Judging by the current state of mainstream gaming, I am pretty certain that a game like forthcoming first-person adventure ETHER could only exist in the welcoming embrace of the indie gaming community. Not that the community or its taste are impeccable, but at least we do have a thing for the odd and innovative and Ether definitely seems odd in the best of possible ways. And quite innovative too, especially when it comes to its plot and setting.

Ether is, according to White Paper Games, "set in an alternative history world where mental disease and illness can be cured by individuals who possess the unique gift of ethereal projection. These so-called 'restorers' can delve into the minds of their clients to fix their broken memories. In Ether you play as a restorer who has become lost in one of his client's minds, a mysterious woman named Jean. The restorer, now unsure of his own identity, will only recover his knowledge of who he is by exploring Jean's memories".

What's more, the game looks beautiful and its art-style seems to work well enough in creating the required oppressive atmosphere. The fact that its puzzles are characterized as narrative ones or that it will be using QR-codes in some sort of ARG way should definitely be considered as a further source of intrigue. Oh, and it will come with four whole worlds to explore.

Ether will be made available on PC & Mac sometime soon.