The story of Solar Ash sees Rei, a Voidrunner, traveling to the mysterious Ultravoid which is consuming entire planets in its wake. Rei’s purpose is to save her planet but how she’ll accomplish this remains to be seen, especially with how surreal the environments can be. Within the void are all kinds of horrors including the Sentinels, which can be climbed on and navigated around. There’s a major Shadow of the Colossus vibe and the latest trailer only reinforces that further.

Solar Ash is currently in development for PS4, PS5 and PC (via the Epic Games Store). It’s slated for later this year but a release date has yet to be revealed. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the coming months.

Gameplay for Heart Machine’s Solar Ash debuted during Sony’s State of Play. The story focuses on Rei, Voidrunner who ventures into the unknown in order to save her planet. Along with the way, she’ll battle all kinds of entities including the massive Sentinels. Check it out below.

Unlike Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash is fully 3D and focuses more on fast, fluid movement in massive surreal environments. Maintaining a flow and staying on the move is paramount though Rei will also have to combat enemies along the way. The Sentinels are perhaps the most imposing – they’re enormous and can be climbed on, not unlike the Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus.

Solar Ash is currently slated for PS4, PS5 and PC via the Epic Games Store. It’s scheduled to release this year – no release window or date was provided, despite Sony indicating that it was launching in June (before removing the same, that is). Nevertheless, with this gameplay reveal, expect more details in the coming months.

A while back, Hyper Light Drifter developer Heart Machine unveiled it’s next big thing – Solar Ash Kingdom. It was announced for PS4 and PC but seemingly delayed. Now it seems the reason is revealed – the game is now called Solar Ash and will also be coming to PS5 next year. Check out the newest trailer below.

Studio head Alex Preston spoke more about the game’s overall theme on the PlayStation Blog. While Hyper Light Drifter was more of a personal story, reflecting the struggles that Preston was facing, Solar Ash is about “reflection and progress in many ways. Our ambitions are bigger and the team has grown to match. The story still remains personal, but evolves to be something beyond just the weight of the struggle into something more hopeful.”

The story’s crux is the Ultravoid, a space rift that’s consuming entire worlds. The player will travel through it and encounter a mix of trippy yet dangerous spaces. Gameplay is about navigating the rift at high speeds and battling the monsters within. You’ll encounter other souls lost to the void and find some kind of solace in the void. Heart Machine has been “working tirelessly over the years, building incredible tech to help realize this fantastic world.

“After releasing Hyper Light Drifter, I wanted to dive into a bigger, grander world, opening up possibilities with far more powerful tools.”

Developing for PS5 is beneficial thanks to the solid state drive and the DualSense which can “provide feedback in the controller we had not known was possible. Power is all well and good, but the most exciting part is the suite of tools for more direct engagement with our audience.” More details about Solar Ash will be revealed in the coming months so stay tuned.

Remember Heart Machine, the studio behind the incredible Hyper Light Drifter? It’s coming back with something new and sumptuous called Solar Ash Kingdom. Currently slated to release for PC on the Epic Games Store, the trailer showcases a fully 3D world. Check it out below.

Published by Annapurna Interactive, we don’t know about other platforms or if the game will be a timed exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Regardless, Heart Machine’s Alex Preston confirmed to IGN that it would have “a whole new set of incredible tech and key innovations” to differentiate it from Hyper Light Drifter. “We strive to tell a beautiful story through our world, the atmosphere, our characters and even our gameplay—each aspect of our games are painstakingly considered—which requires a large investment of time,” said Preston. “Thanks for bearing with us and our relative silence; we’re so excited to start opening up about the game and the process behind it on our devlog and beyond.”

Preston said that the studio wants to “put out our best for our audience to see just how far we’ve come from our days of pixel art.” As it stands, Solar Ash Kingdom captures the same surreal look and ambience that defined Heart Machine’s first game.

As for Hyper Light Drifter, it’s currently available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It also recently released for Nintendo Switch in September 2018. Check out GamingBolt’s official review to learn more about why it’s such a great game.