Ambrosia Sky: Act I Review by Matthew O’Toole
Ambrosia Sky: Act I is a unique game that has aspects that may appeal to fans of various genres, but one that I think will ultimately carve out its own niche. Developer Soft Rains definitely has a unique title on their plate.
Set aboard an abandoned colony on one of Saturn’s rings. Your character, Dalia, is an expert scientist on various fungi and the dangers they present. After a falling out with her stepmother, the primary scientist of the facility, she takes a fifteen-year leave only to return to see the facility overrun by fungi, and many of the people she knew and loved either missing or deceased. Her primary job is to use her handheld pistol chemical thrower to eradicate the fungi and collect samples from the environment and the dead in order to help the human race find the secret to immortality. While the full story is more complex than that, it is more engaging to learn about it through the environmental storytelling that is placed in front of the player.
The gameplay is a fun mix of what I would call Dead Space crossed with Power Wash Simulator. While it is not a survival horror simulator, the atmosphere can certainly become horrific at times, with how fungi has eaten away at human bodies, and there is a cool mix of zero-gravity gameplay mixed with using a tether grappling hook in order to traverse the environment. The second part comes into play with your chemical thrower pistol, which can cycle through different angles and nozzles ala the power cutter from Dead Space. Combined, it was something entirely different with familiar elements that made it easy for me to pick up, learn, and engage with.
Each level contains various secrets and extra samples to find and is graded on a 100% fungi-cleared basis. You are welcome to return to a level once the story of each is complete, and you can quickly clean up any remaining fungi and gather samples and secrets. Doing so will make it easier to craft new upgrades, wherein Dalia can use her sprayer for longer periods of time, with bigger bursts, and special sprays such as an electrified chemical that can power up doors in the levels for you to enter and find further secrets.
Ambrosia Sky: Act I is not going to be a game that appeals to everyone, but it tackles its niche very well. If you are looking for a unique game that combines aspects of exploration, horror, the zen of cleaning up an area, and environmental/dialogue-based storytelling, I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Score: 8.5/10
Ambrosia Sky: Act One is available for PC via Steam.
Related: Reviews by Matthew O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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