Choose TowerFall Ascension
Choose TowerFall Ascension if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,738 Steam reviews back the pick.
TowerFall Ascension vs Rivals of Aether
TowerFall Ascension and Rivals of Aether both land in Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Indie games on Steam. TowerFall Ascension (2014) is 3 years older than Rivals of Aether (2017). Rivals of Aether scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than TowerFall Ascension (94.6% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Rivals of Aether
Choose Rivals of Aether if you want the Steam Leaderboards and Online PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.6% positive across 27,490 reviews.
Both TowerFall Ascension and Rivals of Aether sit in Indie on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 TowerFall Ascension |  Rivals of Aether | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 29.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.6% positive (1,738 reviews) | 96.6% positive (27,490 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Maddy Makes Games Inc., Extremely OK Games, Ltd. | Aether Studios |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- TowerFall Ascension (2014) is 3 years older than Rivals of Aether (2017).
- Rivals of Aether scores higher on Steam reviews (96.6% positive) than TowerFall Ascension (94.6% positive).
- TowerFall Ascension is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Rivals of Aether (14.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: TowerFall Ascension is Deck Playable, Rivals of Aether is Deck Verified.
TowerFall Ascension vs Rivals of Aether — FAQ
- Which is better, TowerFall Ascension or Rivals of Aether?
- On Steam reviews Rivals of Aether scores higher (96.6% positive) than TowerFall Ascension (94.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Rivals of Aether is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play TowerFall Ascension or Rivals of Aether first?
- If you want chronology, TowerFall Ascension (2014) came out before Rivals of Aether (2017). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are TowerFall Ascension and Rivals of Aether similar?
- They overlap on Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both TowerFall Ascension and Rivals of Aether have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: TowerFall Ascension ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Rivals of Aether ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.