The Aetherlight

The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance is an online adventure game created by Scarlet City Studios as an evolution of the work of the Postal Sunday School Movement, a charitable New Zealand organisation who commissioned the project. Launched in 2016 after several years of development, it presents the story of the Bible in an episodic allegory aimed at preteens but designed for families to engage with.

The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance
Developer(s)	Scarlet City Studios
Release	2016

Gameplay

The Aetherlight is a multiplayer point-and-click adventure with puzzles, crafting and role-playing elements. The player creates an avatar to complete quests, craft objects and battle robotic automatons, following the story of the Resistance in the fictional steampunk world of Aethasia.

Gameplay features turn-based battles occurring in a separate environment. Battle, crafting and costuming also distinguish the game from other traditional role-playing games.

Each episode of the game follows a biblical story, beginning with the story of Abraham. Players are not required to know the story, and instead are encouraged to discover it as they play through the allegorical parallel. A character known as The Postman delivers in game messages that hint at the biblical source material, with clues about the gameplay and allegory.

Quests, battles and activities in The Aetherlight are used to represent key parts of the biblical stories, allowing players to participate in the events.