Among Ashes
Among Ashes is a first-person horror game about a haunted videogame and the disturbing story behind its creation.
It’s a stormy night in the early 2000s and your friend has sent you a link to a horror game that he found online: Night Call.
But as you play, strange things start happening in your apartment.
Something is terribly wrong with this game.
A GAME WITHIN A GAME
Immerse yourself in the unique experience of playing a first-person horror game inside another first-person horror game.
In the retro-styled Night Call, you will explore an old manor, solve puzzles and fight off the terrifying monsters that have infested its labyrinthian halls.
In the real world, however, you’ll be haunted by the dark entities that have latched on to this strange game, as you try to unravel the mystery behind Night Call and its enigmatic creator.
Among ashes the truth remains.
Uncover it, or you may not survive the night.
Game Discussion
Steam User 12
(Not finished the game yet)
I cannot say enough good things about Among Ashes. It is one of the scariest games I have ever played, and does so in an atmospheric way that doesn't rely on cheap tricks to horrify you. The "game within a game" or "gameception" element adds a unique layer of horror that seasons the base experience. If it was "just a game" for your playable character, until it wasn't... then what does that mean for you?
Among Ashes captures the old-school survival horror genre in many ways - the low poly graphics, the difficult resource and enemy encounter design, and limited saves. It even captures the jank of melee combat, and has the classic "what was the developer thinking?!" segment that each of these games must have (in this case, it's a part where you can't use weapons and have to run past enemies towards a boss, but that means you can't save before the boss because the enemies are aggroed on you). The consistency in which all of these elements are represented make what could be perceived as aggravating into part of the old-school charm.
As a fan of modern survival horror, very few games have given me the full body cortisol flush that Among Ashes has. The PS2 faces' capacity for displaying blank stares and ambiguous emotions fit perfectly into the feelings the game wants to evoke. Additionally, the audio design fits perfectly into the puzzle - there is spatial audio, but you're playing a game of a player playing a game, so there are moments where you have to determine if that sound you heard was in the character's game or the character's room... and sometimes, you may not want to know.
Finally, the dialogue between your playable character and his friend Mark is one of the most believable text conversations I've seen represented in games. It doesn't strive too hard to push the plot forward, it's not overtly formal or awkward... it honestly looked exactly like the conversations my brother and I have about games. I found this part to really help sell the authenticity of what was occurring in-game; the player's world felt a bit more like my own because the conversations weren't normal NPC mindless blabbing.
I highly recommend Among Ashes for fans of survival horror who are comfortable with an intensely packed, story focused experience that doesn't lean too hard on action/modern progression loops.
Steam User 5
Clever, refreshing, Christmas-horror game that is as much a masterpiece as it is mid. The nostalgia worked for me, the hook worked for me, the narrative worked for me. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and dammit this game’s ambition is inspiring. Worth your time. 8/10
Steam User 6
De los mejores juegos indies de terror que he jugado recientemente, absolutisimamente recomendado, excelente producto.
Steam User 4
A chilling psychological horror game, with clear inspiration from classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
Steam User 6
A game that serves as an homage to the survival horror genre, but at the same time brings gameplay originality and an incredibly twisted, dark story. Simply amazing.
Steam User 7
if i can only recommend one horror game to someone, it would be this one so far
among ashes has a good mix of nostalgia and modern horror game mechanics - think resident evil and silent hill combined with a twist
i started in hard mode but i ran out of bullets and painkillers so had to switch back to easy just to progress lol but i'd say the difficulty is balanced
the puzzles were really fun and made sense, though there was a weird bug with one of them but, that got fixed when i just restarted the game
the story had great depth and it was extremely well thought out when tied together the different themes of the areas/levels
what i really appreciated about the game the most are the jumpscares; more often than not, it's just loud and shakey screen = scary however, i could say that all the jumpscares throughout made sense and was timed perfectly
overall, this game was worth the hours spent; got this on sale but would definitely say it's worth every single penny it's priced at
thank you dev, looking forward to your next game!
Steam User 4
Cool game, really original ideas. There could be lots more jumpscares (for my own taste :D) but still, loved it. Playing a videogame inside a videogame feels so paranoic since you can get scared twice in a row. Do more games now cya!