Hibernian Workshop has laid out its 2026 roadmap for Astral Ascent, the studio's 2D roguelite platformer available on PC, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The headline addition is Arven, a new playable character arriving May 14th on PC via Steam, alongside plans for a Boss Rush mode and Steam Workshop support later in the year. The French indie studio has also teased a further announcement with no details shared.
Astral Ascent runs on a spell system that gives each character a distinct combat identity. Players unlock dozens of spells per character and assemble builds that shift dramatically between runs, turning each attempt into a different kind of fight. Ayla cuts through enemies with blades before they can react, built entirely around speed and precision. Kiran hits hard enough to generate shockwaves, favouring raw power over finesse. Calie channels magical gemstones to shred defences, while Octave summons ethereal weapons at any range, adapting his toolkit to whatever the encounter demands. The new character Arven, described as a close-range fighter accompanied by a companion named Kat, brings yet another playstyle to a roster already built on variety. Voiced by Ben Starr in English and Tagui Omi in Japanese, Arven also appears in Hibernian Workshop's upcoming title Fallen Fates, making this DLC the first chance players have to encounter him. Each run tests both the build you've assembled and your ability to execute it, with progression between runs gradually expanding what's available.
The Garden, the astral prison where all of this plays out, stretches across four hand-crafted worlds filled with frame-by-frame animation and a colourful fantasy aesthetic that leans modern rather than medieval. It's a place designed to be dashed through at speed, its gigantic landscapes built for the kind of fluid movement the combat demands.
Guarding the Garden are the Zodiacs, twelve bosses spread across those four worlds, each with unique attack patterns, combat styles and backstories waiting to be uncovered. The planned Boss Rush mode, which will let players face these bosses in dedicated sequences, speaks to how central these fights are to the experience. Twelve is a substantial roster, and giving players a way to challenge them outside the normal run structure acknowledges that the boss encounters are where Astral Ascent sharpens to a point.
The four heroes aren't blank slates either. Each carries their own personality and motivation for escaping the Garden, and the story unfolds piece by piece across repeated runs. Replayability isn't just mechanical here but narrative, with new details about the characters, their histories and the secrets of their prison surfacing as players push deeper. Ayla is an assassin proving herself to her guild. Kiran is an orphan shaped by hardship. Calie is a sculptor turned warrior fighting to reclaim her people's freedom. Octave is a young fighter trained by a powerful witch. Their stories layer onto the roguelite structure so that each return to the Garden carries a little more context than the last, and local co-op lets a second player share that weight.
Hibernian Workshop, based in Angoulême in southwest France, operates as a fully remote and crunch-free studio. Astral Ascent has maintained a Very Positive rating on Steam since its 1.0 launch in November 2023, and the studio has continued to expand the game steadily since then. The 2026 roadmap, with Arven's arrival in May followed by Boss Rush and Steam Workshop support, keeps that momentum going for a game already well into its post-launch life. The addition of Steam Workshop in particular opens the door for community-created content, a meaningful step for a roguelite whose replayability is already its defining trait.