Ambrosia Sky Review – The Space Colony Cleaning Sim You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you’re looking for a game that feels fresh and weirdly satisfying, Ambrosia Sky: Act One is one you won’t want to miss. From developer Soft Rains, this game drops you into a lonely asteroid colony, armed not with a pistol but with a chemical sprayer and a mission that’s equal parts exploration and cleansing.
Released on November 10, 2025, the game is already getting very positive reviews. On Steam, it holds a “Very Positive” badge from players. GameSpot calls it “a poignant and contemplative story about dying alone in deep space.” Let’s unpack what makes this game stand out, how it plays, and whether it’s worth your time.
What’s the Story and Setting?
You play as Dalia, a former resident of an asteroid colony orbiting Saturn, who now works as a “Scarab,” an agent dispatched to disaster zones to collect the remains of the dead for a mysterious project called Ambrosia. When she returns to her old home, it’s been overrun by alien fungus and silent halls littered with lost lives.
It’s not just about cleaning up mushrooms. As you explore, you dig into what happened, discover the memories of people you once knew, and ponder why this place fell apart. It’s melancholic and atmospheric, layered with mystery and emotional weight. The game manages to mix the sci-fi exploration feel of Metroid Prime with a mechanic that’s almost meditative: cleaning up the mess.
How It Plays
This is a first-person immersive sim with unusual gameplay mechanics. Rather than guns and big explosions, you carry a sprayer that can shoot different chemical agents water, foam that conducts electricity, maybe fire; you use it to clean fungal overgrowth, reroute power, explore zero-G spaces, and uncover the environment.
The environment matters. You’ll travel through twisted halls, labs, and habitat pods, all covered in colorful but deadly fungus. Some fungi burn you, some electrocute you, and some trap you. You must learn their behavior, harvest fruiting bodies, and use them to craft upgrades.
Exploration is key. You use a tether or grappling hook, navigate unstable gravity fields, revisit areas to fully clean them, and uncover lore scattered throughout. The process of cleaning the sprays, the foam, and the visuals is surprisingly satisfying and helps build a pace that’s contemplative yet urgent.
What Works Well
One of the game’s major successes is how unique it feels. The cleaning-in-space concept is unusual and memorable. Reviewers praise the experience for its style and emotional depth rather than sheer spectacle.
The world-building also stands out: Soft Rains, a smaller studio based in Toronto, has built an environment that feels lived-in but abandoned. The contrast between life and death and innocence and catastrophe shows up visually and thematically. It’s not just gameplay; it’s narrative.
Also, the art style and audio are strong. The visuals mix stylized color with darker themes. According to previews, the demo allowed traversal across zero-G spaces and emphasized sensory immersion.
What Could Be Better
No game is perfect. The biggest caveat is that Act One is just the beginning. The reviews mention that while the experience is engaging, it ends on a cliffhanger and doesn’t deliver full closure.
If you’re someone who wants a huge open world with tons of combat, this might feel lighter than expected. Although it has action elements (fungus combat, hazards), the emphasis is more on exploration and cleaning than heavy gunplay.
Additionally, because the game asks you to revisit areas for full clean-ups and collectibles, some may find the repetition a little heavy if they prefer more branching story or bigger-scale missions right away.
Who Should Play It?
If you enjoy games that combine story, atmosphere, and unique mechanics, this is for you. Especially if you liked titles such as The Return of the Obra Dinn, Prey, or sim-cleaning games like PowerWash Simulator. Or if you’re drawn to sci-fi that’s less about guns and more about feeling and narrative.
If instead you prefer large-scale combat, multiplayer battles, or massive maps filled with dozens of enemy types, this might not be your best match yet, anyway, since the full story will unfold in later acts.
Ambrosia Sky: Act One makes a convincing case for being one of the most interesting indie experiences of 2025. It’s bold, different, and emotionally rich. While it’s not a blockbuster epic, it offers something more subtle and thoughtful. The demo and release have earned very positive reviews across the board. Having played what’s available, the verdict is clear: it’s well worth your time if you’re open to a game that mixes exploration, cleaning mechanics, and quiet contemplation in space.
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If you’re ready to try something that challenges traditional genres, this one is worth picking up. Just be aware that you’re buying the first chapter in a larger three-act story. The next chapters will need to continue building the strength of the first if you want satisfaction, but what’s here is promising and memorable.
