Demo uncovered for Ashwood Conspiracy on Steam and itch.io

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Full version of dark Slavic retro-styled mystery coming to PC in 2026

They say you can never go home again, and never has that been more true than in Ashwood Conspiracy, an upcoming "dark Slavic mystery adventure" from the brother team at Yawning Dog. 

Of course, hoping it's for the last time, you actually DO go home in this game –  to the (fictional) city of Ashwood in February 1998, to be precise. You are Marcus, and your hometown used to be the "crown jewel of Karranthia" but recently it has "withered into a place of despair and slow decay." The only reason you're returning is a mysterious letter you received after your uncle's sudden death. He had reportedly been acting strangely of late, and a secret locked storage unit with the key entrusted to you begins to reveal why. As you follow in his footsteps to see what he'd been investigating, you'll soon come to realize that while Ashwood might "on the surface ... seem like a traditional Rust Belt city, its dark corners hide many mysteries and secrets," dating back fifteen years to the "most significant tragedy" in its history. 

Presented in a simple, clean, retro-styled first-person slideshow format, Ashwood Conspiracy promises to be a "story-rich point-and-click adventure game" that blends elements of " Slavic culture, traditions, and mythology." Unlike many modern narrative-driven games, however, here a plethora of puzzles await as well, as you "explore abandoned factory buildings, descend into dark sewers, uncover hidden occult sanctums, and dig through secrets on 90s-era devices." There will be many inventory items to collect, combine, examine and use in the environment to progress, but also a variety of code-based obstacles and other brainteasers that will challenge you while still being "fun and fair (no pixel hunting or moon logic)."

The full version of Ashwood Conspiracy is due out sometime in 2026 for Windows PC, but you can already check out the puzzle-packed first chapter through the playable demo available on Steam and itch.io, the latter offering both downloadable and brower-based versions.