Return to Ash (2025)

Developer: Serenity Forge
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 4.9 of 5, 138 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 4.8 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this Watch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

A quiet, introspective visual novel about navigating a mysterious afterlife, driven by emotional conversations and the weight of personal choices.

emotionalstory-richatmosphericcontemplativerelationship-drivenmysteriousmelancholic

What players say

Players praise the visual novel's touching stories about characters facing social death, with a fitting soundtrack and art style. The game is short, around a few hours, though one minigame is noted as hard without a guide. Reviews mention multiple endings, and one player found a specific ending involving a character becoming a goddess divisive.

Screenshots

More games like this

More by Serenity Forge

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.