Ashen Reviews
Infinitely accessible, but challenging enough for any seasoned player, Ashen exudes an air of peace and hope in an unforgiving landscape. It's not perfect, but it resonates with the soul and gravitas befitting a Shakespearean classic.
From many perspectives, Ashen reminds me of Dark Souls series, such as the combat systems, game settings and the story design. It does have some unique thoughts, like the AI teammate, but overall it doesn't make its own characteristics.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Ashen is a good Dark Souls like but it's open world feature is it's weakness.
Review in French | Read full review
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ashen is a game created in the same vein as some of the predecessors of its genre, like Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It imitates a great deal of the mechanics from those games but also brings a unique and beautiful art style as well a sense of organic progression that enhances the feel of the game. For those lovers of games like Dark Souls, it's hard to guarantee that you'll find the same experience, but there's still a heck of a lot to like about what sets Ashen apart.
The game's AI companions are actually very good, but because of the above it's definitely more highly recommended you try and coax a friend in to return to the light with you.
Ashen copies some of the best aspects of Dark Souls' gameplay, and takes an interesting—if imperfect—approach to cooperative multiplayer. If you're up for a challenge, this game is a treat.
Overall, 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.
One of the best Dark Souls clones so far and while some things are near identical the co-op features help distinguish it as something more than just a straight copy.
From superb shots of the sea to underground caves illuminated by the crackling fire of your torch, uncovering a new area is an utter pleasure. It might be a year late, but Ashen still manages to carve out its own space for greatness.
Ashen is not awful, and I think that any hardcore Souls fans who just can't get enough of this style of combat will enjoy it. The open world adds a new layer to the Soulsborne format that succeeds more than it fails, but it comes at the cost of weakening a core pillar of the genre. The result is a passable experience, and in a genre that's quickly becoming as crowded as this one, passable just won't cut it for anyone but the most hardcore of fans.
Ashen doesn't try to hide the fact that it's a Souls clone through and through. However, where many before it unwisely try to out-do FromSoftware in terms of difficulty or obtuse systems and lore, A44 has taken its game in a more refreshing, community-focused direction.
Ashen is one of the best souls-likes around and its quality matches that of the games that gave birth to the genre. The mystery and lore help to build a fascinating world that excellently complements the open and varied environments and strange, contorted creatures you will fight in them. A44 have provided a big breath of fresh air in a genre desperately in need of reinvigoration.
As a higher-budget indie release, is Ashen massive enough to be considered a worthy expedition? Rich takes on this quiet Soulslike to find out.