Developed by industry veteran Alex Kane of Pawsmonaut Games, who previously worked at studios such as Rockstar North, Build a Rocket Boy and Splash Damage, AETHUS is a survival crafting and base building game set in an underground sci fi world, launching on March 6 straight into version 1.0 with no Early Access period, and currently the title has surpassed more than 30 thousand wishlists on Steam.

In the story, players step into the mining suit of Maeve, a former engineer of the Astral Resource Corporation ARC, who sets out to uncover the mysteries buried beneath a long abandoned corporate mining claim she recently purchased. What initially appears to be a barren site soon reveals traces of hidden secrets and forgotten experiments.

Accompanied by Roland, her devoted artificial intelligence companion, Maeve begins exploring colossal facilities concealed deep underground. As she uncovers evidence of a disastrous corporate scientific expedition, she finds herself entangled in a growing conspiracy and must decide how far she is willing to go to expose the truth, while ruthless ultracapitalist megacorporations close in to protect their dark secrets.

Inspired by classics such as Lego Rock Raiders and modern survival experiences like Subnautica, the project stands as a love letter to story driven singleplayer exploration. The experience combines physics based mining, strategic survival and base building mechanics within a futuristic underground setting.

Exploration is deep and fully narrative driven, featuring complete voice acting with Scottish main characters, guiding players through arid desert caverns, misty subterranean jungles and sweltering magma lakes in search of vast abandoned facilities. Each new biome expands the sense of discovery and tension.

The progression system allows players to mine, refine, craft and prospect hundreds of resources, items and tools in an open physics driven world. The experience can be summed up as "imagine Subnautica, but underground!", highlighting the focus on verticality and strategic excavation as core gameplay pillars.

In addition, AETHUS offers detailed construction of a modular mining outpost, including customizable habitats, hydroponic crop growth, automated resource gathering and extensive cosmetic options. Physics based mining becomes especially engaging when using the companion drone’s laser or mining explosives to blast apart resource nodes, reinforcing the addictive loop of exploration, expansion and discovery.