Player

The Protagonist: The Antivirus AI (Unit: AETHER-V1)

The player takes control of a specialized Artificial Intelligence created by the original Project Aether scientists.

Identity: You are the system’s “Antivirus”—the final fail-safe designed to purge corruption. At the start of the game, your memory is fragmented, and your personality is a “blank slate” shaped by your interactions with the remaining human data.
Visual Representation: In the Overworld and HUB, the player manifests as a sleek, humanoid Robot. Inside Mind Dungeons, the player’s form—and the form of their integrated combat systems—can shift or glitch, reflecting the different “boons” and sub-routines absorbed during a run.

Player Count

Singleplayer: The game is a dedicated single-player experience. This reinforces the narrative theme of isolation and the “lonely guardian” tasked with the heavy burden of humanity’s fate.

Character Capabilities & Progression

The player’s power is divided into two distinct categories: Persistent Hardware and Volatile Software.

1. Persistent Hardware (The “Souls-like” Growth)

These are permanent upgrades managed in the HUB city that never reset upon death.

Weapon Engineering: Players can spend resources found in the Overworld to permanently upgrade their shooting Robot’s firepower, fire rate, and projectile types.
Core Stats: Permanent increases to “Processing Power” (HP), “Speed” (Dash/Dodge), and “Bandwidth” (Energy/Mana).
Farm Synergy: Consuming specialized digital “crops” grown in the HUB provides permanent stat boosts or resistance to specific corruption types.

2. Volatile Software (The “Roguelike” Growth)

These are temporary modifications found only within Mind Dungeons, resetting at the end of each dive.

Sub-Routines (Boons): During a “Mind Dive,” the player absorbs fragments of the host’s personality to gain temporary powers (e.g., “Grief-Stricken Bullets” that slow enemies or “Joy-Infused Dash” that leaves a trail of fire).
Code Overclock: High-risk buffs that significantly increase power for one room but “glitch” the player’s HUD, making the screen distorted or controls more sensitive.

Combat Style: The “Bullet-Hell” Guardian

Combat is built around a high-speed Shooting Robot AI system.

Agility-First: Survival depends on a high-speed dash and iframe-heavy dodging to navigate dense, bullet-hell projectile patterns from corrupted entities.
Action Focus: Unlike turn-based RPGs, every encounter is a real-time test of reflexes and positioning.
Resource Management: The player must balance “System Heat.” Using powerful abilities generates heat; reaching 100% causes a “Fragile” state, forcing the player to play defensively until the system cools.

The Narrative Hook

As the player progresses, they unlock “Legacy Logs.” These are memories of the scientists who created the AI. The player isn’t just leveling up a machine; they are slowly discovering that they were loved by the very creators they are now being forced to “delete.”