Ashes of the Singularity

 PC
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 90 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 90
  3. Negative: 26 out of 90

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  1. ozymandias79
    Aug 15, 2016
    5
    Have to agree with some of the mediocre reviews. Considering the resource consumption of this game, the graphics aren't up to scratch. Its very buggy too (mainly graphics glitches). Gameplay is pretty standard RTS stuff. The price of this game needs to come way down to match its quality.
  2. Kiseki
    Sep 29, 2016
    7
    Decent game that uses a variation of the supreme commander system without the commander unit.

    It doesnt really shine in any particular area. The background story/world/concepts isnt told too well.
  3. ndee
    Nov 2, 2016
    2
    A horrible waste of money. The ten-years-old Supreme Commander still is better in every aspect of gameplay. The only thing where Ashes is better is graphics.
  4. generalanesthes
    May 25, 2016
    0
    This is the biggest waste of money i have spent on a game in years. Slow, boring, and massively taxing on a computer yet the graphics are mediocre and the detail isn't that great. I'm shocked at how crappy this game is made. Huge hype for a mediocre game and heres the fun part, it's so full of bugs that you can't ever play a decent round without a crash or some weird glitch happening. IsThis is the biggest waste of money i have spent on a game in years. Slow, boring, and massively taxing on a computer yet the graphics are mediocre and the detail isn't that great. I'm shocked at how crappy this game is made. Huge hype for a mediocre game and heres the fun part, it's so full of bugs that you can't ever play a decent round without a crash or some weird glitch happening. Is your PC overclocked? Better turn that off cause it causes crashes. Direct x 12? May or may not work properly. I can't even shut the game down and close Steam without the game restarting over and over. I tried to get a refund but steam wouldn't let me. I am an advanced PC gamer and I build my own PC's. I have a top of the line Z170 build with all the best hardware and I have never had an issue with any game until this one. Very mad about buying this, and even more mad I can't be refunded. This is honestly a more boring version of Star Wars, Empire at War. It's extremely similar in regards to resources and land control to win. I'm honestly going to delete this and play Empire at War again...which is a 10 year old game. Sad...just plain sad.… Expand
  5. Tollman
    Apr 4, 2016
    8
    I've followed the development of this game for some time. One of my first games was WarCraft 2 and I've loved RTS ever since. TA is probably my all time favourite RTS game and apparently the designer of Ashes feels the same way about TA too. While it is clearly not TA2 TA's influence is clear on the game with the slower and tougher units, streaming economy, similar style maps and bigI've followed the development of this game for some time. One of my first games was WarCraft 2 and I've loved RTS ever since. TA is probably my all time favourite RTS game and apparently the designer of Ashes feels the same way about TA too. While it is clearly not TA2 TA's influence is clear on the game with the slower and tougher units, streaming economy, similar style maps and big armies clashing. Once wrecks and reclaiming is in the game (2H of the year) the comparison will be that much closer.
    I like that you can play with terrain obscured or not, or have Defenders on or not; those little changes can really change up the feel and pace of the game if you are feeling like a change. A map maker is already in the game and modding is encouraged so I think the game will have good longevity.
    The game is not without its problems, the UI needs work, I hope the aircraft get a little love in their movement patterns and I want water and navy asap. From what I have read UI improvements are on the way and navy will be added sometime down the line. But in the meantime the game is fun to play as it currently stands and is worth a go if you are an RTS fan.    … Expand
  6. Vasot
    Mar 31, 2016
    6
    It feels very generic so far kinda boring. This definetly isn't the worst RTS, but it brings nothing new to the genre from a gameplay perspective. The whole game feels more like a big DirectX12 tech demo. It's like the team made a big demo to show the DirectX12 capabilities and did not gave to much attention to the gameplay or story, I do not know it just feels very bland
  7. Athena324
    Apr 19, 2016
    10
    Large scale exciting RTS game? Yes please. And given Stardock's history for support and improvement, I can't wait to see how the game continues to evolve. ::throws money at the screen:: 10/10.
  8. sasmariozeld
    Apr 2, 2016
    8
    game isn't quite done yet, missing mod workshop support, some more units and needs some overral polish but its getting better each month . story is worthless buy this game for some more c&c feeling multiplayer or bots , there are two factions gdi nod style pretty much , maps are not crazy for now but then a gain its just the core that s done

    tl dr messy for now shows great improvements
  9. Obiwanshenobi
    Apr 19, 2016
    9
    I've been following this game since before it was early access on Steam. I'm not going to compare it to other RTS games because I don't really care. What I care about is if the game is fun, looks good, and is something I can play for a while going forward. The answer to all of that is a big yes.

    The scale of this game is insane, and when you have large battles going on and see all of    I've been following this game since before it was early access on Steam. I'm not going to compare it to other RTS games because I don't really care. What I care about is if the game is fun, looks good, and is something I can play for a while going forward. The answer to all of that is a big yes.

    The scale of this game is insane, and when you have large battles going on and see all of those units in battles it's just a "wow" moment.

    I'm usually more of a fan of single-player, but I've been dabbling in the MP and have actually found myself playing more and more MP. Playing with others has been fun, and a challenge at the same time. But again, most importantly it has been a blast to play.

    I'd definitely like to see some things added to the game, but I have been reading the developer posts on their Steam forums, and they have a nice looking roadmap with what they plan to do with the game going forward.

    Don't mind some of these silly reviews here. This is an awesome game and I recommend it.    … Expand
  10. demeisen
    Apr 9, 2016
    10
    A scorchingly good RTS with huge longevity. The procedurally generated maps means that no two skirmishes are the same, while the excellent AI makes every encounter a challenging experience. Visuals are superb, as is sound. The front-end and UI is a little underwhelming, but the the core of the game is up there with the best. It's certainly the most interesting of the recent RTS releases,A scorchingly good RTS with huge longevity. The procedurally generated maps means that no two skirmishes are the same, while the excellent AI makes every encounter a challenging experience. Visuals are superb, as is sound. The front-end and UI is a little underwhelming, but the the core of the game is up there with the best. It's certainly the most interesting of the recent RTS releases, and more than makes up for the similarly themed but gloomy Planetary Annihilation. Stardock have already published an exciting road map for AOTS, and look ready to commit to at least 2 years dedicated support for the title. They're also very open to community requests, and have promised to incorporate the best suggestions into future releases. Finally, while DLC hasn't been totally ruled out, the vast bulk of the product road map over 2016 is free. Great news considering the scale of the additions coming in the next few months.… Expand
  11. snierke
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    In my opinion this is undoubtedly one of the best RTS games in many years if you like skirmish and multiplayer games. A game that is continually updated and devs that are serious about their game. A lot of strategy and a lot of eye candy. I have previously played a lot of Sup Com, FA and Planetary Annihilation. I have played Ashes about 90+ hours.
  12. cnckane
    Mar 31, 2016
    4
    As a Red Alert, Dune, Starcraft and Supreme Commander fan I was very excited when this was announced. The final product however is a HUGE dissapointment. Seriously this is more like a techdemo not a game, it doesn't have a great story (less then average in fact) that's "just" one problem, but it's like an empty husk with no purpose at all.
    The graphics looked promising, but once you    As a Red Alert, Dune, Starcraft and Supreme Commander fan I was very excited when this was announced. The final product however is a HUGE dissapointment. Seriously this is more like a techdemo not a game, it doesn't have a great story (less then average in fact) that's "just" one problem, but it's like an empty husk with no purpose at all.
    The graphics looked promising, but once you observe in realtime on your computer you see it's not that great... The level design is boring - sorry there isn't any: You have a huge map with some resources and trees and snow and mud.
    That said, I still think this engine/technology could be a great base for a future game.    … Expand
  13. Stewart97
    Apr 24, 2016
    4
    This game suffers from the same thing as the new Starwars movie "Force Awakens". It is another generic, shallow, RTS, reboot in a galaxy far far away that we've already seen in the 70s. Only in our case the 1970s is the 1990s. We've seen the same plot, same characters and same story. We've seen the whole thing done better and the bottom line everything in Ashes with the single exception ofThis game suffers from the same thing as the new Starwars movie "Force Awakens". It is another generic, shallow, RTS, reboot in a galaxy far far away that we've already seen in the 70s. Only in our case the 1970s is the 1990s. We've seen the same plot, same characters and same story. We've seen the whole thing done better and the bottom line everything in Ashes with the single exception of DX12, we've seen before.

    Just like the new movie, Ashes of the Singularity is flashy, and it is all lasers and wiz bang without really satisfying any whys or hows. Yes you take territory and you gain resources, but you don't do so strategically you do so tactically. The only strategy that works is larger numbers of units overwhelming smaller numbers of units or higher tiered units having the durability to cut through swarms of smaller units.

    Also note there is no water combat. Not a major thing but most other RTS games based on planets have water/land and air but evidently the planets that these battles take place on don't take place anywhere the form of matter necessary for life to exist. Just like the new clones they must be "using the force" at Stardock to suspend your disbelief at just how lacking an RTS can be.

    The thing Starcraft (SC) has going for it is tight matchups between units and twitchy gameplay where micro a handful of units can mean defeat or victory. Matches in SC are typically fast because of this mechanic and it works good. Even the longer matches where two players of even skill, or even mistake making are satisfying. The SC reboot also did what Force Awakens did for better or worse. It didn't reinvent the genre. It kept the game play tightly similar to the original.

    The thing Forged Alliance Forever (FAF) has are two refined RTS innovations missing in Ashes. FAF relies on a strong balance respecting the effectiveness of the micro and the necessity of the managing your macro. In SC strong micro can mean the difference in outcome of the game. In FAF it can mean the outcome in the battle but you need to win a successive number of battles before it will mean the outcome of the game. This is called refinement and this is lacking in Ashes. While FAF indeed did not launch in its current state but, as Supreme Commander, with a clunky interface and only 3 races. Each race was very different, had different tiers in which they were superior or inferior and the micro vs macro concept was there. Ashes has tiers and it has 2 races, but they are largely the same without anything to distinguish them from the other. In fact another core problem with Ashes is it is hard to while in battle distinguish without constantly moving to select to see who is who. The biggest innovation in RTS since 2005 was the advent of Strategic zoom which allows for very large maps as well as very large battles. SC doesn't come close to FAF when it comes to scope. Ashes only meets FAF at the strategic level by only showing you 1/5 of the battle at once, while also not having the right tools to properly organize or manage forces. Sins of a Solar Empire (Sins) has Strategic zoom and also a good Icon UI system for managing forces. While Sins plays slow like a space opera and FAF plays much faster, Ashes is also painfully slow so lack of tools can be forgiven. What can't be forgiven is how slow the units in Ashes move, and the fact there is no "transport" or teleport of units to the front line. One could point to air units but they are so pathetic as to be essentially meaningless for the cost.

    The other really big feature of FAF is unit wrecks. Everything vaporizes in Ashes. In FAF you can "reclaim" salvage mass on the battlefield. Which create dynamically important locations to hold both tactically and strategically as well as a potential bonus for the victor in battle. Completely missing in Ashes. All "strategic objectives" are pre-positioned and don't change with a changing condition of the battle. They only change when the front line changes. What changes the front line? Without variation it is always more units x>y type number game.

    The only problems of early rushing exists in Ashes but this isn't a main criticism of the game. The main criticism has to be the lack of polish at all levels.

    The sound effects which are annoying to the point you need to turn the sound down, to the "voice overs when you direct units which sound like every single one was recorded though a rusted 30 ft long lead pipe its just not good.

    On the plus side
    The landscapes are good.
    The soundtrack is well somewhat inspiring but not epic.
    Visuals are great if you like shimmering lasers and colorful explosions that dissipate quickly.

    As far as RTS, strategy, tactics, 2 race matchups in RTS where you have a limited view of the battle zone and slow units make for a regression in the genre not an advancement. While the engine may be impressive the game and thereby game play built around that engine is far from impressive.    … Expand
  14. rygar666
    Apr 6, 2016
    6
    I wanted to love this game, and perhaps in time it will deliver on the promise. It feels like it needs more time and perhaps the modding community will ultimately shape this game into something more. Right now, I don't think the gameplay fully justifies the high price. Using tech/middleware probably helped them with Microsoft and AMD but doesn't make it fun.
  15. PParker
    Apr 21, 2016
    9
    AI, strategy and battles are really cool. Love that the developer continues to develop the game. Already seeing developer adding scenario's and more to the game; ranked multiplayer, a lot of skirmish options. Really good.
  16. bwing
    Apr 21, 2016
    9
    Love the ranked multiplayer and it was easy to pick-up, unlike most RTS titles. Stardock always updates their titles after release, and I'm excited to see what's next.
  17. SYLOH
    Apr 4, 2016
    4
    This game is officially out, but it still feels unfinished. They spent all that time polishing the engine, but everything else was abandoned half-way. You can’t rebind the controls. There is absolutely no voice overs in game for the campaign, which by the way is only “Episode 1”. Mechanics are strewn about still needing work.
    For example, the Army system is a very good idea, but is    This game is officially out, but it still feels unfinished. They spent all that time polishing the engine, but everything else was abandoned half-way. You can’t rebind the controls. There is absolutely no voice overs in game for the campaign, which by the way is only “Episode 1”. Mechanics are strewn about still needing work.
    For example, the Army system is a very good idea, but is completely unwieldy. Try assigning multiple dreadnoughts to an army and the thing falls apart. Form an army out of a long stream of units and the ones that are about to take the objective will retreat to some centre of gravity. Still haven’t figure out a good way to detach just a few units.
    The mini-map shows an utter contempt for your desire to have situational awareness. Is that coloured blob territory held? A swarm of factory units? A colossal rush of dreadnought? No idea! Now in supreme commander you could just tactical zoom and look at the icons, but if that’s a feature it’s never been explained.
    The campaign is just "Episode 1". All the missions that aren’t tutorials are basically just a skirmish with some wonky starting conditions. The plot basically starts from nowhere and goes nowhere. None of the character have anything approaching personality, and even if they did, it’d be hampered by the fact they can only communicate by texting you in the midst of battle. The mission difficulty is either laughably easy or face smashingly hard. No, you can’t choose a game difficulty, that wasn’t in it.
    All of this was sacrificed for the graphics, which I admit are pretty, but utterly wasted. In Supreme Commander you got a good sense of scale. People know roughly how big a tank, a destroyer or a battleship are. So when you see that giant mechanical spider stomping a tank, you instantly think “Damn, that’s a big unit!”. Ashes’s units are all some weird sci-fi thingy that’s so disconnected from our experience that scale becomes meaningless. I’m sure that dreadnought is big, but I don’t feel it in any meaningful way. It might as well be dots and blobs.
    I don’t recommend this game. If you want an epic strategy fix just go replay Supreme Commander. The list of things Supreme Commander had that Ashes of the Singularity doesn’t would easily be as long as this review is.    … Expand
  18. tatsu
    Apr 3, 2016
    3
    I'm unhappy thus far. This game is more aiming to please microsoft and AMD than gamers. The prof of concept around directX12 that is this game is always encouraging news and especially when you consider there'll be linux with Vulkan API support.
    But this isn't what us gamers are after. there too many things missing for a 1.0 release even when you consider there's the bulk of the content    I'm unhappy thus far. This game is more aiming to please microsoft and AMD than gamers. The prof of concept around directX12 that is this game is always encouraging news and especially when you consider there'll be linux with Vulkan API support.
    But this isn't what us gamers are after. there too many things missing for a 1.0 release even when you consider there's the bulk of the content yet to be released via DLC. (and I don't even care that it's DLC because I already own them all no matter how many of them and extensions come out)
    When I say there are too many things missing. I refer to better interfacing with the game (things such as map pings; full zoom...); replays (+rewindability and pick up anywhere which are supposed to be norms by now); balance (really hurting the overall fun; broken promises with ascendancy wars and the campaign (this is now a recurrent thing with all new RTSes) the list goes on and on and I'm really tired of talking about this.
    Bottom line is I can exploit the **** out of the cruddy balance in this game I have a 4.3 ladder rating on this game and I never have any fun in it.    … Expand
  19. DFEGHALI
    Apr 5, 2016
    10
    Ok let me start saying, that the Dev's did start making this game on a complete new Tech, DX12, 64bit, Oxide's new Engine called Nitrous. All that is new to the Gaming world, the it does still need a lot of more work to get everything perfect.
    So if you guys ask me why i am giving this game a 10!, so here is my answer.
    PROS - Nitrous Engine Kick-ass, its really a great Engine and its    Ok let me start saying, that the Dev's did start making this game on a complete new Tech, DX12, 64bit, Oxide's new Engine called Nitrous. All that is new to the Gaming world, the it does still need a lot of more work to get everything perfect.
    So if you guys ask me why i am giving this game a 10!, so here is my answer.

    PROS
    - Nitrous Engine Kick-ass, its really a great Engine and its gonna get so much better with AOTS.
    - Full DX12, its the First RTS game that use DX12 100%.
    - The Ai in AOTS is really good, the best that I have seen so far.
    - The maps are really big.
    - The units in each faction are are very different and fun to play.
    - Its all about large scale war with Thousand of Units in each map.
    - You can create your own maps and scenarios.
    Cons
    - The games still have some bugs but they are working on fixing them.
    - The strategic map still need some work.
    - The meta units sometimes get stuck.
    - MP games need pings, and some other team game options like connecting and sharing regions.
    - No replays, no spectator mode.
    - Need more optimization.
    - Explosions need to get better on T1 & T2 Units, they just disappear when they die.
    - The still miss some good options.

    Stardock and Oxide will add and fix all those bug and options to the game in the coming weeks and month so i am not worried at all.

    Well i just want to tell everyone is that this game is Not SupCom, or TA, or COH, or Starcraft, or Sins of a Solar Empire, its its own game, its a mix of all of them, and I am loving it, I do have a lot of fun with it.

    And in a month or 2 I will give this game an 11 if I can. so so far for me this game is fun and i am happy with it and it will get better and better in every update.

    I do recommend everyone who read this review to get it, you will have fun playing AOTS.    … Expand
  20. Honeybadgers
    Apr 3, 2016
    4
    I was hoping this game would scratch the SupCom itch that was left so badly un-scratched by planetary annihilation. By the time I finished the tutorial I pretty much hated the game. Functionally, it's mostly there. Units are slow and dim witted, they do not move in sensible formations (my repair units keep charging to the front of formation) and there is no in-mission voice acting to lendI was hoping this game would scratch the SupCom itch that was left so badly un-scratched by planetary annihilation. By the time I finished the tutorial I pretty much hated the game. Functionally, it's mostly there. Units are slow and dim witted, they do not move in sensible formations (my repair units keep charging to the front of formation) and there is no in-mission voice acting to lend the game ANY degree of interest. But beyond "mechanically functional" my limited praise turns to severe criticism.

    The sound design is nothing short of appalling. Units make strange, irritating noises, with such little variety there's no audible way of distinguishing them. There are two types of noises, explosive or lasers, and they pew-pew-pew and explode with limp, uninteresting flatness. The "AI" narrator has this weird, pseudo-compressed audio feel that in no way matches the game we're playing. Explosions feel flat, guns feel weak, unit barks are nothing short of OBNOXIOUS to listen to. The music is bland at best, obnoxious and not matching the game at worst.

    The visual design seemed good in small video clips, but again, it's just bad. Textures and colors are very low quality and not well matched to create any sense of artistic cohesion. Everything is just a boring, stupid, simple hovercraft or a plane that flies like a ground unit in the sky. It may sound petty, but in this day, I expect guns to look like they're shooting the projectiles that are leaving their barrels. They do not. Projectiles just emerge from vehicles, sometimes not even from their guns. Maps are just flat out ugly, and wouldn't look out of place in 2002, only with worse actual level design. Overall, visually this game is a drab, clashing mess with no sense of personality or character.

    The UI is terrible. Everything has a delay that just doesn't feel right like it does in some games. the visual and interactive components to the UI are all over the screen and horribly, horribly communicated. You cannot tab switch between unit classes when more than one are selected.

    Strategically this game has absolutely nothing to offer. Visually, it's bland, unoriginal, and uncohesive. Audibly, it's downright obnoxious. Avoid this game, period.    … Expand
  21. MartialDoctor
    Apr 16, 2016
    9
    I bought this at the end of the beta and I have been very impressed with what this game turned out to be.

    This is a strategy gamer's RTS. It's designed for those who want to play a RTS that is more strategy focused rather than speed / micro focused. There is very little micro involved as you group most units into "meta-units", which allows them to function as one. The focus of this    I bought this at the end of the beta and I have been very impressed with what this game turned out to be.

    This is a strategy gamer's RTS. It's designed for those who want to play a RTS that is more strategy focused rather than speed / micro focused. There is very little micro involved as you group most units into "meta-units", which allows them to function as one.

    The focus of this game is on the overall strategy and map control. Different units fill different roles and you can group them in ways to create different types of meta-units. Scouting, building appropriate defenses, and holding choke points are all needed in this game. As some put it, the focus is on the macro aspects of the game rather than on micro.

    There are only two races (with one to be released in a later DLC) in the game and they don't differ dramatically. However, I find this works well for this game as it's focus is on balanced gameplay and strategy. That being said, the devs have said they will be adding more units very soon.

    The AI is, surprisingly, quite good and can be both fun, and challenging, to play against.

    I don't have much bad to say about this game. My only warning is that, if you are more into micro RTS games (like Starcraft), you may not like this game. The closest game I can compare it to is Sins of a Solar Empire, although with less complexity and quicker games.

    One final word is that, as with any Stardock game, the devs are very involved with listening to the community, following the game, and making beneficial improvements.

    If this sounds like your type of game, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it. I've been having a blast ever since I bought this one.    … Expand
  22. liakovich
    May 5, 2016
    2
    Guys why publish a new title with crap AI,instead of making an 64bit version of Sins of a Solar Empire (lag-free) more ships,more details,maybe some planetary indepth exploration or who knows.I would buy that, no matter what.I played ashes for 2 hours and i ve uninstalled it
  23. hpstr
    Apr 4, 2016
    2
    The basic concept is interesting but the low production values keep the game from reaching its potential The game is very, very unpolished: everything looks / sounds dull and missing gameplay features make getting into some kind of flow very hard, e.g.:
    - multiplayer coordination features like beacons
    - basic gameflow features like: select all idle workers / military - basic overview    The basic concept is interesting but the low production values keep the game from reaching its potential The game is very, very unpolished: everything looks / sounds dull and missing gameplay features make getting into some kind of flow very hard, e.g.:
    - multiplayer coordination features like beacons
    - basic gameflow features like: select all idle workers / military
    - basic overview features like: group icons on main map
    - the "army" feature is buggy and unnecessarily complicated
    - in some situations it is nearly impossible to distinguish between friend and foe
    - the game seems to be very unbalanced in favor of "the bigger the better" units.

    Not 1.0 worthy.
    Will re-review after the next patches.    … Expand
  24. Nurseryguy
    Apr 11, 2016
    10
    Great game-play. I have a beefy rig and it plays very smooth. I find the game slightly twitchy but very engrossing. This game will eventually beat all RTS into the dust. Great game, highly recommended!
  25. Sjalka
    May 4, 2016
    7
    Ashes of Singularity looks good - so let that stand as a very positive point to start with. The scaling and modelling is spot on - and you get a sense of size, gravity and mass.

    But then - what does it bring to the table that other - older games - have not brought up? I have to compare it to Supreme Commander (Forged Alliance for that matter, not the dreadful SC 2) - which is    Ashes of Singularity looks good - so let that stand as a very positive point to start with. The scaling and modelling is spot on - and you get a sense of size, gravity and mass.

    But then - what does it bring to the table that other - older games - have not brought up?

    I have to compare it to Supreme Commander (Forged Alliance for that matter, not the dreadful SC 2) - which is comparable in terms of scaling and size - but focuses more on mass battles and strategy than tactics.

    Ashes has a fairly limited/small selection of units - however the dreadnoughts can level up - and actually gain skills. Then there are global upgrades for armor, health etc. (options unavailable in SC) - SC however offers a LOT more unit variety ... and a MUCH greater scale in terms of weapon range.
    Ashes is squad based - sort of... it does allow and kind of encourages the classic mass rush tactic (against which the AI has nothing to offer...) - but especially the encounter scale is very close range and personal.
    Tactics-wise.... it is a barren wasteland in my opinion. Your units close into combat range and fight it out. In Supreme Commander - weapon range, speed and agility - as well as micromanagement on a large scale is much more important - and winning a battle "feels" much more like a personal achievement.

    The units themselves are rather uninspired when it comes to capabilities. You get your standard scout, your tank and your anti-air, your air superiority fighter and your bomber - and then you get the cruisers and dreadnoughts that are more unique - but mostly just stronger.

    The factions are asymetric but feel balanced - which is a big plus - but even that cannot compare to the likes of Supreme Commander or Star Craft. In a way - it does not even compare to the ancient C&C.

    All in all - it is a fun game ... but it cannot surpass its (much older) competitors. (and games like SC:FA aged very well in terms of graphics)

    In its current state - it is very similar to Homeworld: Desert of Kharak (or whatever its name was) - pretty, technically well done, not a huge leap in combat AI but passable - and waaay too generic when it comes to faction variety and units.

    final word: slightly above average due to very nice visuals - but mediocre core gameplay    … Expand
  26. ZRaiyne
    May 10, 2016
    10
    Let me open this review by stating that this game is NOT Supreme Commander (all iterations of it included). It might share some of it's looks and scale, but it is far from it. Before moving on with the review, it is good to keep an open mind that this game is different from any recent RTS'es that have come out. Different in a good way.

    At first i thought it needed a couple of months    Let me open this review by stating that this game is NOT Supreme Commander (all iterations of it included). It might share some of it's looks and scale, but it is far from it. Before moving on with the review, it is good to keep an open mind that this game is different from any recent RTS'es that have come out. Different in a good way.

    At first i thought it needed a couple of months more of development before an actual release. It felt a bit lacking in polish in some aspects that i would expect to see in a modern RTS title. Seeing however the speed and dedication the developers put into these constant updates post launch (upon this review we are at 1.1), i have to retract my initial thoughts and say that these guys know what they're doing.

    Support them for they are an awesome company.

    Diving into the game, i found that this is a great game. A great, well-balanced, solid RTS game that will NOT be for everyone. Especially those who are do not like learning curves.

    It may share similarities to many well known RTS's like Supreme Commander FA and Supreme Commander 2, but still manages to be its own game by introducing unique mechanics that feel fresh. Again, it may look like Supcom, but it plays very differently.

    It's quite difficult to go into detail, because this is the first MACRO focused real-time strategy game out there in the wild. It focuses on the larger aspect of battles - aka wars - rather than micro managing units to win short skirmishes. Supreme commander is a big game too, however this game features units that behave according to their squad type, size, and overall composition. In this game, masses of units will move and fight accordingly in proper formation. When i say that armies go easily into the hundreds.

    This is an important aspect of the game that can either be good or bad depending on your expectations. Not to mention that your mileage on these experiences will vary depending on your history of RTS's played. This game is no Supreme Commander FA, no Starcraft, no Company of Heroes. It is it's own - and by experience i can say that this game pulls it off well.

    One of the best things about this game that is worth admiration is the development team behind it.

    As I've mentioned above, they provide CONSTANT updates and TRANSPARENCY on thepath the game will be taking in the coming weeks and even as far as months. The developers show that they have the best intentions for the customers and as such they are active in the forums. That alone earns "Three thumbs Up" in my book. (I had to grow another thumb, lol)

    Why does this deserve such praise? Simple. Many RTS's and even the newer batches, (I'm talking about you, Deserts of Kharak!) seem to run away with your hard earned money and purposely ignore the requests on their forums.

    Another thing that makes this game awesome? The AI. That glorious AI.

    So, what about it? It's brilliant, in the literal and figurative sense. It works magnificently and will adapt well with whatever you throw at it. You will get pummeled at NORMAL difficulty at first... or forever depending on how good you are at adapting. That is a pleasure no other modern RTS's can even hope of coming close to.

    In summary, for anyone looking for a challenge, massive wars, and a fresh approach to the lacking RTS genre, this game is the perfect package for you.

    Again, a word of warning; you will lose against a NORMAL AI that doesn't cheat. It is by far the best AI i have ever seen in a strategy game (aside from the latest iterations of Sorian AI). So come - and be baptized! ;)    … Expand
  27. Elfman
    Apr 19, 2016
    9
    While not perfect, this game does a lot right and sets up a good foundation to build upon. You can control vast legions of units easily, the graphics are pretty good, and the units are differentiated in purpose (though they can be hard to tell apart). It is definitely NOT a TA/SC clone!
  28. Veermok
    Apr 21, 2016
    9
    I love playing this game. Reminds me a bit like the old starcraft but with hundreds/thousands of units. Multiplayer is a blast especially with friends
  29. pacman
    Jun 24, 2016
    9
    I've been playing this game for a couple of months now and I am very pleased by how it turned out. It started mediocore but with every update it got better and more polished. I am convinced that this game will remain a staple in the real time strategy genre for years to come. I must say, with RTS games, I usually only play multiplayer and this game I heartily recommend exactly for that. IfI've been playing this game for a couple of months now and I am very pleased by how it turned out. It started mediocore but with every update it got better and more polished. I am convinced that this game will remain a staple in the real time strategy genre for years to come. I must say, with RTS games, I usually only play multiplayer and this game I heartily recommend exactly for that. If you like large-scale battles that don't require much micro management, then get it!… Expand
  30. taneath
    Apr 19, 2016
    9
    If you want to lead armies then this is the game for you. It isn't about telling a specific tank when to fire or to to fire at, but commanding your thousands (literally) of units. Lots of destruction, lots of explosions, lots of fun.
  31. sniper1120
    Apr 21, 2016
    10
    I've been playing since the beta, and it's been a blast! I mainly focus on the skirmish battles, and I have to say, the combinations of the AI, graphics, and the sheer SCALE of the battles is insane!

    I've played lots of RTS'... StarCraft, Warcraft, Wargames, SupCom, etc.. and even compared to those, this game is phenomenal. The best part? The devs are actually active, and actually care.    I've been playing since the beta, and it's been a blast! I mainly focus on the skirmish battles, and I have to say, the combinations of the AI, graphics, and the sheer SCALE of the battles is insane!

    I've played lots of RTS'... StarCraft, Warcraft, Wargames, SupCom, etc.. and even compared to those, this game is phenomenal. The best part? The devs are actually active, and actually care. There aren't many games who do that any more.

    Beautiful graphics, multi gpu support, directx 12, supports TONS of resolutions - including 5k!!!, huge battles, smooth performance ... it's absolutely amazing. I can see myself playing this for years. Can't wait for the extra content.    … Expand
  32. toca83
    May 21, 2016
    10
    please excuse my bad english. It's not my native language:
    The game is completly playable in english and german. For my opinion, Ashes of the Singularity is one of the best RTS Games of the last years. It has no max. Unit Limit, you can fight with tens of thousands Units on Screen! I've seen a YouTube Video with more than 6000 Units on Screen. THATS MASSIVE AND IMPRESSIVE! It has a fully    please excuse my bad english. It's not my native language:
    The game is completly playable in english and german. For my opinion, Ashes of the Singularity is one of the best RTS Games of the last years. It has no max. Unit Limit, you can fight with tens of thousands Units on Screen! I've seen a YouTube Video with more than 6000 Units on Screen. THATS MASSIVE AND IMPRESSIVE! It has a fully DirectX12 support and it Looks very beautiful(!) with it's genius explosions and has awesome light effects. The Units are very detailed and you can extremely zoom in and zoom out too see all the animations and Details of your Units. Zoom far out to Control thousands of Units. The game might me ABSOLUTLY addicted!! It's in a Sci-Fi Setting like Starcraft and Supreme Commander.

    You have 4 ressources to build your Buildings and Units, Upgrade them and extend your current unit Limit so far you want (and dependend of your ressources). The Campaign is good, makes fun, has a lot of variety missions, the Story is okay but sure no Hollywood Epos. But thats okay. The game itself is extremely good and you will not to regret your buy! Until now the Campaign were release as Episode 1. But you have already a lot of hours with good gameplay. It helps you to prepare for multiplayer in introduce in the game mechanics. Currently the Story has a great into Video and some cool cutscenes, but the biggest part is currently driven by dialogue Windows. It's okay but could be better. The Developers has promised and said we will get next month the "Deluxe Campaign" for free, That means, the dialogue Windows will replaced by professional voice recordings :)

    Actually you can play 1vs1, 2vs2 and 3vs3 on multiplayer on free Play. The Game has also 1vs1 ranked multiplayer. You can Play every friday for two hours with the devs online. They are very Close to their community, they have a open ear for your wishes and critics on steam discussions and their own forum and they use the friday Events for improving the game. It's a very great Community between devs and Players. I recommend you to buy the game or you will miss something!

    There are so much more reasons to buy but i Need to Play Ashes now again.. i'm so addicted to the game :D BUY! BUY! BUY! If you like Real Time Strategy and Massive Action with thousands of units by best graphics, you will love the game!    … Expand
  33. Esch1lus
    Sep 22, 2016
    8
    The PROs:
    The first installment of next-gen RTS with a focus on game mechanics and diversity. Sold as a showcase for DX12 libraries, Ashes of the Singularity gives you much more than a generic supcom like RTS: exceptional performance even during hot moments, incredible potential in ranked games and very high replayability thanks to game balance.
    The CONs: This game is not macro    The PROs:
    The first installment of next-gen RTS with a focus on game mechanics and diversity. Sold as a showcase for DX12 libraries, Ashes of the Singularity gives you much more than a generic supcom like RTS: exceptional performance even during hot moments, incredible potential in ranked games and very high replayability thanks to game balance.

    The CONs:
    This game is not macro oriented as you may think. Since every node capture must be estabilished manually, you have to click-spam in order to be competitive. Unit roles are not well defined in large armies, because every unit is going to be pulverized in matter of seconds (or fraction of it). Armies will eventually become clumsy after you reach a critical mass and won't be able to position correctly in the map. This condition becomes even clearer in chockepoints. There are some design flaws here and there, with PHC units hard to differentiate at mid range of zoom (cruisers do look the same and you can only distinguish them by their projectiles for example); terrain seems lackluster in some maps. Some Orbital powers are just gamebreaking: for example you can literally spam a "detonate" power which destroys every single T1 unit in a large area even after 6 armor upgrades and there's no way to prevent it if you are too far from an orbital jammer (that's why developers are introducing a new mobile jammer unit in the forthcoming expansion). Anyway, chances of building a large army is very low both on normal and ranked games. That's a big issue for a game supposed to be titanic in scale. All these cons will be solved in the upcoming standalone expansion Escalation.

    Even though my CONs list is longer than PROs, I strongly suggest to buy it. It is still a good game after all.    … Expand
  34. AthanasiosT
    Mar 17, 2017
    2
    I want to apologize to the developers for the low specs monitor I currently have, which is the main cause of my inability to read the ultra small fonts they incorporated in this game. I promise that after I spent an enormous amount of money on three ultra HD screens and install them side to side, I'll raise my score.
  35. PowerGamer
    Oct 28, 2017
    6
    Luckily I didn't play much for it since it was a Humble Budnel sale.

    Sure it's got real pretty graphics. Maybe some of the best ever seen in an RTS. But the worst of it's problem is the forced narrative. You can't play it like you want to. Most if not all of the levels I played were a race against a very short clock. Where is the "strategy" in "real time strategy" (RTS)? And    Luckily I didn't play much for it since it was a Humble Budnel sale.

    Sure it's got real pretty graphics. Maybe some of the best ever seen in an RTS.

    But the worst of it's problem is the forced narrative. You can't play it like you want to.
    Most if not all of the levels I played were a race against a very short clock.
    Where is the "strategy" in "real time strategy" (RTS)?

    And other real stupid things that shows time and time again that if you put graphics over gameplay (or story) it's going to suck..    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

78
#78 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
17
#17 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. Riot Pixels
    Aug 12, 2016
    58
    Ashes of the Singularity, like a time machine, brings us back to the era when every RTS clone wanted to look unique and innovative.
    Read full review
  2. The Escapist
    Jul 11, 2016
    90
    Ashes of the Singularity has limited depth in some aspects, but as an RTS experience, and particularly as a first showing for its Oxide Engine foundation, it is absolutely stellar.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2016
    65
    It’s a competent game but it won’t show you any tricks you haven’t seen in the genre. [06/2016, p.46]
See all critic reviews »