Ashen

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 224 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 111 out of 224
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 224
  3. Negative: 73 out of 224

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  1. Young_Nacho
    Jan 31, 2019
    6
    Ashen is a great looking game and an enjoyable experience, but there is absolutely nothing going on under the surface to make it stand out. It’s a decent game that’s worth giving a shot if you’re interested and have money to spend, but don’t expect much from it. The game suffers severely from it’s over-simplification, and it needed to have way more enemies, or weapons, or items, orAshen is a great looking game and an enjoyable experience, but there is absolutely nothing going on under the surface to make it stand out. It’s a decent game that’s worth giving a shot if you’re interested and have money to spend, but don’t expect much from it. The game suffers severely from it’s over-simplification, and it needed to have way more enemies, or weapons, or items, or SOMETHING to switch it up a bit. I mean, you can very easily beat the game with the starting weapon. There has to be more progression than that.… Expand
  2. Gohax
    Jan 25, 2020
    6
    ASHEN is a souls like game made by annapurna interactive and its a cute little game that brings something new to the souls like genre but still needs some work

    Story: there is this ashen bird that split up into 3 factions and one of those factions are the human kind and now it is your job to find all the artifacts of this bird and bring it back to life pros: so in this souls like    ASHEN is a souls like game made by annapurna interactive and its a cute little game that brings something new to the souls like genre but still needs some work

    Story: there is this ashen bird that split up into 3 factions and one of those factions are the human kind and now it is your job to find all the artifacts of this bird and bring it back to life

    pros:

    so in this souls like game they added an open world which you can explore by doing side quests of some characters plus doing the main mission and it kinda feels like an mmo game but in a good way

    the voice acting is really good

    the art design is really beautiful and the world they built really shines and come to life

    there are dungeons in the game which are always a cool addition

    for an indie game the game is kinda long it took me 15 hours to complete it including all the side stuff

    the co op mechanic is cool and the fact that the game is better played with a friend just adds more fun to it

    the fact that you can use your friend or ai partner to climb ledges and open doors is really awesome and really adds to the co op element

    the game costs like 30 bucks

    cons:
    although the game is cute and all there are a lot of balancing issues such as your character having a very limited time to swing unlike the enemies which are a lot more faster and some times don't even stagger when you hit them that also includes the amount of stamina your are using or the teleporting spear mechanic they introduce to you later in the game or even the bosses almost everything in this game is unbalanced and the whole deal needs a patch like right now

    the ai of your co op partner is really dumb and it sometimes kills itself by accident leaving you alone
    to face a horde of enemies

    there is a limited amount of weapons and attack animations in the game

    some enemies feels recycled

    you cant unlock shortcuts or anything of the sorts when entering a dungeon which makes back tracking a lot more annoying

    some performance issues that need patching such as frame drops and bugs

    you don't get rewarded if you explore the open world of the game unless there is a side quest which is annoying because i really wanted to explore every corner of the map

    the final boss of the game is the most annoying part because the backtracing is just horrible you have to go past a cave littered with strong enemies then run all the way to the boss room with out any bonfire or anything that feels up your health potions then the boss is a total nightmare it has no mechanics or openings just a split second hit and then you need to dodge it for like an entire 5 mins without getting hit that's not hard that's just annoying

    in conclusion this game has a lot of potential to be a good souls like game i hope that the next game in the series will be a lot better and balanced but until then we will have to enjoy what we got so my final score to ASHEN is a 6.5 out of 10    … Expand
  3. Dubeau
    May 25, 2019
    4
    Ashen is hard because it's unfair and full of cheap deaths. I did love the story, the voices, the graphics. But the combat is horrible. You are suppose to get an AI companion. That's when it works, it get stuck near a wall or corner, stops walking or fighting. The armors are useless. You get a shield but it does almost nothing. The saving system is just awful. You have long and big dungeonAshen is hard because it's unfair and full of cheap deaths. I did love the story, the voices, the graphics. But the combat is horrible. You are suppose to get an AI companion. That's when it works, it get stuck near a wall or corner, stops walking or fighting. The armors are useless. You get a shield but it does almost nothing. The saving system is just awful. You have long and big dungeon with no saving point of any kinds. Let me tell you, it's easy to get kill in one of those. Even the lantern is causing an annoyance regarding fighting. I give it a 45%. The saving system could have soften the blow of some of the other issues in this game. But no, just a retrograde saving system.… Expand
  4. gfizzle
    Jan 11, 2021
    0
    Unless you have a friend to play this game with it is not worth it at all. The companion ai is downright broken. I wish i could use nastier words to describe just how pathetic the companion ai is and just how pathetic the programming behind it is. playing this game nearly 2 years after release you'd think the ai would have been fixed; it hasn't. And i don't know if this is a joke or notUnless you have a friend to play this game with it is not worth it at all. The companion ai is downright broken. I wish i could use nastier words to describe just how pathetic the companion ai is and just how pathetic the programming behind it is. playing this game nearly 2 years after release you'd think the ai would have been fixed; it hasn't. And i don't know if this is a joke or not but the dungeons are designed with lots of drops and you can bet with absolute certainty the ai will fall off at some point. Whether it's because you were fighting and it got hit and fell or that it fell due to it's own attack animation or that it fell because you tried running past the enemies because you knew it would fall off if you stayed to fight and instead of following you it decided "no this enemy has insulted me i must face it no matter what". The game is absolutely designed for 2 players. playing it alone makes it harder but not in a dark souls way just in an unfair overwhelmed by numerous large health pool enemies way. The game is dead now anyway because it's mediocre at best and despite balancing it for solo play or fixing the ai the developers twiddle their thumbs and sell a crappy game. You can most certainly finish the game on your own but if you have any self respect and value your own time you'll give this game a hard pass no matter how aesthetically pleasing it may look. The game gets a 0 for how much stupidity has gone into its design and the overwhelming lack of foresight on the developers behalf.… Expand
  5. SomeName
    Jan 12, 2019
    6
    Ashen is a decent game, but as a "soulslike" it feels very limited compared to Dark Souls. Now it's not really fair to expect the same length or depth as DS as the A44 has fewer resources available than From Software. However, even with that in mind, I would say it fails to deliver a satisfying experience (at $40). Here's a breakdown of my impressions after 1 playthrough:

    --Gameplay--    Ashen is a decent game, but as a "soulslike" it feels very limited compared to Dark Souls. Now it's not really fair to expect the same length or depth as DS as the A44 has fewer resources available than From Software. However, even with that in mind, I would say it fails to deliver a satisfying experience (at $40). Here's a breakdown of my impressions after 1 playthrough:

    --Gameplay--
    +Few bugs 1 month after release
    +Some fun platforming
    +Decent action & feels good to swing weapons
    +A stat system that does not require a wiki to understand
    +A decent selection of weapon move-sets
    -Weapons are entirely composed of axes, clubs and spears. As a result, they look really similar.
    -Weapons are really expensive to upgrade, which doesn't really encourage trying out many of them (I could maintain 4 without any extra grinding)
    -Enemy variety is low. You will encounter most enemy types (90% humanoid) in the first area and then just tougher versions as you progress.
    -Bosses generally don't have much depth to them. They have 3-4 attack patterns each, which take maybe 1-2 battles to encounter and learn to avoid. After that the fight is just patiently whittling down the health bar.

    --Controls & Interfaces--
    +Has the same controls as Dark Souls (which I find are good enough)
    -Both the inventory and storage are too small to hold all of the items & gear the game throws at you. I'm not even sure why they did this, as you can collect roughly 80% of the gear before having to throw things away. So why not make it 100%? This doesn't make things harder, just tedious.

    --Environments & Level Design--
    +A decent collection of areas
    -50% of them are in the dark with a torch that will illuminate maybe 8m in front of the player. Allows for a ridiculous number of ambushes that just get plain annoying to deal with.
    -The game's dungeons are incredibly long (~2hours to explore), but don't really feature enough variety in them. Just endless running through samey corridors with forgettable many enemies guarding them.
    -Encourages (and partially) enforces a very linear exploration (nothing like DS' interwoven level design).

    --Art--
    +interesting unique style
    -not enough assets, resulting in varyingly blatant copying and pasting of structures, models, etc. throughout the game.

    --Soundtrack--
    -underwhelming in almost every regard
    -actually deteriorates most boss battles

    --Multiplayer--
    +An interesting approach to make co-op more dynamic.
    -You get an entirety of 2 gestures to communicate with. So it's hard to reach any understanding.
    -This model of multiplayer requires a sizeable number of players (which there aren't) to work well.
    -No PVP

    Overall my issue with this game can be summarised by two words: too tedious. The developers somehow managed to take the challenge out of "soulslike" formula and replaced it with an endless grind through uninteresting areas with uninteresting encounters. I think it would have been a better game if they had lopped of 10 hours of gameplay in favour of polishing what they already had.    … Expand
  6. Kiveko
    Dec 14, 2018
    7
    There are some really great elements to this game, but honestly the combat and movement mechanics don't really hold up. The combat feels like a more rigid version of the original Dark Souls and as a long time souls fan it feels very limiting. The difficulty seems a bit more forgiving and does do a few things differently with way points and a proper quest log to help players from gettingThere are some really great elements to this game, but honestly the combat and movement mechanics don't really hold up. The combat feels like a more rigid version of the original Dark Souls and as a long time souls fan it feels very limiting. The difficulty seems a bit more forgiving and does do a few things differently with way points and a proper quest log to help players from getting lost.

    The storytelling, soundtrack and general aesthetic of the game are fantastic however this leaves me feeling very conflicted about this game, the world building is great really but the game play is mediocre leaving me feeling disappointed overall.    … Expand
  7. fineartfilms
    Dec 24, 2018
    5
    Ashen feels like it’s trying to copy Dark Souls without actually understanding how DS works. The combat has been referred to as Souls-like, but aside from the control scheme, it doesn’t compare. Ashen has multiple different kinds of weapons… yet they all function identically. They don’t have unique swing animations or damage types… of course, nearly all the enemies in the game are justAshen feels like it’s trying to copy Dark Souls without actually understanding how DS works. The combat has been referred to as Souls-like, but aside from the control scheme, it doesn’t compare. Ashen has multiple different kinds of weapons… yet they all function identically. They don’t have unique swing animations or damage types… of course, nearly all the enemies in the game are just ‘human’ type, so you’ll always be using the same tactics anyway. Without variety, complexity, and challenge, the Souls style of combat isn’t interesting, and its execution, with a lot of flashing particle effects, slow weapon swing animations, and multiple characters (including the player’s minion) piling in simultaneously, makes it feel chaotic and clunky.

    The ‘minion’ is an AI NPC that follows along with you in combat and can be invisibly controlled by another player who is in the same area of the game as you (and vice versa). In concept, it’s interesting, but it has a few glaring issues… Since the real human player will spontaneously become the NPC (and you will become their NPC) but you’re both playing your OWN game, no player is explicitly ‘in charge’. This *should* result in interesting emergent gameplay mechanics (as your only way of communicating is to flash a charm above your head or point to your objective), but in practice it often results in your previously-reliable NPC companion disappearing in the opposite direction just as you engage a group of enemies, as they assume you (THEIR faithful NPC) will follow. Because the partnership is never planned and can happen spontaneously, the system backfires more often than it works, and I ended up turning off multiplayer and just letting the AI do the work, though this introduces problems of its own. Try to imagine the worst Dark Souls co-op player you’ve ever been paired with Leroy Jenkins-ing into group-after-group of enemies you were hoping to bait out, and you’ll have an idea of how it works. Again, it’s at odds with the seeming desire for Souls-Bourne combat, and turns many battles into a chaotic scrum.

    There are four different NPC companions, but… SURPRISE, they all function exactly the same way, and the game seems to pair you with one or the other randomly. There’s no way to select which one comes along, and they don’t have different fighting styles or utilities. There are also parts of the game that require NPC help to complete, such as doors that require two people to open or ledges that require a boost… but this concept is painfully under-developed. It boils down to a very small handful of locations throughout the game’s linear path where a door will simply say ‘requires companion’s help’ and you’ll just click it and the companion will just open it with you. There’s no gameplay difference between this and the doors you can open on your own, nor is there any puzzle to it or any necessity to try and keep your companion alive so they can make it these areas with you.

    The ‘dungeon’ areas represent the best the game has to offer in terms of tense exploration and combat experiences. However, there are very few of these, maybe 5, and only 2 of these are of any appreciable size or length (or challenge). The vast majority of them are also almost completely linear, with very little in the way of exploration, puzzles, secrets, or anything like that.

    Unlike Souls, Ashen *does* ramp up the difficulty fairly smoothly rather than being a brick wall. But while this may make it appealing as sort of a “Baby’s First Souls” game, the lack of depth or challenge belies what makes the Souls series fun and engaging, and I don’t feel that the combat style really *works* without the depth. Also, the easy early game actually does a disservice to the player, because it doesn’t adequately prepare you mechanically to take the couple of truly difficult moments late in the game. I spent a full 20% of my TOTAL play time in Ashen doing the final boss run, because the preceding gameplay had turned my well-honed Soulsbourne skills into a sloppy mess.

    It may not be fair to keep comparing Ashen to Dark Souls, but the game copies it directly in too many ways to ignore, and the areas where Ashen tries to set itself apart are underwhelming and under-developed. The whole time it felt like half of a game… like at any moment there would be a new enemy or mechanism or story beat that would tie everything together and create a whole picture, but each new part felt like a new ‘half’ without ever making anything complete. Even at the bargain price point, iit still feels too expensive for an experience that’s only half-baked. Those looking for a true Souls-like experience will find it unfulfilling, while newcomers will be met only with vanilla RPG elements and fiddly combat that will have them questioning what the big deal is with this style of game and might even turn them off on exploring Ashen’s predecessors    … Expand
  8. gr8mikey
    Jan 15, 2019
    6
    If you have ever finished any of the actual Souls games, you will probably not enjoy this. Combat is too limited. Every weapon has the same moveset, No magic system, no leveling up and skill point allocation, AI companion that is pretty unhelpful most of the time, and a story that I just really couldn't care about.

    After about 10 hours of play, I realized that I just wasn't having fun    If you have ever finished any of the actual Souls games, you will probably not enjoy this. Combat is too limited. Every weapon has the same moveset, No magic system, no leveling up and skill point allocation, AI companion that is pretty unhelpful most of the time, and a story that I just really couldn't care about.

    After about 10 hours of play, I realized that I just wasn't having fun and felt like I would be better off just doing another run of Dark Souls 3.

    I'm not saying its a bad game, its pretty good for what it is, but I guess the actual Souls games have spoiled me.    … Expand
  9. itsbandit
    Dec 30, 2018
    6
    I am in fact, in love with ASHEN. issue is, well... Rating this game higher than a 6 would be disingenuous and just bullcrap. I really enjoy the game, the voice acting and story telling, the music, background noises, sound effects, they all help and hold up as you get immersed in this world. For those of you who have not studied, looked into or played ASHEN, PLEASE understand... theI am in fact, in love with ASHEN. issue is, well... Rating this game higher than a 6 would be disingenuous and just bullcrap. I really enjoy the game, the voice acting and story telling, the music, background noises, sound effects, they all help and hold up as you get immersed in this world. For those of you who have not studied, looked into or played ASHEN, PLEASE understand... the combat is pretty awful. its not the worst, but that is not saying much as the games combat just isn't there and many games do it better.... This being that there are hardly any weapons to choose from and the combat itself is very clunky...

    8 hours into the game I can count I've found 20 weapons, 3 pieces of armor which are good, and almost all of them just being either a variety of maces or just axes. There are long maces, long axes, spears, hatchets, club... there is no variety at all. The armor that gets increasingly better as time goes on, yet look uglier and don't even match the art style. (in fact the armor I'm using currently is the insurgent armor... why is this in the game? it looks like its from china and it doesn't even fit the art style.)

    issue being though, the combat itself isn't all great, it pins you and an AI companion that doesn't do his or her job half the time against sometimes a dozen enemies which at times can take 6-8 heavy attack swings from an upgraded weapon to kill.

    Even with upgraded health and stamina along with a good pair of armor you are looking at getting hit twice then dying to characters with really unnecessarily large AOE attacks or very large reach that can be dodged, but considering you can be fighting up to 9-12 enemies, some being as large or as fast as the deadliest one you are fighting or that exact enemy, death and or losing these fights are all to often and everywhere. You will get spammed and overwhelmed at times and you cant do much but heal up which wastes money and your consumables, this all along with a broken lock on system, broken hitboxes, sometimes dying through walls and stupidly OP enemies like the Einar that spit fire...

    Not only that, your AI companion wont be doing much to help.

    Either rushing into combat and dying, making stupid decisions like running away or not reviving you, or failing to prioritize targets, you will find the AI characters being more of an annoyance than help. I've had too many times where the AI just takes off and does its own thing, had times where it fails to revive me and no threats are around, I've also had times where there are two enemy targets, one had 25% health and other is full, instead of prioritizing targets and killing the weak one, it will try to face off the healthier target... With all this, they can only be revived once, in an area before you go back to a checkpoint, meaning if they don't heal themselves, and you are in a tough fight and they get injured again,, you lose their assistance, as you are still fighting 6-12 enemies you probably will lose....

    Now you'd think, its just AI and just companions , well, issue is... they are integral to the story, yet they seem to not interact or do much or say much when they are with you doing there own quest, WITH YOU, mind you. You could be completing a life changing quest with them and they don't comment on it, react to it or say anything while you are WITH THEM DOING IT IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, and when the quest or side mission is over, I have to go BACK to town to give them the item or news THAT THEY WERE JUST WITH ME AND WITNESSED, FOUGHT AND NEARLY DIED THROUGH... And yet, the AI and story telling acts like they weren't there, why cant I talk to them, interact with them or speak to them where we just were? it would be amazing to hear their reaction or there complaining as we just nearly died went on an adventure... (As good as the writing is) at times it doesn't even seem aware of this HUGE IMMERSION BREAKING FLAW...

    The companion system is straight broken, choosing a companion should be an interface or thing of its own, companions should be able to talk or interact with the world while you are with them and they should not be oblivious like I stated previously...

    You should be able to communicate with companions as fallout does... because this is not even remotely what "building relationships" are like, there is no building relationships... Nothing you do makes affinity or standing with any of the AI any better or worse, there are no real tough decisions, you hardly meet AI that talk or want to go to your town WHICH WAS THE POINT OF THE game TO FIND A HOME. There just isn't much making the world feel real or better than its surface level face is. On the top the game Is immersive, but once you see these flaws this game cant be taken seriously at times... if they fix this, add more to the map, fix combat, add more to combat and be GOOD DEVS, id 10 star this game so quick...

    I LOVE THIS GAME, AND IT HURTS TO SEE THAT THIS IS TRULY WHAT IT IS, ITS HOLLOW...    … Expand
  10. youngmetaman
    Jan 14, 2019
    6
    Pros: +Graphics +Art +Sound +Story
    Cons: -Combat -Controls -AI
    "LIGHT SOULS?" Let's address the DS comparison. I played through and enjoyed the Souls games but I'm not a diehard fan so I feel I can be objective here. They took the "you will die a lot" part right...but completely missed the "learn attack patterns / mechanics and feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards" part. The    Pros: +Graphics +Art +Sound +Story
    Cons: -Combat -Controls -AI

    "LIGHT SOULS?" Let's address the DS comparison. I played through and enjoyed the Souls games but I'm not a diehard fan so I feel I can be objective here. They took the "you will die a lot" part right...but completely missed the "learn attack patterns / mechanics and feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards" part. The difficulty is not something you can learn from and conquer, it's just unbalanced. Also, your AI companion is terrible and usually gets in the way. For such a graphically polished game, there are a lot of bugs.

    The story is interesting and it does have a lighter, polished tone. I love the world this game builds. The graphics are great, art style is beautiful, sound design is top notch.

    I do believe most main reviewers hyped it up a bit too much before fully exploring it. There are glaring control and gameplay flaws. Control: a couple issues with the way the keys are bound. Completely counter-intuitive. This isn't a PC port so the controls should have 100% flexibility but you can't even remap those keys properly. Gameplay: Weapons and stats are unbalanced - instead of inviting different playstyles it forces you to choose between the "strongest" choice or a weaker one. Not to mention a huge lack of variety between weapons & armor.

    Now usually I'm a "enjoy the game as a whole, don't worry about the small stuff" kind of guy, but personally I couldn't move past these issues.

    GOOD GAME FOR:
    -Fans of art, story and graphic design
    -Casual "pick em up start playing" and "put them down and move on" type
    -People who don't care about combat mechanics

    BAD GAME FOR:
    -HEAVY Dark Souls fan
    -"Get really into and really good at the game" type
    -People who care about combat mechanics    … Expand
  11. Stuvok
    Dec 17, 2018
    9
    small scale souls like. You can tell it's lower budget by the limited weapon move sets and limited progression options. But it fights well, looks great, and has a decent length. There is no reason to complain with only a $39 price tag or $1 if you have a xbox and the game pass since it's currently discounted. I thoroughly enjoyed my 20 hours with the game but you can't experiment withsmall scale souls like. You can tell it's lower budget by the limited weapon move sets and limited progression options. But it fights well, looks great, and has a decent length. There is no reason to complain with only a $39 price tag or $1 if you have a xbox and the game pass since it's currently discounted. I thoroughly enjoyed my 20 hours with the game but you can't experiment with builds or pvp so that's about all the time i'll put in for now. The game good so I can see myself showing it off to a friend or having a craving to beat it again after some time has passed.… Expand
  12. LionOfWinter
    Dec 9, 2018
    9
    Don't trust the zero reviews. "people" raging that it isn't on steam. Smells more like Gaben brand Astro turf than grassroots though. Ashen is a beautifully designed game with a charming style. The game play is Dark-souls-esque-lite and so far the voice acting and the story is AAA quality. Impressive showing from an indie developer. Try it!
  13. Peety
    Dec 16, 2018
    10
    Here to support the devs and the fantastic job that is this game. I want more!! Thank you for the fun :)
  14. turkeynaruto
    Dec 17, 2018
    10
    Dont Listen to Bad Reviews

    This game aint a 10/10 but I still give it a high rating so the overall score increases. This game is good in most aspects. Fighting, Lore, Atmosphere, Difficulty, Rewards, Upgrades,Art Style. This is not a big game (AAA) its a medium game (AA) so ofcourse it doesnt has some things a dark souls has for example a magic system or very nice graphics. The only    Dont Listen to Bad Reviews

    This game aint a 10/10 but I still give it a high rating so the overall score increases.
    This game is good in most aspects.
    Fighting, Lore, Atmosphere, Difficulty, Rewards, Upgrades,Art Style.
    This is not a big game (AAA) its a medium game (AA) so ofcourse it doesnt has some things a dark souls has for example a magic system or very nice graphics.
    The only thing that could be better in this game is better looking enemies like more creative.
    Thats all    … Expand
  15. MGee
    May 24, 2019
    4
    It's so uneven of an experience. The exploration is top-notch. The "dungeons" are all at least twice as long as they should be with some really crappy checkpointing. The difficulty is kept at a fairly low level until suddenly it's ramped up for a single fight, at which point it becomes a quiet, serene game again. I'm not sure Ashen knows what it wanted to be.
  16. Hyperactivebuff
    Dec 21, 2018
    9
    Ashen is a beautiful game.

    The phrase "souls-like" gets thrown around a lot. People use it for Dead Cells, Ori, Hollowknight, Cuphead, pretty much any game that is hard. It makes the phrase utterly useless. But for this game, it is an adequate genre-description. Ashen is a third person perspective action-adventure game with some RPG elements, and it is very much in the same genre as    Ashen is a beautiful game.

    The phrase "souls-like" gets thrown around a lot. People use it for Dead Cells, Ori, Hollowknight, Cuphead, pretty much any game that is hard. It makes the phrase utterly useless. But for this game, it is an adequate genre-description.

    Ashen is a third person perspective action-adventure game with some RPG elements, and it is very much in the same genre as Dark Souls. Mechanically, it is quite similar, with the main innovations coming from the social interactions allowing for permanent (or at least near-permanent) play with your friends. Albeit in a clunky and purposefully difficult way.

    Graphically, the game retains a very distinctive art style. It has been compared to Absolver, and that is not an unfair comparison. The interpretive style of the art is perfectly in character with the light/dark themes of the levels, and it is in this level design that Ashen masters most cleanly. The use use of light and dark in the design, from art aesthetic to level and creature design, all the way to the aural sensations of the soundtrack and sound effects, are immersive and evocative. They remind me of the same themes in Destiny.

    The game is relatively approachable, and despite the difficulty it never feels truly punishing. It's very narrowly easier than From Software's offerings,though a lot of that ease is the fact that ashen gets the controls right (which took Dark Souls until its 3rd title to do anywhere close to as well). The pacing is more like dark souls and less like Nioh or Bloodborne.

    The whole game takes just around 25 hours for an adequately skilled 'Souls' player. And it is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.

    Mechanically, this game is nearly flawless. Artistically, it is a work of beauty. The multiplayer design is purposeful but bad. Why 'souls' games so utterly hate the idea of making it easy for you to play with your friends is beyond me, but it is what it is. Insofar as difficulty, it is a bit easier than Dark Souls, but on the other hand the controls are handled far better. I found the overall experience better, and I vastly preferred the world Ashen shows to us to that of Dark Souls.

    This is the best 'Souls' available on the market. It's better than Dark souls 1, 2, 3, Demon Souls 1, 2, Bloodborne, Nioh, and The Surge. It is my favorite game in the genre.

    I can't quite call this game perfect, but it is damn close. There are plenty of people who won't like Ashen. And there are also plenty of people who may like it mechanically but won't necessarily appreciate the aesthetic, which is boiled into everything about the game. But if you like the aesthetic, and you if this is your favorite genre, then Ashen is IMO the best game on the market for you.    … Expand
  17. eded9999
    Apr 3, 2019
    6
    Few Bosses
    Few weapons types
    Few enemy types
    No magics/sorceries/piromancies
    Very slow start
    A lot of stutter and input issues

    Not absolute bad, but it could be better.
  18. Gamerjohn
    Dec 12, 2019
    0
    For a year old game it's quite buggy. I was expecting more considering the whole of taking the epic deal was to IMPROVE on the game's development. Paying full price and buggy AF game on GOG is disgusting.
  19. kaicooper
    Dec 8, 2018
    9
    HARDCORE gamers or Dark Souls fans will enjoy the hell out of this awesom game..
    its soo atmospheric and the graphics is epic like a playable ART..its not easy at all
    and u'll die alot just like DS series..i wont spoil anything but if you r really DS fan..you need
    to play this right now on PC..yes its on EPIC store only but its coming to Steam soon..enjoy
  20. Jenne
    Dec 8, 2018
    9
    It's simple. There are two types of Souls fans - one camp can play and reasonably enjoy Souls clones like Lords of the Fallen, Surge or Darksiders 3. The other camp loathes all clones and can only play Souls games by FromSoft. If you're in the first camp Ashen is absolutely a game for you. It is not as a complete package as Dark Souls is - none of the clones are - but it's very, veryIt's simple. There are two types of Souls fans - one camp can play and reasonably enjoy Souls clones like Lords of the Fallen, Surge or Darksiders 3. The other camp loathes all clones and can only play Souls games by FromSoft. If you're in the first camp Ashen is absolutely a game for you. It is not as a complete package as Dark Souls is - none of the clones are - but it's very, very good. I'm not necessarily a big fan of this kind of stylized art, I prefer more realistic, grounded one, but the combat and atmosphere are so good I can get over it. I'm sure a lot of people will even consider it beautiful. All in all, three hurrays for this genre and all good Souls clones. And kudos to the devs, they made something really special.… Expand
  21. SnowProblemo
    Dec 12, 2018
    9
    I'm a big fan of Dark Souls. I love the pacing and exploration of FromSoftware titles. When I started my adventure on Ashen I initially I wasn't too impressed. After a few hours immersed in the world that changed. This is a wonderful RPG that I believe will captivate Souls fans. Most Souls fans have already played Lords of the Fallen, Nioh, and The Surge. Ashen is closer to Dark Souls thanI'm a big fan of Dark Souls. I love the pacing and exploration of FromSoftware titles. When I started my adventure on Ashen I initially I wasn't too impressed. After a few hours immersed in the world that changed. This is a wonderful RPG that I believe will captivate Souls fans. Most Souls fans have already played Lords of the Fallen, Nioh, and The Surge. Ashen is closer to Dark Souls than any of those games, without being a total copycat. Highly recommend.… Expand
  22. Cloudthor
    Dec 7, 2018
    10
    Excelente juego, promete mucho, un gran rpg que entrega una estética muy diferente a otros videojuego, una gran experiencia para los amantes de los que le gustan los juegos difíciles
  23. wandrinman
    Dec 28, 2018
    2
    This is essentially a Dark Souls knockoff done pretty well. However, I cannot recommend it in its current state. It's just too buggy.

    TL;DR: Dreadful AI and abominable camera make this a chore to play. Ashen is designed for co-op, and while the player base hasn't scaled up enough just yet to allow the co-op the developers envisioned, it should pose no problem due to the inclusion of    This is essentially a Dark Souls knockoff done pretty well. However, I cannot recommend it in its current state. It's just too buggy.

    TL;DR: Dreadful AI and abominable camera make this a chore to play.

    Ashen is designed for co-op, and while the player base hasn't scaled up enough just yet to allow the co-op the developers envisioned, it should pose no problem due to the inclusion of AI companions. However, the follower logic is utterly **** for brains. Succinctly, this game has some of the worst companion AI I've ever come across.

    In a game that's essentially about about scaling rock faces and fighting tough enemies, the last things I'd expect to see are my companion getting stuck behind an ankle-height surface; suiciding into deep water for no apparent reason; or just flat refusing to fight an enemy, instead standing motionless and blocking the only feasible escape. I've also found that, even with multiplayer disabled, AI companions frequently disappear altogether - sometimes in the middle of battle without having been killed. It's incredibly sloppy and a constant cause of deep frustration.

    Secondly, the camera's just woeful. Devs should've kept it simple. Despite having disabled all of the camera's gimmick settings, I find it constantly swinging through 180 degrees during a dodge, to face the enemy, and in the opposite direction from the intended direction of the dodge itself. Inexplicably, this also alters the direction of the dodge after the fact, as well as the screen coordinates. What's worse is that there's apparently no trick or technique to get around this illogical and involuntary pivot, which sees experienced players of Souls-like games rolling towards assailants due to buggy camerawork, or fatally off ledges in an attempt to pivot manually to surmount it in tight spaces.

    The game is visually impressive and sounds great. The story and mechanics are generally fine, but are nothing groundbreaking. As other reviewers have pointed out, the crafting feels overly-simplistic; the selection of weapons & armours limited, and made more so by similar movesets across many weapons; and there is no character building whatsoever. It seems strange to omit something so pivotal to roleplaying games - but the general breadth & depth of Ashen both feel greatly reduced in relation to its competition.

    Although fairly deep in, I haven't yet finished the game, and I'm not sure that I will, either, should those bugs persist - or, worse, be fully intentional. The AI & camera issues are game-breakers, for me, and my overall opinion is that Ashen shouldn't have passed quality assurance ahead of release with good conscience.    … Expand
  24. Cyber_Angel
    Feb 2, 2019
    9
    As a Souls games fan, this game drew me in and before you knew it, I sank 3,5 hours into it before I even checked the clock.
    Great pacing, lower difficulty as compared to Souls games due to having a companion for the most time. Beautiful artstyle, moody atmosphere and music.
    This is a gem out of nowhere. Great work, A44!
  25. n808
    Dec 11, 2018
    9
    Great Dark Souls inspired game. If you love Dark Souls and have a fast enough video card, you will most likely love this as well.
  26. Broyax
    Dec 17, 2018
    0
    L'indé du jour est un bricolage inspiré des Dark qui soûlent, les infamies sado-masos complètement pétées (de saké) bien connues... sauf qu'ici, "fraîcheur" indé oblige, c'est en 4 couleurs dont du gris et du marron... et les personnages (?) n'ont pas de visage ! c'est un "nouveau" concept. Un con-cept. Avec bien entendu la pettie musique d'ascenseur qui va pas bien.

    Les personnes    L'indé du jour est un bricolage inspiré des Dark qui soûlent, les infamies sado-masos complètement pétées (de saké) bien connues... sauf qu'ici, "fraîcheur" indé oblige, c'est en 4 couleurs dont du gris et du marron... et les personnages (?) n'ont pas de visage ! c'est un "nouveau" concept. Un con-cept. Avec bien entendu la pettie musique d'ascenseur qui va pas bien.

    Les personnes sensibles et naïves trouveront certanement de la poésie dans ce petit monde de lumière blafarde face aux méchantes ténèbres (quelle originalité, dites-moi !) et la même non-jouabilité des combats avec barre d'endurance vidée en 3 coups, roulades qui vident la barre d'dndurance en 3 fois et coups des ennemis qui vident la barre de vie en 3 coups de cuiller à pot.

    On a -attention- un coéquipier pour nous aider que l'on doit ressusciter parce qu'il est trop con et qui reste aussi bloqué régulièrement à tel ou tel endroit parce qu'il est encore trop con... pour nous suivre. J'ai aussi vu l'un des ennemis à capuche qui restait invulnérable avec à peine un dixième de ses points de vie... voilà qui promet ! Et voilà donc surtout un étron de plus à rajouter à la longue liste (interminable) des étrons indés qui sentent très fort.    … Expand
  27. tottyNA
    Dec 19, 2018
    10
    You would be a fool to miss Ashen. If the point of context has to be dark souls, they made Bright Souls, taking elements and art stylings of a Zelda, or Journey, or Absolver, and implimented them in simple enough a way that the player can access the core game and enjoy it- along side it's souls-roots in difficulty and challenge. It makes for a unique mix of optimism in the darkness asYou would be a fool to miss Ashen. If the point of context has to be dark souls, they made Bright Souls, taking elements and art stylings of a Zelda, or Journey, or Absolver, and implimented them in simple enough a way that the player can access the core game and enjoy it- along side it's souls-roots in difficulty and challenge. It makes for a unique mix of optimism in the darkness as opposed to hopelessness and a wary cautiousness one might feel in Souls. It really is something special and to let opinions about genre get in the way would be a shame.… Expand
  28. Veiled
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    Las 4 reviews con 0 son lamentables y deberian ser eliminadas, uno dice que solo está en W10, lo cual es mentira, a otro le molesta el precio y que no salga en steam, nadie habla del juego, en fin haters hay en todos lados. El juego es excelente, ambientación, estructura de misiones y mazmorras, interesante el concepto de ir haciendo crecer la ciudad. 10/10
  29. louiebl
    Mar 18, 2019
    10
    Ashen is an extremely fun and addictive souls like with an interesting story and lore, amazing gameplay and a beautiful art style, I've never played dark souls so I can't compare the two games and i've heard from people who are fans of souls like games that there are better ones out there, however, coming from a person who isn't a big souls like fan, and this is purely my opinion, Ashen isAshen is an extremely fun and addictive souls like with an interesting story and lore, amazing gameplay and a beautiful art style, I've never played dark souls so I can't compare the two games and i've heard from people who are fans of souls like games that there are better ones out there, however, coming from a person who isn't a big souls like fan, and this is purely my opinion, Ashen is simply the best game I have ever played, I can't recommend it enough… Expand
  30. szokun
    Dec 8, 2018
    10
    Absolutely beautiful graphics . Bit like dark souls - You cant just go slashing enemies. Fantastic atmosphere
  31. barbone3
    Dec 9, 2018
    10
    Everything in this game looks, plays, sounds perfect! Simple combat system for an astonishing game!
  32. RagnarCritic
    Jan 7, 2019
    8
    Ashen presents us with a captivating world struggling to emerge from darkness and reach a new era of Light.

    Along a beautiful open world with really beautiful and captivating pictures, we will have to go running small errands to different NPCs. These messages are very simple, and are presented as an excuse to develop the mysterious history of each of them and thus move forward along the    Ashen presents us with a captivating world struggling to emerge from darkness and reach a new era of Light.

    Along a beautiful open world with really beautiful and captivating pictures, we will have to go running small errands to different NPCs. These messages are very simple, and are presented as an excuse to develop the mysterious history of each of them and thus move forward along the map and the adventure.

    The gameplay is Dark Souls style, but more simplified, as it is only based on melee combat, with one hand weapons, two hands (axes, halberds, mallets, hammers and flocks) and the ability to shoot spears. By killing enemies, we get "scum" that we can use to improve certain equipment or buy various objects. These scum points will not be used to improve the character, since our character will improve his health and energy automatically as we complete missions. In this case, instead of bonfires, we will activate some monoliths, and through some of them (not in all) we will be able to make a quick trip thanks to a creature that transports us between them different points of the map. Each time we die we must start from the last monolith activated and lose the points obtained, having the option to recover them if we get back to the point where we were killed.

    Throughout the adventure we may accompany some of the NPCs to help and support us during the fighting, there is the possibility of disabling this option and travel alone. It also has multiplayer, which will allow us to be accompanied by (or accompany) other players.

    Although there is not a huge amount of different enemies, if they are of varied designs. Also we will have to defeat several final bosses to be able to progress in the adventure.

    In short, Ashen is a game with a gameplay inspired by the Souls formula but with a more open and less labyrinthine level design, a humble but very careful game, with a mysterious story and endearing characters, with a very moving artistic design that constantly immerses us in beautiful landscapes and a few huge dungeons, able to create, partly also thanks to an excellent and relaxing soundtrack, very dreamlike atmospheres.    … Expand
  33. Sal
    Dec 8, 2018
    3
    An average soulslike, thats only stand out due is a unique aesthetic. If you are looking for a new soulslike, hit up The Surge, Nioh and Lords of the Fallen before this.
  34. Phoenixxl
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    If you like souls games you'll like this.
    It has everything you can expect from the genre, gameplay is smooth, the atmosphere is fantastic, some parts are really challenging.
    It's the release all of us have been waiting for now the dark souls pure sang series has been terminated and unlike some others I'm not going to mention here this game does not mess with the essence of a souls game    If you like souls games you'll like this.
    It has everything you can expect from the genre, gameplay is smooth, the atmosphere is fantastic, some parts are really challenging.
    It's the release all of us have been waiting for now the dark souls pure sang series has been terminated and unlike some others I'm not going to mention here this game does not mess with the essence of a souls game and realises that adopting the format is more than adopting the combat.    … Expand
  35. Zardnar
    Dec 16, 2018
    9
    This game is essentially a copy of dark souls, right down to the story. It adds enough of its own to be interesting and the combat is enjoyable. Somewhat short though. My two biggest gripes are the respawning enemies and how weapons are upgraded, other than that it is a good game.
  36. aiden_mcmeme
    Dec 11, 2018
    9
    Great game, love the look of the game. But not a "great" soulslike game, just a good action RPG game
  37. kenmorechalfant
    Dec 13, 2018
    9
    The game is beautiful. The story is decent. No beating around the bush, it's obviously heavily inspired by Dark Souls, but I think it stands on it's own. It's fun. I feel like the difficulty is a little uneven - your companion makes the beginning pretty easy and then at some point it gets a lot harder. Probably never as hard as Dark Souls, but still challenging.

    Overall, I really    The game is beautiful. The story is decent. No beating around the bush, it's obviously heavily inspired by Dark Souls, but I think it stands on it's own. It's fun. I feel like the difficulty is a little uneven - your companion makes the beginning pretty easy and then at some point it gets a lot harder. Probably never as hard as Dark Souls, but still challenging.

    Overall, I really enjoyed it - I loved exploring the world and the combat.

    There are hard core Souls fans who will say it's a crappy rip off - but I say that's crap. I think a lot of people will like this better than Souls, it's subjective.

    Then there are the haters who seem personally attacked that this is not on Steam, to which I say: grow up.    … Expand
  38. Kleptomacer
    Oct 5, 2019
    0
    **** clone of dark souls and egs exclusive on top of that. avoid at all costs
  39. MadclownJack
    Dec 24, 2018
    6
    I'm sorry i really want to like this game but the battle mechanics are way too constrictive. It's got great graphics and atmosphere, but i can't shake off the feeling that i'm playing a watered down DS clone. Also, too little weapon variety. Clubs and Axes only. Could be a design choice but i don't know.
  40. Mandulum
    Jan 28, 2019
    9
    Haiku Review: It fills a hole left / by a certain game's absence / And fill it it does
    Favorite Thing: It's a fun world to explore with lots of challenging combat.
    Least Favorite Thing: They give you a choice between one-handed and two-handed weapons but then force you to carry a lantern around, eliminating that choice. Date Completed: 2019-01-27 Playtime: ~ 16h Enjoyment: 9/10    Haiku Review: It fills a hole left / by a certain game's absence / And fill it it does
    Favorite Thing: It's a fun world to explore with lots of challenging combat.
    Least Favorite Thing: They give you a choice between one-handed and two-handed weapons but then force you to carry a lantern around, eliminating that choice.

    Date Completed: 2019-01-27
    Playtime: ~ 16h
    Enjoyment: 9/10
    Recommendation: It's a solid Souls-like.    … Expand
  41. BadCaptain
    Jun 15, 2019
    3
    The game was easy before mission "listener's heart". I wasted around 5 hours on this mission and didnt beated. I quited the game. Mission is simply dumb: 10 min of easy mobs, then mobs who oneshot you, no checkpoints. Just restart time after time. This mission also hightly depends on you retarded AI teammate. AI sometimes not even appears, sometimes it dies, sometimes it just taking aggro,The game was easy before mission "listener's heart". I wasted around 5 hours on this mission and didnt beated. I quited the game. Mission is simply dumb: 10 min of easy mobs, then mobs who oneshot you, no checkpoints. Just restart time after time. This mission also hightly depends on you retarded AI teammate. AI sometimes not even appears, sometimes it dies, sometimes it just taking aggro, sometimes it falling down from the cliff. Hated the expirience and strongly not recommend this game cause of this only mission. What lies ahead? Who knows?

    PS. watched youtube video, found shortcut for this mission, reinstalled the game. Passed mission on second try. Now almost beated the game. Game was easy again until second last boss. Took me a few tries to beat    … Expand
  42. Vzhik
    Dec 16, 2018
    7
    Красивый мир, интересные враги. Просто путешествие без лишних побрекушек.
  43. Defoxx
    Dec 1, 2020
    5
    Отличительной особенностью этой игры является прохождение с ботом-напарником. Интересный открытый мир и механика обустройства базы по степени прохождения игры.
    Боссов мало, но они сильные.
  44. LavosTD
    Dec 18, 2018
    5
    El juego en si esta bien, si lo que buscas es pasar el rato en un lindo lugar. El apartado artístico como musical es genial, me encanto. Pero si vamos a lo que es el combate y dificultad , deja mucho que desear... Hay muchos enemigos que repiten sus patrones de ataques, muy poca variedad. Los jefes son muy simples tambien, carecen de dificultad, prácticamente puedes quedarte paradoEl juego en si esta bien, si lo que buscas es pasar el rato en un lindo lugar. El apartado artístico como musical es genial, me encanto. Pero si vamos a lo que es el combate y dificultad , deja mucho que desear... Hay muchos enemigos que repiten sus patrones de ataques, muy poca variedad. Los jefes son muy simples tambien, carecen de dificultad, prácticamente puedes quedarte parado enfrente de ellos y spamear ataques hasta que estos mueran (Ya que el juego te provee de muchos objetos para que puedas aguantar golpizas sin mas.). Otra cosa que me parecio muy tedioso es el sistema que tiene de "cooperativo" que te obliguen si o si tener a un compañero siempre, para llegar a un lugar que no puedes acceder por ti solo o abrir una puerta (Ya que en situaciones requieres de un compañero para abrirlas.) Personalmente juego este tipo de juegos por el mero placer de ir solo contra el mundo (Se puede desactivar el cooperativo como la IA para ir en solitario, pero esto no quita que la tengas que volver a activar a cada rato para hacer las cosas que previamente mencione.).

    En fin, la pase bien con el juego aunque me quedo con ese pequeño gusto de "decepción" esperaba mucho mas del titulo, siento que podían haber ofrecer mucho mas... Podía haber sido un claro sucesor de la saga Souls... Pero se quedaron a mitad del camino.    … Expand
  45. Tito256
    Jan 12, 2019
    1
    Anyone who rates this above a 6 has not played past the first three areas of the game.
  46. PeakZach
    Sep 20, 2020
    7
    Compelling and interesting story. Fans of the souls series will enjoy the curiosity of what new enemy lies beyond each corner and the thrill of a satisfying boss fight. However, this does not add much to the formula. The look is fantastic, but lacks in the item department. Weapons seems to all work the same, speed isn't considered much of a variable other than the obvious one/two handedCompelling and interesting story. Fans of the souls series will enjoy the curiosity of what new enemy lies beyond each corner and the thrill of a satisfying boss fight. However, this does not add much to the formula. The look is fantastic, but lacks in the item department. Weapons seems to all work the same, speed isn't considered much of a variable other than the obvious one/two handed weapon difference. This makes combat seem repetitive, and enemies to vary that much over time.… Expand
  47. Mr_Robot
    Feb 15, 2020
    7
    сюжет - 6/10
    геймплей - 7.5/10
    саундтрек - 7/10
    графика - 8/10

    Одна из немногих игр, которая после прохождения в кооперативе оставила у меня приятные впечатления.

    7/10
  48. Psychoticrow
    Sep 5, 2019
    9
    Art Style / Graphics - 10/10 I am biased because I love this dark yet simplistic style. It just appeals to me for reasons I can't even explain.

    Gameplay 8/10 - What is in this game works, and it works extremely well. It could do with a bit more uniqueness between the weapons and maybe even an ability or two outside of that. Maybe the lantern could be made slightly more relevant in that    Art Style / Graphics - 10/10 I am biased because I love this dark yet simplistic style. It just appeals to me for reasons I can't even explain.

    Gameplay 8/10 - What is in this game works, and it works extremely well. It could do with a bit more uniqueness between the weapons and maybe even an ability or two outside of that. Maybe the lantern could be made slightly more relevant in that regard.

    Co-op 5/10 - It's in the game and when it works it's wonderful but you'll struggle to get it to work properly at many points in the game, you often just don't run into people and even if you're playing with a friend it really shows its weakness. It just doesn't work because of "reasons" or sometimes because of intentional game design choices and the way they chose to implement it.

    Overall I honestly feel this game is a 10/10 but the really bad implementation of a key feature of this game the co-op really hurts it overall and knocks it down a mark or possibly 2 marks.    … Expand
  49. Birdie
    Nov 15, 2020
    9
    Just finished the game over the weekend together with a friend. We had lots of fun and are very happy with the experience. It’s a 25 hour game if you take it easy and explore. I liked everything from the graphics to the controls and also the sound and music. It deserves more attention and a higher grade.
  50. mbestvina
    May 30, 2019
    8
    Ashen is a mix of Dark Souls and open-world action-adventure games like Tomb Raider or Horizon ZD. The reception is a little mixed and I think I know why...

    In my experience, there are two types of people that love Dark Souls: people that love it as an immersive adventure game and people that just want to fight hard bosses. Souls clones tend to get the combat right and appeal to the    Ashen is a mix of Dark Souls and open-world action-adventure games like Tomb Raider or Horizon ZD. The reception is a little mixed and I think I know why...

    In my experience, there are two types of people that love Dark Souls: people that love it as an immersive adventure game and people that just want to fight hard bosses. Souls clones tend to get the combat right and appeal to the hard-boss-fight kind of players, while they generally flub the level design (looking at you, Nioh...). Ashen is the rare example that puts the emphasis on exploration instead of the combat and it excels precisely because of this reason.

    If, like me, you love the exploration in souls as much as the combat, then I highly recommend Ashen! There are a few key differences to the souls formula that bolster the exploration. Notably, you have a more conventional jump and you can climb ledges. Ashen also bucks the linear, windy levels for a sprawling open world filled with sidequests. No longer are you railroaded from one tough encounter to the next. Instead, you have a lot of freedom to decide where you go and what you do. This makes the world a delight to explore. It often feels more like Mario Odyssey than Dark Souls, combing each area for items. The first area or two is a bit dull to explore, but it ramps up significantly as you progress and the levels become more vertical. You eventually get a hookshot-type ability as well that further cements Ashen's strength in exploration.

    Aside from a focus on terrain traversal, Ashen also mixes up the typical Souls co-op by giving you an AI companion for the entire game, that will seamlessly be taken over by other humans that are in the same area. It works fine but ultimately, I felt this kind of co-op would have worked better in a typical Souls game than an open world game. Virtually every time I was partnered with a human, we would have conflicting priorities. I would want to push forward and they would want to scrounge for items, or vice versa. Only one time was my partner and I on the same wavelength and I ultimately turned the online off. The AI works great and can be depended on 90% of the time but that 10% will always frustrate you. The bigger gripe I have with the AI is with the final boss fight, where your AI companion will inevitably get knocked into the water and refuse to swim to shore until they die. I'm not sure if this was a glitch or intentional but it's baffling this got shipped in the final product either way. Whether you're using the co-op or the AI, the partner system is ultimately just kind of there.

    On the RPG side of things, Ashen has massively streamlined the Souls mechanics. The sword and shield combat is exactly as you'd expect, just with fewer options and playstyles. You have a lantern that functions like torches in Dark Souls 2 and this actually works much better here. Lastly, you don't level up your character, just your gear. There are very few upgrades for you to purchase, but their cost escalates rapidly as you buy upgrades. Unfortunately, I ran out of things to buy about 2/3 of the way through my 20 hour campaign. You can, however, upgrade your character's stats by completing sidequests. None of these are tedious and most of them simply require you to explore map, which most souls fans will do anyway so this is a nice way of rewarding exploration.

    Unfortunately, the difficulty is also all over the place. Once you get in the groove with Ashen, it's very easy to simply lean on your AI partner and it often feels necessary given how many gang-up fights there are. Most of the difficulty comes from long run-backs, though I will admit this is highly fitting for a souls-like that's more focused on exploration than combat. There are few bonfires in the overworld, the two dungeons really push the limit on how long you can ask a player to go without a bonfire, made even more egregious by not being able to warp in and out of the dungeons, and the final boss has both an awful run-back and is an absurd jump in difficulty, compounded by the AI swimming issue I mentioned above. I turned the co-op back on to find that players online were struggling with this boss even more than I was and I ultimately prevailed with the cheese strategy of wait-wait-poke. Another bonfire or enabling the AI to swim would have done a lot of good for this under-cooked final boss.

    In spite of some glaring flaws, I loved Ashen. Between its more engaging exploration and environment traversal and its streamlined combat and RPG mechanics, Ashen feels like what you'd get if Nintendo made a souls-like out of the Zelda franchise. It offers a vibrant world with tons to see and do, and the combat checks all the souls boxes, even if it never transcends them. I enjoyed this more than every Souls clone I’ve played (Nioh, s&s, etc), simply because it nails the exploration, even if the combat is a tad weaker. Again, if you’re in the exploration camp of souls fans, check this out    … Expand
  51. pcapinheiro
    Aug 11, 2022
    8
    Um Souls contemplativo, que te engana com uma atmosfera relaxante até você ter seu crânio esmagado por uma machado de pedra.

    Pontos Positivos: + Arte gráfica, ambiente e som, tudo muito legal; + Desafiador, mas justo; + História simples, mas curiosa, as side quests são interessantes; + Mapa aberto, mas sem gorduras. Pontos Negativos: + Queria ter mais clareza sobre o uso de    Um Souls contemplativo, que te engana com uma atmosfera relaxante até você ter seu crânio esmagado por uma machado de pedra.

    Pontos Positivos:
    + Arte gráfica, ambiente e som, tudo muito legal;
    + Desafiador, mas justo;
    + História simples, mas curiosa, as side quests são interessantes;
    + Mapa aberto, mas sem gorduras.

    Pontos Negativos:
    + Queria ter mais clareza sobre o uso de alguns itens e seus upgrades;    … Expand
  52. nichi
    Feb 8, 2022
    8
    32 horas de jogo:
    Um ótimo jogo com inspiração SoulsLike e que incentiva bem o coop.
    Os chefes são muito legais e bem feitos, joguei inteiramente coop e platinei com um amigo, foi bem maneiro e gostaria que os jogos da Fromsoftware incentivassem mais o coop assim como esse jogo. Vi pouquíssimos bugs, coisa comum como corpos de inimigos atravessando algum objeto como um muro assim    32 horas de jogo:
    Um ótimo jogo com inspiração SoulsLike e que incentiva bem o coop.

    Os chefes são muito legais e bem feitos, joguei inteiramente coop e platinei com um amigo, foi bem maneiro e gostaria que os jogos da Fromsoftware incentivassem mais o coop assim como esse jogo.

    Vi pouquíssimos bugs, coisa comum como corpos de inimigos atravessando algum objeto como um muro assim como ocorre em Dark Souls, mas bem raro, nada demais.

    Acredito que o único problema técnico no PC seja alguns cenários com mal otimizados, os quais do nada consumem muito da GPU sem motivos...
    Além disso, pra ser nota 10 só precisam melhorar um pouco a forma em que a história é contada, você fica muito curioso sobre aquele mundo e no fim do jogo continua sabendo tão pouco sobre.

    Dificuldade: 9/10.
    Gráficos/Arte/Design: 10/10.
    Trilha Sonora: 7/10.
    Narrativa/História: 7/10.
    Gameplay: 9/10.
    Requisitos: 10/10.
    Duração: 10/10.:
    BUGS/Otimização: 6/10.
    Conquistas: 10/10.
    Interface: 10/10.
    Preço: 8/10.
    Diversão: 9/10

    Média: 8.75    … Expand
  53. SedSays
    May 24, 2019
    5
    I wrote something more wordy, but then my PC crashed, so short version:

    Pretty game
    Good/Hammy Voice Acting
    Dark Souls-esque combat
    Dark areas artificially increasing difficult is not good design
    Stupid companion AI
    Long dungeons with no short cuts
  54. The_Eleatic
    Apr 16, 2019
    9
    I write this as I am very nearly finished with the game, currently practicing to take on the final boss. That tells you two things: 1) as with other "souls-like" games, it takes some practice and some patience to do well in combat, especially with bosses, but 2) this game is rewarding enough to make it worth the practice.

    First to the rewards of playing: the world of Ashen is gorgeous,    I write this as I am very nearly finished with the game, currently practicing to take on the final boss. That tells you two things: 1) as with other "souls-like" games, it takes some practice and some patience to do well in combat, especially with bosses, but 2) this game is rewarding enough to make it worth the practice.

    First to the rewards of playing: the world of Ashen is gorgeous, and the underlying story is one of hope for renewal. It may take a little time to get used to the stylized visuals, but the aesthetic is consistent and carried out with clear intention on the part of the developers.

    The game rewards exploration; I wouldn't call it an open-world game, but there are a number moderately sized regions, each with a distinct look and feel, to wander around in, as much to take in the sights as to collect items that may be useful later.

    The crafting mechanic is not very deep, but it does offer some flexibility in weapon choice, combat style, and various tweaks to player stats.

    While the combat is technically demanding, it also flows very well: the controls are tight and responsive, the enemies varied in their behavior and attacks.

    I have to confess at this point that I've never played Dark Souls or any other souls-like game, though I have played one game - Kingdom Come: Deliverance - that has a stamina-based combat mechanic. If you're looking for comparisons, I would say the combat in Ashen is not as difficult - and doesn't require nearly as much practice as - combat in KC:D . . . though that may not be saying much.

    And now, for that last boss . . .    … Expand
  55. svonton
    May 26, 2019
    8
    so this game is good part of souls-like games, yea it`s indie and it feels (small variations of weapons and their movesets, some troubles with connections if u try to play coop with your friend) but, BUT game looks good (yeah it`s lowpoly but as for me looks pretty nice), game sounds good and it tell simple but interesting story about unusual world.
  56. ZEDFRA
    Oct 29, 2019
    9
    First, I want to say this. Ashen is one of my favourite games ever, and I was shocked when I saw the user score here of 5.8. It really doesn't deserve 5.8, it deserves a 9.

    OK, first thing's first. Ashen is a beautiful game, it's basically a masterwork piece of art. Everywhere you go has stunning visuals, from it's canyons, to the streams, to the grasslands, to the palace of Lathyrus    First, I want to say this. Ashen is one of my favourite games ever, and I was shocked when I saw the user score here of 5.8. It really doesn't deserve 5.8, it deserves a 9.

    OK, first thing's first. Ashen is a beautiful game, it's basically a masterwork piece of art. Everywhere you go has stunning visuals, from it's canyons, to the streams, to the grasslands, to the palace of Lathyrus and even down in the darkest dungeons. Adding to this is just one of the most fantastic soundtracks I've heard in my life, I sometimes even listen to it when I sleep. If ever I'm asked if "are games art?" I point to Ashen. I love the design of this game, the devs nailed it 100% I've never played anything more beautiful and gorgeous than this.

    Combat is great too, it basically plays like dark souls. It's solid, with a good sense of difficulty that can be tweaked through adding or removing your companion. It can be a bit awkward to position yourself and getting used to the pace of combat when you start, but you'll quickly get used to it. You can use either a two handed weapon, or a one handed weapon with a shield or lantern. I really like the lantern mechanic, you need to equip it when you go into a dungeon or cave so you can see. This adds a real sense of journeying into the unknown and it feels really well with the themes of the game. I love it. However, this is where I dock a point on this game. Ashen has a combat system that is too limited. You can't dual wield, there's no option for a pure ranged build and there's no magic. More options for players to utilise in combat was needed, and it's a definite negative, the lack of options in combat can lead to the game feeling a bit repetitive sometimes. Each weapon in ashen has its own set of moves and attacks which helps null the sense of repetitive combat, it's fun to experiment with weapons and find one that suits you. Accompanying the combat are various items you can use, you have your standard healing item amongst other various items and you can also craft potions which might boost your offense or defense. As an aside, there are no swords in this game, the devs said in an interview this was because they wanted to create an atmosphere of a world on the edge, and since swords are hard to make, they wouldn't be made in a world like this. But that's just bollocks, I would've really liked rocking a cool sword or katana in this. Swords should have been in the game devs come on. Also of note is the lack of fashion. Armour sets come in one piece, why? There's no reason and it just limits player options, the devs really missed out here on fashion ashen or FASHEN. I came up with that. This isn't to say that you're going to look like **** for your play through, there are some pretty cool looking armours here for you to enjoy.

    I really loved the lore and story of the game, I found myself intrigued and wanting to discover more about the world through it's characters and various items. The story may not be the most original, but I'm not docking any points because it never really bothered me, and it does it's own thing enough so that it can't be called a rip-off. HOWEVER, I realise that my opinion might not be shared by everyone, and you might feel that the story here is a bit already done,but it never felt like that for me.

    Unlike many souls game, Ashen has co-op, you can play with a friend or randos online or with an ai companion offline. The online stuff worked fine for me and my mate and I encountered no issues with it. The ai companion is solid aswell and I had no issues with 'em. Just as an aside there is no pvp.

    I prefer the mission structure of Ashen to dark souls aswell. Missions and side quests are clealy laid out in the quests menu, and you don't need to spend time looking on the wiki to see what npcs to talk t when and where to find them and how to do their quests. Here, you get given a mission, it's clearly laid out to you and you do it. It's simpler but it's better. Also, there's a main hub area of the game, called Vagrant's Rest, it's sort of like Firelink shrine, but what's cool is that as the game goes on and you encounter more characters, the hub grows with new people, buildings and crafting stations for you to use, so that's pretty cool.

    Next, we come to the game's bosses. I've seen complaints that there aren't enough, but I almost prefer it like this, you won't encounter bosses often true, but when you do, it feels like much more of a grand and epic moment, each boss in the game is a big deal, there are no ****ty or filler bosses here.

    In conclusion, Ashen is a fantastic game, and although it has flaws, ultimately it overcomes them. I think this is A44 games' first ever game too. They've really made something special here, especially considering their smaller budget. Even if you've never played a souls game, this is something I can recommend. I'll say it again, this is one of my favourite games. I love this game.    … Expand
  57. watchm824
    Dec 11, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I liked the game. Simple graphics, but a pleasant atmosphere and an interesting world to explore. Disappointed with the final boss, turned out to be too complicated in comparison with other opponents in the game.… Expand
  58. tobivv
    Nov 26, 2019
    5
    Ashen's world is aesthetically pleasing, but empty with few enemies and challenges.
  59. Bloodnes
    Oct 20, 2020
    5
    Какая-то инди игра, не о чем, очень специфическая и на любителя, убивают аля дарк соулс, графика не понравилась, сюжет просто пустышка, 5/10
  60. hoanns
    Jun 6, 2020
    4
    I played 2h. The world feels empty and underdeveloped. No real plot. You always have to manually lock onto enemies or you miss. The only outstanding thing is the art direction.
  61. winterstorme
    Dec 10, 2021
    3
    Of the 10+ "soulslike" games I've played this has to be the least fun. It's just a big open (mostly empty) map filled with the same 3 enemies or enemies that look different but do the same things. You'll spend most of your time doing "fetch quests" or going from marker to marker on a map. The combat is a clone of Dark Souls, but with a lot of mechanics removed and nothing added to replaceOf the 10+ "soulslike" games I've played this has to be the least fun. It's just a big open (mostly empty) map filled with the same 3 enemies or enemies that look different but do the same things. You'll spend most of your time doing "fetch quests" or going from marker to marker on a map. The combat is a clone of Dark Souls, but with a lot of mechanics removed and nothing added to replace them. The bosses are completely forgettable. There are few weapons and armors and none of them are interesting. No skills or weapon arts or magic or anything of the sort is in the game... just a quick attack and strong attack and the classic dark souls role.

    The game is not very difficult compared to most games in the genre. Most of the difficulty I found was from traversing very dark dungeons filled with cliffs and bridges and having to fight enemies on top of them. Even while holding the lantern it was still very difficult to see. Oh and the game is filled with ambushes, almost all enemy encounters have ambushes.

    So that's all the difficulty in here, darkness and ambushes. The actual enemies and bosses are not that hard to fight, or fun. Compare that to a game like Sekiro where the bosses and enemies are much harder, but a lot more fun to fight.

    The only thing this game has going for it is a unique art style. I liked the aesthetics of the game, except for the fact that characters don't have faces. It's supposedly an art design choice, I didn't like it.

    If you can find this game on sale for around $10 you can give it a shot, but for $40 it's not worth it at all.    … Expand
  62. RockerKR
    Nov 17, 2020
    6
    lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Cool but sometimes frustrating and buged
  63. yertre
    Feb 3, 2021
    6
    I appreciate the effort it took to make this game. It looks great, and it can be enjoyable, but it doesn't really stand out in any way.

    The game simply doesn't have much to offer. There isn't much variation among the enemies, there aren't enough items, or weapons, or anything really. There just isn't enough in the game. Also, the co-op system is laughably bad. Overall, if you are    I appreciate the effort it took to make this game. It looks great, and it can be enjoyable, but it doesn't really stand out in any way.

    The game simply doesn't have much to offer. There isn't much variation among the enemies, there aren't enough items, or weapons, or anything really. There just isn't enough in the game. Also, the co-op system is laughably bad.

    Overall, if you are interested in playing, don't expect much of anything. It's not a bad game, just a rather shallow one.    … Expand
  64. Game0fLife
    Jul 31, 2022
    9
    + Beautiful art style and good view
    + Interesting map design
    - Little weapon variety with similar move-set - Unsatisfied ending - Some imbalanced boss fight in the late game where it would require you to use boring cheese tactic to win. -Artsy and boring souls-like storytelling copycat. The story makes no sense, makes me feel like looking at weird modern art at the museum. Edit:    + Beautiful art style and good view
    + Interesting map design
    - Little weapon variety with similar move-set
    - Unsatisfied ending
    - Some imbalanced boss fight in the late game where it would require you to use boring cheese tactic to win.
    -Artsy and boring souls-like storytelling copycat. The story makes no sense, makes me feel like looking at weird modern art at the museum.

    Edit: Edit: It sounds bizarre, but the more I play Elden Ring, the more I miss this game, in which the developer of Ashen did a few things even better than the Fromsoft; Intuitive control (for keyboard & mouse), good PC optimization, better jump mechanic, lively central hub, convenient quest log, and most importantly no permanent missable (except 1 item in the starting area).

    Too bad this game doesn't have a proper PvP system, otherwise I would be addicted to this game for at least 300+ hours.    … Expand
  65. edwardsalazar99
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Gran juego, buena dificultad, hecho para los amantes del género soulslike, hermosos gráficos. Recomendado
  66. IdleSpace
    Nov 25, 2021
    5
    Просто скучная игра с поломанной системой прокачки оружия, которая напрочь убила интерес.
    Если конкретнее - все оружие в игре одинаковое, и ступени прокачки очень сильно отличаются друг от друга. Уникальных механик боя нет, так зачем отвлекаться и тратить ресурсы на новую пушку, если вы с ним тупо будете нежизнеспособны, пока не прокачаете до имеющегося.    Просто скучная игра с поломанной системой прокачки оружия, которая напрочь убила интерес.
    Если конкретнее - все оружие в игре одинаковое, и ступени прокачки очень сильно отличаются друг от друга. Уникальных механик боя нет, так зачем отвлекаться и тратить ресурсы на новую пушку, если вы с ним тупо будете нежизнеспособны, пока не прокачаете до имеющегося.
  67. Cg014
    Apr 10, 2023
    0
    Worse souls clone ever. Cool art style but that is pretty much all I can say about it positively. Dark souls is difficult but fair, this game is difficult because it’s unfair since the developers couldn’t figure out a creative way to make the game challenging. Uninteresting story. Broken mechanics (lock-on) and much more. Shield auto unequips in combat, super useful….not. Bosses one comboWorse souls clone ever. Cool art style but that is pretty much all I can say about it positively. Dark souls is difficult but fair, this game is difficult because it’s unfair since the developers couldn’t figure out a creative way to make the game challenging. Uninteresting story. Broken mechanics (lock-on) and much more. Shield auto unequips in combat, super useful….not. Bosses one combo you if you’re not trading agro with AI companion. No traditional leveling up. Boring side quests. Bull**** enemy attacks. Enemies can use the same weapons you do but they use the same attack patterns as you do but much faster because ‘fair and fun’. 4 years since release and it still crashes. Oh and your AI companion literally commits suicide for what seems to be no reason so you get to solo yolo dungeons that literally have no checkpoints and shortcuts making you have to do it all over again and they can be very long, copy and pasted, but long. Don’t complete the dungeon before you run out of healing items? Do it again. Fun. Regret buying it for a quarter of the full price on a sale.… Expand
  68. Ignis_z
    Jan 29, 2023
    8
    Toda una sorpresa con este juego, si te gusta el reto y el estilo de lucha Tipo Zelda o souls no te defraudará, buena ambientación, buen sistema de combate y una historia interesante. Eso sí, no debes esperar de él un juego como Dark Souls o Zelda, no olvides que es indie con un presupuesto mucho más bajo, pero he jugado todos los zeldas y souls y sé de qué hablo. Muy recomendable.

    Peca    Toda una sorpresa con este juego, si te gusta el reto y el estilo de lucha Tipo Zelda o souls no te defraudará, buena ambientación, buen sistema de combate y una historia interesante. Eso sí, no debes esperar de él un juego como Dark Souls o Zelda, no olvides que es indie con un presupuesto mucho más bajo, pero he jugado todos los zeldas y souls y sé de qué hablo. Muy recomendable.

    Peca en un punto donde te dan una explicación muy escasa y puedes quedarte atascado y es verdad que el.NPC puede dar problemas.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best PC Game of 2018
48
#48 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Games.cz
    Feb 28, 2020
    70
    Are you still striving to gather enough courage to enter the unforgiving world of Dark Souls? Try Ashen instead. It’s a natural beginner’s choice in the genre of brutally difficult action RPGs.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Apr 26, 2019
    85
    Ashen is a great title. The Souls formula may be adapted nearly wholesale, but the art style gives the game a different vibe. The presence of co-op at all times makes each run feel feasible, since the odds rarely feel impossible to overcome, and the presence of a community to grow gives you a real sense of progression and purpose. Unless you're completely burned out by the formula, Ashen is an adventure that's well worth checking out.
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  3. The Games Machine
    Jan 17, 2019
    70
    Ashen is a souls-like game with a particular focus on the co-op multiplayer. Sadly this feature rarely works as intended, but despite its flaws, the game developed by A44 is still an enjoyable variation to the formula created by Miyazaki and From Software.
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