Ambrosia Sky hands on preview — A first-person sci-fi “clean-em-up” from Soft Rains

As I walked into the Soft Rains area of Play Days at Summer Game Fest, I had no expectations whatsoever. After leaving the hands-on preview, however, I was impressed in almost every way I could be during the 15 minute demo.

Ambrosia Sky takes “cleaning simulators” to a new level, with elements you’ll be familiar with and an extremely vibrant and interesting sci-fi setting. You play as a young woman named Dalia, who works as a disaster specialist. She is returning to her home base after years away, only to find it overrun by a fungus set on eliminating any threat in front of it. 

This game includes elements of horror, cleaning simulator, and action-adventure genres with a unique art style that allows for maximum objects in a room without lag or staggering. Having this very stylized art direction allows them to push the boundaries of what they can fit on the screen in each room. Detail is secondary to making sure there’s a full world of ways to handle situations. 

Saying detail is secondary doesn’t mean the game looks bad; it’s beautiful to look at from the start of the demo to the end. It’s truly everything I look for in an action first-person adventure. Throwing in horror and cleaning simulator elements are just icing on the cake. 

I actually found ways to get through rooms that the team hadn’t seen done before, which was a lot of fun to do. As you enter a room you’ll see different types of fungus to interact with and get rid of in different ways. 

In one of the rooms in the demo, I came upon a bundle of hazardous fungus which could catch you on fire after finding a secret room. For times sake, we didn’t explore the secret room. As I turned the corner, I hopped around said fungus making it so I didn’t take any damage. This just showcases how much freedom the player has to try things and the system will allow for the fun.

Combat is simple, with your spray gun allowing you to take down fungus and enemies alike. I hated the little crawling guys who would run from you, take root somewhere on the wall, and shoot balls of electricity at me. They were easy to take down, but as more entered the battle, dodging became harder and much more interesting.

The team at Soft Rains is CLEARLY passionate about their game and cares deeply about gameplay, art style, inclusion, and story. Joel Burgess — studio head, Adam Volker — Art Director, and Jules Gregg — Technical Director did a great job not only showcasing their game, but their passion for making games that will push genres and how we perceive them. Their team is 20 people total and spans a resume from AAA studios to Indie developers. Each one trying to “leave their fingerprint on the clay of our game” as Joel told me before my preview. 

With all this said, I gave them one of my Best of Summer Game Fest Awards for 2025. I cannot wait to see what the full release has in store for us!