The game's science fiction story explores themes of trauma and moving on from dramatic, devastating life events.

"[4] The game was first announced as Solar Ash Kingdom in March 2019 as Heart Machine's follow-up to their 2016 title, Hyper Light Drifter.

[7] A few weeks before this date, Heart Machine announced a delay until December 2, 2021, stating "We want Solar Ash to shine, and we need a bit more time to get the last pieces of polish and bug fixes into the game, while still navigating this global pandemic as a highly dedicated team.

Chris Moyse of Destructoid gave the game six out of ten, writing about its missed potential, stating, "Solar Ash offers a collection of promising concepts that don't quite hit realization.

While undoubtedly a visually striking experience, Rei's journey into the Ultravoid suffers due to a disengaging narrative and repetitious gameplay.