: left stick to move, A to attack, right stick to aim and fire.

A living work in progress

This is a free, playable development build. Balance, animation and AI are still being refined; occasional drawn-out CPU endgames can occur. Tell us your favorite unit, your closest victory, or the one attack that did not feel right. Specific feedback and short clips help shape the next update.

Created by ShadowSelfGames with AI-assisted code, artwork and text. The AI-generated soundtrack is based on melodies composed by the creator. Additional combat sound effects are CC0 recordings; source credits are included in the game files.