Solar Ash’s shift in which game mechanics it prioritizes seems to be intertwined with every aspect of its gameplay, as traversal takes a larger precedent over the combat that defined their previous work. At the Annapurna Interactive showcase back in July of this year, the indie title was originally planned to release in October, but just a few weeks ahead of its launch, Heart Machine pushed the release date back a few weeks to its current date, December 2. Since then, we’ve received several looks at proper gameplay for Solar Ash, including a traditional walkthrough and a briefer look at a large-scale creature encounter. Originally unveiled as a PC exclusive, the title made a follow-up appearance at Sony’s “Future of Gaming” event in June 2020 prior to the release of the PS5, as the game dropped “Kingdom” from its title and revealed that it would be launching simultaneously on PS5 and PS4 as well. Three years later, the indie studio resurfaced with the announcement of their next title, Solar Ash Kingdom, representing a shift in both perspective and genre as the new title promises to be a 3D adventure platformer. The game received a generally positive reception from fans and critics alike upon its release, with our own review praising its “exciting combat, gorgeous visuals” and “emotionally open-ended narrative and thematic prowess.” With such a promising first release, it was only natural that there was already buzz for what Heart Machine would work on next as their sophomore effort. Using their energy sword, ranged weapons and various other abilities, players were tasked with defeating increasingly difficult monsters in a bright neon world devoid of dialogue. Ultimately released in 2016, Hyper Light Drifter mixed elements from The Legend of Zelda and Diablo to create a 2D action RPG that put players in control of the Drifter, a character with access to mysterious technology in a world that has long since forgotten it. Back in 2013, Alx Preston founded his new indie studio Heart Machine, and began development with his new team on their debut title, Hyper Light Drifter.

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