Ash of Gods: The Way Reviews
Ash of Gods: The Way is a solid strategic deckbuilder; its strength very much lies in its ability to generate a puzzle-solving feel through a straightforward base ruleset and a wide variety of combat scenarios and conditions.
Ash of Gods: The Way is a compelling card battler RPG with a visual style and story that carries the game through its later lulls.
There’s little to complain about in Ash of Gods: The Way. While the difficulty can, at times, be frustrating, it increases at a reasonable rate and sometimes the problem is more trying to get through a match too quickly rather than thinking strategically. Really, my biggest complaint with the game is that the enemy all too frequently has an unfair advantage, which, while it typically skews things in their favor, it also seems at odds with the narrative, that these games are used to determine who’s who. Shouldn’t they be even matches? But I digress. Overall, Ash of Gods: The Way is an extremely enjoyable entry into an extremely crowded field, and that holds true whether you view it more as a deckbuilder or as a tactical/strategy game. Gameplay, on the whole, is engaging, challenging, and addicting, the story is fairly deep and does a good job of driving gameplay forward, and the promise of multiple endings is a strong draw for repeated playthroughs.
Ash of Gods: The Way doesn't shy away from the realities of war, whether it's the unpredictability on the battlefield or the impacts it has on those involved. The story sucks you in as you try to end the war, but your decisions result in non-linear gameplay that makes you wonder if you made the right choice. Combat is strategic and forces you to plan ahead, using all resources available to you to overcome your enemies. The difficult Challenger battles sometimes feel blatantly unfair and having only a single save file does create issues you can't easily resolve. But if you persevere and come up with new tactics, you are rewarded with a great story and gameplay that makes you feel like a real tactician.
It seems that the producers decided to take a different path instead of making a sequel to Ash of Gods: Redemption. As a result, a nice hybrid of card game and turn-based strategy emerged.
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Ash of Gods: The Way is a unique take on the deck building genre that fans of said genre should check out. It follows the usual "collect cards and build a better deck" that most deckbuilders follow but with the fun twist of leaning more into tactical strategy battles. Add in the potential to have different characters in a battle, which may change the rules of said battle, and you've got yourself a game that never has two of the same battles. Ash of Gods: The Way does make you feel like you're always at the disadvantage going into literally every battle, regardless of the deck you've built. Regardless, Ash of Gods: The Way is a fun enough take on the deckbuilding genre that you should definitely give it a look.
If you’re up to the strategic challenge, Ash of Gods tells a compelling story and will push you to improve your tactical skills
Ash of Gods: The Way is an inspired turn-based strategy and deck-builder game that deserves all the praise it can get. From the story to the gameplay, there are almost no flaws to be found, and the gameplay just keeps you coming back for more. Each match is a new challenge with different rules to play by, and this keeps things fresh and interesting. For a small indie studio, the team did a spectacular job with Ash of Gods: The Way, anybody else looking to make a game in this genre should take a few tips from them.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Ash of Gods: The Way anywhere near as much as I did. What could have been a big step backward from the bold and ambitious effort of the original Ash of Gods has instead become one of the most genuine efforts to push the burgeoning “deckbuilding card game” genre forward.
Ash of Gods: The Way from developer AurumDust sets a new standard with how deck-building games should be made. It has the core structure that makes the deck-building fun and familiar, while also adding a thoughtful narrative and a variety of gameplay structures to keep the game engaging and entertaining.