When a sunless world becomes filled with light, what is the first thing you would think of doing or protecting? Developer Aurora44 had their game Ashen first revealed back in 2015 during a Microsoft/Xbox Conference. The idea was that it would be released sometime during 2018. Well, 2018 is nearly over and Ashen has yet to hit the shelves.

Ashen, described as a “stylized, brooding open world, passive co-op, action-adventure rpg”, has been in the eyes of many as something to look forward to, from the fantasy-style setting and the characters having their own story, to the strange set-up of suddenly having light, and more. Then, during Gamescon back in August 2018, Aurora44 revealed the gameplay trailer:

The game relies on a few things, the first being its stamina-based play style. Of course, when you start out, there’s very little, and as you grow your town more and gain more talismans (in game level ups), the more stamina you obtain. This is a style that hasn’t been seen often, as the stamina-based play style can get a little tricky. But that’s what makes it fun.

The second is the passive co-op. The developer describes in the gameplay video how each quest giver is another player, but there’s no communication between the two. This is similar to thatgamecompany’s Journey that was released back in 2012. Journey had a very stylized look as well, using anonymous co-op where you couldn’t speak to your partner in any way.

But don’t worry, just when everyone thought the game isn’t coming out before the year ends, we got this:

Ashen will be releasing in 2018! It will be launching on PC and Xbox One at the same time later this year and will be available on @XboxGamePass at release too 😎

— Aurora44 – Ashen 2018 (@aurora44games) October 17, 2018

While it isn’t a set date, there is definitely a promise to be made here. But there is a little more hope, as in the responses between the developer and their peers, it was revealed that there will be a playable demo at XO2018:

Haha we appreciate your excitement! We’re actually going to have an Ashen demo available to play at XO18, but no announcements planned for now!

— Aurora44 – Ashen 2018 (@aurora44games) October 18, 2018

Another step closer towards the release. With the pressure on for Aurora44 to release Ashen before the end of the year, the rest of us wait in anticipation.