At a public event like PAX West 2026, you don’t think you’ll tear up while playing a game. But that’s what happened to me while playing ambedo studios’ Remaining Grace. Its unique premise is a mystery ghost story in which you guide a spirit through three time periods. Dom Ashtear once again asked the developer important questions while I played through the short demo.
How Sweet the Sound
Your journey starts with a mother who takes her hands off the wheel of her car, infant crying in the back, everything turning to white. We then flash forward to three years later, when a woman named Chloe spills the ashes of her sister, Grace Tao. Shockingly, this releases Grace’s spirit. Grace’s ghost shifts bodies through physical contact, and performing the action stops time. Going from pot to cat, cat to Chloe, and Chloe to her mom, I found the shift to be a little finicky. I was using a controller, though, so perhaps mouse and keyboard is smoother. Regardless, there is definitely time for the devs to improve the flow.
Music-wise, Remaining Grace utilizes a soft piano melody, which pulls at the heartstrings. The title is a looker, too, as it employs an impressionist art style. There are many different characters whose stories and memories you can access. After the intro scene, I controlled Grace in a wheelchair. It was some weird kind of purgatory, with an action figure named Mighty Mike taking human form and explaining how Grace was in the spirit world. Players can make use of a corkboard in this realm, connecting people and events to solve the mystery of Grace’s untimely death. You can change the time of day and time travel to experience the non-linear story. Fun fact that I am curious about how it impacts the game: the story takes place in Land’s End, a fictional city in Vancouver, during an alternate history where Columbus failed to reach the Americas.
It Is All About Connections
Though I spent only 15 minutes playing Remaining Grace, its narrative and its possession hook intrigued me. The wheelchair section specifically had me asking burning questions: if Grace survived the car crash, how did she actually die? What happened to the baby? Will her loved ones be able to communicate with her at some point?
Creative Director Quintin Pan told us it is about being curious about people and wanting to find out more about their complex lives. The development time has been lengthened due to the project getting additional funding. This means gamers can expect a 10-hour-long experience. Remaining Grace does not yet have a launch window, but players can Wishlist it on Steam. I’ll be getting my tear ducts ready until then!
