- Free lost souls by clearing the board
- Gorgeous visuals and exceptional soundtrack
- Discover why you just can’t move on
Hello and welcome to Ahead of the Game, a series where we tell you all about an upcoming game that, despite not being out yet, is available for you to play at the time of publishing. Through this series, you can grab a chance to play games well ahead of their release date, be that through Soft Launch, Open Beta, Demos, or more.
Minimalist visuals, an evocative soundtrack, and a noble quest to set lost souls free – Ruya: Ascension offers all that and more, and after having just played its first two chapters, I can tell it’s going to be exactly my cup of tea.
Initially, you might think that you won’t have to worry yourself too much about the narrative here, as you’ll set off on a wordless journey simply fulfilling requirements in thought bubbles about colours and numbers you’re supposed to connect.
There’s a lovely grid that presents all kinds of dreamlike shapes and hues, with some of them requiring a certain order before you can clear them all off the board.
As you go along, however, it seems that you, Ruya, will have to come to terms with who you are and how you got there, diving deeper into why – even as you help these poor souls find peace – you’re stuck in a time loop and unable to ascend yourself.
It’s an existential crisis waiting to happen, in my opinion, all wrapped nicely in a gorgeous and meditative package. I can already tell it’s going to break my heart once this is all over.
As for the mechanics itself, some puzzles are easy to breeze through thanks to the intuitive controls, while some will really have you squeezing every last drop of your brain cells to clear them.
Thankfully, you can double-tap anytime to undo your actions – and with no pressure-filled timers or high scores looming over you, it’s a pretty relaxing experience all throughout (and oh my goodness – don’t even get me started on the lovely, lovely background score here).
So, how do you play Ruya: Ascension?
Alas, there’s no word on an official release date or launch window just yet, but the first two chapters are available as a demo on Itch.io, I personally gave this a go via Testflight on my device, so if you’re an iOS user, you’re in luck. It’s not region-locked either from what I know, so if you’re keen on experiencing a little bit of calm during the holiday rush, this might just be right up your alley.
