AetherStep
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Game Description
Every step you take charges your hero.
AetherStep turns real-world walking into Aether Energy — the fuel for dungeon raids. No GPS. A treadmill counts, a hallway counts, a hospital corridor counts. The daily goal pays out in rungs at 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 steps, so a short walk still banks something and a long one banks a raid.
Then you spend it on a real fight.
The raid
Queue as Tank, Healer or Damage — with NPC allies or a live 4-player party — and work through ten dungeons across six tiers, from the Verdant Hollow to the Chronovore Rift. Bosses have readable mechanics rather than inflated health bars: break the shield before the cast lands, cleanse the poison stack, interrupt the channel, beat the enrage timer. Turn up under-geared and the fight tells you exactly which check you failed.
The build
Loot relics, salvage what you don't need into Gold, and build a Bulwark, Mender, Breaker or Evoker loadout that answers the specific checks the next boss makes. Ability ranks, gear rarity and level all pull on the same stat budget, so there is a real decision in what you upgrade first.
The guild
Guilds run weekly bosses and shared objectives. Friends show live walking status, and guildmates who walk at the same time earn a party-walk bonus. Leaderboards are step-driven, which means the person at the top actually walked the most.
What you can't buy
No ads. You cannot purchase Energy, gear, or dungeon clears. The only grind is your own shoes. There is an optional season pass that makes chest opens cheaper, and that is the whole of the monetization.
Why I made it
The walking games I wanted to play were all idle. WalkScape is deliberately combat-free. Orna has the combat but demands GPS, which rules out everyone who walks indoors. I wanted my steps to buy me an actual fight — one with roles, mechanics, and a party — and nothing was doing that, so I built it.
Where it is now
Open beta on both platforms. iOS is a public TestFlight with no cap and no join criteria; Android is a self-serve Play opt-in. I'm looking for feedback on two things specifically: whether the step-to-Energy payout rungs feel fair on a low-step day, and whether boss mechanics read clearly enough on a phone screen without a tutorial.
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Media Assets
Game Description
Every step you take charges your hero.
AetherStep turns real-world walking into Aether Energy — the fuel for dungeon raids. No GPS. A treadmill counts, a hallway counts, a hospital corridor counts. The daily goal pays out in rungs at 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 steps, so a short walk still banks something and a long one banks a raid.
Then you spend it on a real fight.
The raid
Queue as Tank, Healer or Damage — with NPC allies or a live 4-player party — and work through ten dungeons across six tiers, from the Verdant Hollow to the Chronovore Rift. Bosses have readable mechanics rather than inflated health bars: break the shield before the cast lands, cleanse the poison stack, interrupt the channel, beat the enrage timer. Turn up under-geared and the fight tells you exactly which check you failed.
The build
Loot relics, salvage what you don't need into Gold, and build a Bulwark, Mender, Breaker or Evoker loadout that answers the specific checks the next boss makes. Ability ranks, gear rarity and level all pull on the same stat budget, so there is a real decision in what you upgrade first.
The guild
Guilds run weekly bosses and shared objectives. Friends show live walking status, and guildmates who walk at the same time earn a party-walk bonus. Leaderboards are step-driven, which means the person at the top actually walked the most.
What you can't buy
No ads. You cannot purchase Energy, gear, or dungeon clears. The only grind is your own shoes. There is an optional season pass that makes chest opens cheaper, and that is the whole of the monetization.
Why I made it
The walking games I wanted to play were all idle. WalkScape is deliberately combat-free. Orna has the combat but demands GPS, which rules out everyone who walks indoors. I wanted my steps to buy me an actual fight — one with roles, mechanics, and a party — and nothing was doing that, so I built it.
Where it is now
Open beta on both platforms. iOS is a public TestFlight with no cap and no join criteria; Android is a self-serve Play opt-in. I'm looking for feedback on two things specifically: whether the step-to-Energy payout rungs feel fair on a low-step day, and whether boss mechanics read clearly enough on a phone screen without a tutorial.