AETHUS is a premium action game for PC from developer Pawsmonaut Games. It is a third-person survival craft adventure set in a distinct sci-fi future, where players will be tasked with visiting an unexplored planet and establishing an outpost to mine resources and process materials. 

Comparable to games like The Planet Crafter or Satisfactory, AETHUS boasts a vast open-world map that players can explore to gather the resources they need and discover hidden secrets and mysteries. The gameplay places an emphasis on mining and material crafting to build the infrastructure necessary to support their base of operations. 

An underground world 

In AETHUS, you play as Maeve, an ex-engineer for Astral Resource Corporation, a megacorporation that has exploited planets for their natural resources for massive profit and gains. Looking to strike out on your own, you will attempt to lay claim to a mine on an inhospitable world where a doomed science experiment took place, and build a new life outside of your former employer’s control. 

The game employs a modular building system to let you establish a base of operations and move around structures as needed. The core gameplay in AETHUS revolves around mining the planet’s rich resources using high-powered laser machines and drones and employing various refining and crafting stations to process them. Grow plants and prospect for gems as you explore the surface and slowly build a new home for yourself.  

Upgrade your suit and drones to take on the more dangerous underground world, promising even more rare gems and minerals, if you can overcome its harsh environments and hazards. All the while, you will uncover a corporate conspiracy at the heart of this narrative-driven experience. You can also use game modifiers to tailor the experience to your liking. All that said, the unintuitive camera controls and clunky behavior need substantial improvements.  

Held back by glaring issues 

In conclusion, AETHUS offers an interesting survival craft sci-fi adventure on the foundation of precious gems and minerals as you leave your former life behind and start anew. The gameplay is good, and the narrative is intriguing. If not for the terrible camera controls and behavior, it would have received a recommendation. You should temper your expectations going into this game.