Patch 1.1.2 has dropped for Rivals of Aether, coming with some major changes, including the release of Ori & Sein, the game’s first DLC guest character. The patch arrived on both PC and Xbox One, and marks the full release of the Xbox One version.
Although Ori & Sein must be purchased for use in normal play, their tutorial is available without purchasing them. The two are controlled in tandem in a somewhat similar manner to Rosalina & Luma, though in a much more limited capacity. Sein doesn’t follow Ori nearly as closely as Luma follows Rosalina, and Sein only attacks through the duo’s neutral special, Spirit Flame, though Ori’s Strong attacks gain a strength increase when the two are in close proximity.
Alongside the release of Ori, this update comes with balance changes for the rest of the cast, as well as the addition of a community news section on the main menu. The Xbox One version has also gained many features that were previously PC-exclusive, including Story and Abyss game modes, new music tracks, and player icons during online play.
Among the balance changes, invincibility on respawn has been reduced across the board, and many characters have received small hitbox and animation tweaks. Zetterburn in particular gained new recovery options out of his down-special, which can now be canceled into a double jump, air dodge, and his up-special. Many characters’ kill moves - such as Kragg and Orcane’s forward-aerials and Wrastor’s up-tilt - can no longer land reverse hits, guaranteeing that they’ll always launch opponents at the intended angle.
This is the first of three major updates to add new DLC characters, with the next one coming later on in 2017.
Rivals of Aether is available on Steam and on Xbox One through the Microsoft Store.