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Return to Ash

Released: 7/10/2025

Critics
73
vs
Users
98

Score Breakdown

73.3

Critic Average

3 reviews

98

Steam User Score

107 reviews

N/A

Metacritic User Score

Disparity Breakdown

Steam Disparity
-24.8

73 vs 98

Metacritic Disparity
N/A
Combined Disparity
-24.8

Average of both sources

Review Disparities

Positive = critic higher than usersNegative = critic lower than users

Each point represents a critic review. Hover for details. Positive = critic higher than users. Negative = critic lower.

8/1/2025

Launch Window

Return to Ash is a quiet triumph. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t demand much of your time. But it leaves a mark. Like waking from a vivid dream, you’ll carry bits of it with you. Maybe it’s a line of dialogue. Maybe it’s the moment you chose kindness. Maybe it’s just that soft feeling of being seen. Serenity Forge has delivered something beautifully self-contained. For anyone in need of a reflective, emotionally resonant visual novel, Return to Ash is worth the journey.

80

80/100

Read

7/16/2025

Launch Window

Return to Ash is a visual novel about being dead and being alone. It has a strong premise, but one I don't think it lives up to. My biggest issue stems from how short it is as when it finally starts to get interesting, the story is over. Still, it's a fine time, and there is one strong story route in here that shows it could be done with a little more time. I still think it's worth a try, just know you'll do everything in an afternoon.

60

60/100

Read

7/14/2025

Launch Window

Return to Ash is a pleasant little bite-sized piece that opens up important themes in a sensitively melancholic way.

80

80/100

Read