Initially, Ashen comes off as another take on the Soulslike formula. You have weighty combat that emphasises timing facing you off against intricately designed enemies in a decaying world. Yet Ashen elegantly carves a space out for itself within the genre, offering you tightly packed adventure in a beautiful world dripping with atmosphere.
Ashen’s pride lies in its world and encounter design. From snowy-white landscapes draped in fog to ruined villages dotted with towering castles, it offers you a wide variety of areas to explore. As the game unveiled its scenic vistas, I often felt compelled to stare in awe. Looking at a faraway tower or a cave, slowly making my way there — and then taking a look back to see where I started from — filled me with an unparalleled feeling of adventure. The game consistently makes you go “Ooh! What’s over there?”, often rewarding you with new weapons or other items. Yet even then, I found myself wanting to explore just to experience the entire breadth of what the game has to offer.
The story follows a fairly straightforward theme: the battle between light and darkness. It’s a delight to experience this theme reflected throughout the game in its world design whenever you find yourself entering a dark cavern, far far away from Vagrant’s Rest (your village), accompanied by the dim glow of your lantern. These caverns or dungeons culminate in difficult boss fights where every slip-up could mean your death. You are encouraged to look for weaknesses in these bosses and capitalise on them, instead of just looking for a window of opportunity to attack. This philosophy trickles down to the game’s normal enemies as well, making the game quite unforgiving but satisfying, especially with the weighty combat.
Ashen’s stark departure from the Souls formula lies in how it has you building up your village, Vagrant’s Rest. Throughout the game, you complete questlines to add people to the village, which unlocks more items and bonuses while levelling up your companions. Yes, there are companions that aid you throughout your journey! The most interesting fact about these companions is that they could be controlled by another player at any point of time, without you ever knowing. While some behaviour does help in differentiating between AI and actual players, this uncertainty (quite counterintuitively) makes you feel less alone in your quest. You stop trying to differentiate between the two. You’re just glad there is someone with you. Despite the unforgiving nature of the game, you feel hopeful because you always look forward to your return to Vagrant’s Rest.
VERDICT: Ashen takes the Soullike formula fans know and love, while adding its own flair to it. If you’re looking to explore a beautiful yet dying world, take in some breathtaking vistas while also engaging in satisfying combat, give this a try. I give it a seven out of 10.
