Ashgrove

Light your weapon at a fire, and it hits harder. Burn it out, and it heals you. In Ashgrove, everything you carry is fuel.

Ashgrove is a cozy 2D action-adventure. You are the youngest lamplighter of Thistledown Vale, a village whose great Ember is dying. The warm, colorful valley is slowly turning cold and silent. Pick up a lantern and find out why.

How it plays

• Weapons wear out, so every fight is a choice about what to spend.
• Kindle a weapon at a brazier, campfire, or torch. It hits harder, burns enemies, melts frost and clears brambles, but wears out twice as fast.
• Throw a kindled weapon, and it leaves a patch of fire where it lands.
• Sacrifice a weapon to heal. Broken weapons crumble into Cinders, which you spend at village hearths to forge new ones.

What's in this build

Thistledown Vale with its villagers, the Hollow Bough dungeon (12 rooms, a kindling puzzle and the Hookvine), and the Gloam Moth boss. Three weapons, nine enemies, three save slots, and a Cozy assist mode.

Controls (keyboard / gamepad)

• Move: WASD or arrows / left stick or D-pad
• Attack: J / X
• Roll: Space / A
• Throw weapon: K / Y
• Interact, talk, kindle: E / B
• Hookvine (once found): I / LT
• Sacrifice weapon (hold): L / RT
• Swap weapon: Q and R / LB and RB
• Pause: Esc / Start

Saving (please read)

Saves live in your browser (3 slots). Clearing site data erases them, so use Pause, then Export, to keep a file. Some browsers (Safari, Firefox with strict privacy, private windows) block saving inside the itch page. The game tells you on the title screen. You can still play, and Export still works.

Status and known issues

Early build: one village, one dungeon, and one boss so far. No music yet. Keyboard or gamepad only (no touch). Expect rough edges. Every new playable build is announced in the devlog.

Follow the development

Ashgrove is a solo, devlog-driven project. Follow the devlog and leave a comment with your feedback. I read every one.