Idols of Ash Guide

What Is Idols of Ash?

Idols of Ash is a first-person horror game about descending into an ancient, ruined megastructure using nothing but a grappling hook. Developed by Leafy Games using the Godot engine and released in April 2026, the game puts you in the role of someone entering this forsaken place to save a loved one suffering from a disease called Coil Rot.

The starting camp -- the last safe ground before the descent begins.

The descent is not optional and not safe. A creature called the Murderpede -- a massive centipede with disturbingly lifelike leg animations -- hunts you the entire time. You cannot fight it. Your only option is to keep moving down, swinging from plant growth and crumbling ruins with your grappling hook, managing your rope length, and trying not to panic when you hear skittering getting louder behind you.

All assets are handcrafted with no generative AI. The game is available free on itch.io (pay-what-you-want) or for $4.99 on Steam with achievements and auto-updates. A successful run takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but expect your first playthrough to last well over an hour with plenty of deaths along the way.

Looking down into the megastructure -- the scale of the descent becomes clear early on.

Controls

The controls feel strange at first -- most players describe them as "weird" for the first few minutes. The grappling hook is not a point-and-teleport tool; it is a rope that you aim, fire, and manage manually.

First grappling hook shot -- the top-left UI shows rope distance and the Murderpede health indicator.

Core Mechanics

Everything in Idols of Ash revolves around two things: the grappling hook and rope management. Your hook attaches to surfaces -- walls, ruins, plant growth, rocky outcroppings -- and the rope connecting you to the anchor point is what keeps you alive.

Mid-swing through a shaft -- timing the release and re-hook is the core skill to master.

Pressing Shift reels you upward along the rope. Ctrl lets you slide down. The length of your rope matters: too short and you cannot reach the next platform, too long and you swing into walls or drop into the Murderpede's path. Learning when to pull up versus when to let out slack is what separates players who finish the game from those who get stuck in the deep section.

The Murderpede adds constant pressure. It tracks your average movement speed -- if you stop or slow down, it catches up. But it is bad at chasing upward, which gives you an escape option when things get tight.

Beginner Tips

1. Don't Panic When the Murderpede Gets Close

Panic kills more players than the creature itself. When the skittering gets loud, your instinct is to fire at the first surface you see and swing wildly. That leads to missed grapples and falls. The Murderpede struggles with upward pursuit -- you have more time than you think. Take one second to aim before you fire.

2. Always Know Your Next Hook Point

Before you commit to a swing or drop, look ahead and identify where your next anchor will be. The environment is full of plants, ruined buildings, and rocky outcroppings that work as grapple points. If you jump first and then look for a surface, you are already in trouble.

3. Falling? Throw the Hook and Hold Shift

This is the single most important survival technique. If you are falling and about to die, fire the grappling hook at any surface and immediately hold Shift. This pulls you up the rope and stops the fall. It does not matter if the angle is bad -- catching yourself on anything beats hitting the ground.

The upper ruins offer plenty of anchor points -- use this section to practice before things get harder.

Game Modes

Normal Mode

The standard descent. Latent Embers serve as health restoration and checkpoints (called Kilns). The early sections have decent checkpoint spacing, but the final stretch to the bottom has almost no checkpoints at all.

Nightmare Mode

The Murderpede moves faster, reacts smarter, and deals more damage. All Kilns are destroyed -- no checkpoints. You descend from top to bottom in a single unbroken run, or you start over. This is for players who already know the route cold.

The First Kiln

An even harder mode that ramps up difficulty beyond Nightmare. Your next challenge after mastering the standard descent and Nightmare Mode.

Bioluminescence Mode

A visual option that gives the environment a glowing bioluminescent look. Does not change gameplay, but makes the megastructure visually striking. Worth turning on at least once.