Hibernian Workshop, the French studio behind the action roguelite Ravenswatch, built Astral Ascent as a 2D platformer set in a modern fantasy world where four heroes attempt to escape the Garden, an astral prison whose twelve Zodiac guardians serve as the primary obstacle across four distinct worlds.
Each of the four playable characters — Ayla, Kiran, Calie, and Octave — carries a distinct weapon type and fighting style that shapes the entire spell pool available during a run. Ayla relies on speed and blade-work suited to quick eliminations, Kiran delivers shockwave-generating strikes built around raw power, Calie deploys magical gemstones to break through defenses, and Octave summons a rotating arsenal of ethereal weapons at variable ranges. Spells are unlocked and assembled into builds over the course of each run, so the character choice determines which spells are even on the table rather than everyone drawing from a shared pool. The Zodiacs themselves are designed with individual attack patterns, combat philosophies, and embedded backstories that are parceled out across multiple attempts, tying narrative disclosure to mechanical progress. Local co-op and Steam Remote Play Together support a two-player mode throughout.
Astral Ascent released on November 14, 2023, following an earlier access period. Post-launch development has been substantial: major numbered updates arrived steadily through 2025, including Update 2.1 and 2.2 in mid-to-late 2025, a Prison Renovation update in October 2025, and the Celestial Haven DLC in November 2025. A New Hero DLC also arrived in late 2025. In early 2026, a crossover update in January brought a Ravenswatch Sentinel character in patch 2.5, a new hero named Arven was previewed on the roadmap in March, and a further DLC alongside a major free update launched in May 2026. A new Seeding System was announced for a subsequent update in June 2026, indicating continued structural additions to how runs are generated.
