Of Ash and Steel

Of Ash and Steel is one of those RPGs that are the clear definition of the “eurojank” genre. It has a lot of ambition, both when it comes to the world’s size and scope, but also in regard to the story. It does lots of things right, like creating a very compelling and long experience which you will enjoy for dozens of hours. However, the game is also marred by technical issues, at least at launch. I didn’t have major stability issues, aside from a few hiccups as the game loads different areas. However, the game is filled with bugs, and some things like the battle or facial animations lower the overall appeal of the experience. It’s certainly a love letter to the old-school RPGs with a modern coat, but it’s definitely one that needs a bit more time in the oven. I hope they will solve these technical problems, because Of Ash and Steel is a promising RPG. It’s just not in the best state at launch.

Rigorous gameplay and freedom make Of Ash and Steel a challenging but captivating RPG. Every exploration, encounter, and achievement must be earned, offering a unique and immersive experience.

Of Ash and Steel is a classic tale of a zero-to-hero journey that's willing to show off its flaws, intentionally and unintentionally. It's the type of game that's built for a particular audience, one that revels in relishing the masochistic nature of old-school RPGs.

An atmospheric tribute to old-school RPGs, but currently overambitious and unfinished.

Of Ash and Steel is a conflicted RPG that stands out thanks to its grounded exploration of a distinctly European-flavored fantasy world and a functional character progression system. At its best, it feels like a return to older-school RPG design, though this impression is repeatedly undermined by frequent technical issues, broken quests, and illogical quality-of-life decisions. The game’s ambitions clearly exceed its execution.

A charming jankiness welcomes those who enjoyed cult classics like Gothic, but this open-world fantasy action RPG offers little else.

If you can temper your expectations and have an impressive tolerance for jank and lack of polish, Of Ash and Steel might have something to offer. The world is sort of interesting, even if the stuff you need to do in it is rarely as fun as it should be. The main character goes through the game sort of annoyed and bewildered. So did I.

A studio like Piranha Bytes lasted decades despite churning out awful games, simply because there was something endearing about a bad game making an effort to be good. Anyone who misses that studio can take solace in the fact that Of Ash and Steel is continuing its legacy. But if you do, just be mindful that it is, at heart, a bad game.

Of Ash and Steel aspires to be a juicy gothiclike product, but numerous bugs and flaws test the player's patience. A lot of work still needs to be done here to make it enjoyable to play.

Of Ash And Steel has promising notes in its tangle of systems, and there were sparks of enjoyment here. But its so broken and frustrating at the moment, and frankly terrible at letting the player know where to go.

While the game captures a certain sense of wonder, Of Ash and Steel is unreasonably unpolished and miserable to play. If the game were still in testing, I would call it ambitious, but changes still need to be made to the core experience and a lot of QA still needs to be done on what is being called a finished game.

Hugely ambitious and rife with ideas, Of Ash and Steel is an unpolished and deeply broken throwback to an era most have left behind.