The Most Exciting New Sci-Fi Game On Steam Is A Job Simulator About Death

"Death is everywhere in video games, but it's rarely something we're asked to think much about. It's something to escape or inflict onto others, marking the end of your run in a roguelike or a goal to reach for in a competitive shooter. What's explored much less often is what's left behind, in the form of grief, memories, and physical remains, all of which in real life require careful handling and reflection."

"By the time Dalia arrives at the Cluster, she seems to be the only living person there. Massive fungal growths have taken over the colony, and the Cluster's inhabitants have succumbed to clusterlung, a grisly condition that causes spores to root in victims' lungs and sprout forth from their bodies. The mushrooms the colonists once grew as a food source are now not only consuming them, but also thwarting Dalia's work."

"Ambrosia Sky has been compared a lot to PowerWash Simulator, a comparison that makes a lot of sense on the surface, but feels less apt than it might seem in practice. Dalia is equipped with a tool to spray fluid that dissolves the mushrooms blocking her bath, allowing her to cut her way through the infected interior of the colony. It's more akin to excavating a collapsed tunnel or even chiseling a statue than simply cleaning stains with a powerwasher, and to much different ends."

Dalia returns to the Cluster after 15 years as a Scarab scientist tasked with collecting DNA from the recently deceased to study cellular decay and pursue practical immortality. The Cluster is a colony in Saturn's rings built on a long-dead space-faring creature, now overrun by massive fungal growths and afflicted by clusterlung, a condition where spores root in lungs and sprout from bodies. The player uses a sprayer that dissolves mushrooms to clear paths and access the colony's interior, with gameplay feeling more like excavation or chiseling than simple cleaning. The game examines grief, memory, and the physical remnants of death alongside engaging mechanics.

Read at Inverse