Dreams of Aether

Dreams of Aether is a fast-paced microgame marathon spin-off of Rivals of Aether, taking place in the dreams of Absa.

Sub-Pages#

Unused Graphics

Unused Audio#

The game contains a handful of unused audio files, though they are all empty. They were all seemingly temporary sounds/music, as indicated by their file names.

mus_mg_temp_finalboss
mus_mg_temp
mus_temp_boss
mus_temp_cut_intro
mus_temp_cutsc
mus_temp_lose
mus_temp_menu
mus_temp_start
mus_temp_win
sfx_temp_correct

Development-Related Text#

The English localization file LOC_EN.txt contains some comments from the developer throughout its sections, using // as an identifier. All of these notes are also in the Japanese localization.

At the start, there is an example string and a message for curious players.

{
    "language_name": "English",


    "example_text": "This is an example.",

//  Nosy little fella, aren't you?
//
//  The text below here will contain pretty big spoilers, considering it's all text in the game!
//  I'm not really going to stop you, though. Trying to hide secrets in local files is HARD.
//  Still! You've been warned!

In the section for OPTIONS AND GENERAL MENU STUFF, there are a few joke lines, and a note regarding the tutorial.

    "menu_no": "No",
    "menu_maybe": "Maybe",
//i don't know
//could you repeat the question
//YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW
    "menu_start": "Start",
    "menu_endless": "Endless",

    
//During the tutorial, it will always display the first entry here, meaning sillier entries are reserved for later.
    "array_presstart": [
        "Press to Start!",
        "Push the Start!",
        "Smash that Start button!",
        "Like and Subscribe!",
        "Hit the lever!",
        "Like the vibes?",
        "Happy Birthday!",
        "Get on with it!",
        "Video Games!",
    ],

In the STAGE DATA section, there is a note regarding the misspelling of "duel".

//  "Dual" is intentionally misspelled.
    "stage_title_final": "THE FINAL DUAL",
    "stage_sub_final": "...Two of them?",

The CUTSCENE DIALOGUE section contains notes on how the strings work, as well as a note regarding an interrupted line.

//Strings here have a special function. If you start a string with @X then it'll search for a map instance and spawn a dialogue bubble over that.
//The following codes are: @a = absa, @r = aRtemis, @h = hodan, @s = sylvanos, @n = Añi, @t = Tristis, @? = "???" (Añi), @! = "???" (Tristis), @- = Nobody



    "array_cut_misc_start": [
        "@h Ah, a new student! Welcome!",
        "@a Not quite yet, Hodan. We're\ndreaming and can't wake up.",
        "@h Oh! How exciting!",
        "@h I'll have to dress for the occasion.",
        "@a ...Is fashion important?",
        "@h Of course! Don't you agree?",
//This gets interrupted, so the extra spaces are there to make the text box look bigger.
        "@a Well I've                         ",
        "@h Now let's see...",
        "@h ...do you see my outfit here?",
        "@a No, I don't.",

The MAP DIALOGUE section contains more functionality notes.

//There's also some special commands here:
// "/n<" = Makes Ani descend on a string.
// "/n>" = Makes Ani ascend offscreen.
// "/w#" = Don't spawn a hitbox. Just wait according to the # number.

Lastly, the MINIGAME DATA section has a note before the entries that contain poor grammar. It also has a final line from the developer.

//Intentionally really bad grammar.
    "mgtxt_mathincrease": "YOU\nMATH\nINCREASE!",
    "mgtxt_fboss_almost": "Almost there!!\n\nI believe in you!!",
    "mgtxt_1more": "%1 more!",
    "mgtxt_youdied": "YOU DEADED",
    "mgtxt_youdefeat": "DUDE DEFEATED",
    

    "example_end": "This is just here so I don't accidentally leave a comma on the last entry. Hello!"  
    

}

Unused Text#

In the localization file, before all other minigames, is a string for an unplayable debug minigame.

   "mg_debug": "Minigame Name",

It is also present in Japanese, translated.

   "mg_debug": "ミニゲーム めい",

Build Info#

The build dates for each version can be found, given in GMT.

3/31/2025 8:05:24 PM

4/3/2025 12:45:31 AM

Revisional Differences#

v1.0a made several alterations.

Patch Notes#

Hello, Catalysts--oh, wait, that's my other game.
Hi!! I'm glad all of you have been having fun with Dreams of Aether! It's been a big rush of excitement to actually finish this game and get it out there.

Anyway, here's a small patch that fixes some things!

Patch notes for v1.0a:

DREAM CHANGES:

Reed in the Weeds: added a failsafe to move the exit in case it's blocked.
Missile Don't Miss: the cursor now pulses when firing a shot for extra feedback.
Land Ho!: Switched the oars around so they visually push the boat correctly. Controls haven't changed.


MENU BEHAVIOR:

Updated the stage name "Endless Assault" to "Endless Divide". The achievement text was more up to date.
When unlocking the final stage, the music now fades earlier.
Fixed auto-playing map dialogue ending early when viewing a different menu.
Holding left/right on slider settings (volume, stick deadzone) now repeats adjusting it.
Fixed some minor visual issues with the stage menu's best score window.


JAPANESE LOCALIZATION:

Fixed a missing credits title.
The "Endless/Story/Back" stage menu now scrolls to not overlap with the subtitle.


ALSO:

Made the line "Is fashion important?" in hodan's intro appear slightly earlier.
Resetting your save file now resets your controls too.
Fixed the Steam Screenshot function not registering.

Other Changes#

• The following line was added to the Japanese localization file: "cred_ae_narrative": "Narrative Director",
• The sprite spr_menu_tinyarrow was added: