Ashen

Hey there!
This game is pretty alright.
Wait for a sale, this game is worth $25, not the full price of $50(dlc included).
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Pros:
++(-*)Dynamic Exploration: If you see it, and it looks reasonable, you can probably get to it.
Jumping around and climbing the terrain to try and see if we could get to a place that looked out of reach was one of my buddy and I's favorite parts of the game. Very often we climb to places we think werent intended to get to, and find an item waiting for us to grab. Although, the items will come up later*.
++Fluid Combat: Games combat is very fast paced and skill based. With proper skill, you can control most combats, with difficult boss fights challenging your memory, and reactions. You are constantly being given new enemy types to play around.
+Atmosphere: Every new area you go through is a varied landscape posing new challenges and visual aspects with an accompanying soundtrack that work very well to set the tone the designers were going for. Dungeons at first feel stifling, confined, and horrifyingly dark while you are still weak. However, they feel oppressive, magnificent, and corrupted while you are strong.
+Graphics: The way this game was graphically designed is breathtaking, The lighting is great in this game, from when you're in small confined spaces, your light properly shines, reflecting off of walls and other surfaces really well, while massive caverns almost (and sometimes literally!) seem to supress the light your tiny lantern makes. The Artstyle is very simplistic, but the things that need to be detailed are. You're faceless, because you were a blank slate. Gefn, however, is highly detailed, being a goddess of sorts.
+Staying Together: While out adventuring, you will stay with your friend as long as both of you remain alive, and do not return to Vagrants rest. Vagrants rest, the hub town, is the only place where you can not be with another player, otherwise the entire world is travelable together. You will even stay together after defeating bosses, if you so wish.
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Neutrals:
=Story: The story, while having some interesting moments like meeting Gefn for the first time, or certain other suprising moments, was ultimately very bland, and not surprising. A Heroes Journey is what this story is, and it doesn't stray from that path.
=Animations: They're okay, not the worst I've seen. Definetly not the best.
+=Controls: While the controls reward you if you use precise movements and attacks, it is easy to overexert yourself by Action Queueing by inaccurate, or overusage of the various controls.
=Challenge: The Game is difficult, but fair. Satisfying in difficulty, but not brutal. Died more times to gravity and drowning than enemies thrown at us. Only died about 30 times split between us, with more than half of those being accidental deaths due to falling. Some bosses were challenging, but only two required more than 2 tries to finish off.
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-=Customization: (Full section of each aspect of customization here)
-Armor&Shields: This is a Negative because there are only a small amount of armor and shields in the game, (12 Armors/Shields in the base game with the DLC bringing 5 gimmick armors, and 2 shields.) This is only made worse by the fact that Armors and Shields have direct upgrades. There are no reasons to use some armor/shields over other ones, at all. Light Armors are all outshined by a certain set, and same said about heavy armors. However, if you just ignore the bonuses from the armors, and focus on fashion the stuff is pretty varied. My favorite was the heavy armor set Tyrant's Plating which is straight up worse than Celestial Aegis. Matched well with Gefn's Blessing, and it allowed me my facial hair. The Defiler's Veil, the Light Armor, is straight up better than every other light armor in the game. It also matches well with the Guardians Pact.
=Weapons: Weapons have 2 different styles, 1handed or 2handed, and 2 different types, blunt or sharp. Blunt weapons focus on stuns and higher base damage, while sharp weapons have critical hit% and base damage that lowers the higher the crit% is. Each weapon type (blunt/sharp(1hand/2hand)) only has 4 different movesets to choose from. If you find a moveset you like, you're likely to find a weapon with some variation of weapon types listed above at some point. There are enough weapon variations to make a varied build.
+=Relics&Talismans: Objects you find progressing through the story or defeating bosses that give you various buffs, like the ability of everytime you make a charge attack, a successful hit resaults in an AoE burst that does 10% more damage, and stuns 200% harder. Talismans are runes you can inscribe onto the relics that give you various buffs. Anywhere from Increasing in damage as you get lesser health, to subtracting 25% from armor stamina penalties. You can make some varied builds using these, but there are some talismans that are obviously better than others.
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Cons:
----Limited Storage: There is a storage chest in the hub town. It is limited in storage space. You can not collect every item in the game, and keep them at town, even having to forgoe older equipment (even if its obsolete) to make room for new items and equipment. There isn't even a way to sell items to vendors so at the very least you're making money back, rather than just discarding them forever. If you're a hoarder, or a Collector, this will piss you off. (-*)The wonderful exploration and item finding earlier becomes a negative as SOON as you have to decide if you want to pick up an item, or keep something else in your inventory, especially because most consumables only stack to 9, and thankfully the plentiful upgrade materials dont. This is my number 1 most hated thing about this game.
-Multiplayer: While the dropin/dropout online feature works properly, the game is pretty dead. I recommend playing this together with a friend as I did (hopefully you get it on sale!), as the developers intended you to find random people to adventure with, while that just does not happen.
-Connectivity: Co-op is peer2peer. It can be good or bad, but lag can create moments where you're seeing enemies phase into and out of existance as the game tries to read where they are. Also, connecting to another person is instanced, while there's no loading screens, one or the other will be brought into the others world, which may resault in enemies respawning regularly if you have a bad connection.
-Length: As you may notice I have 21 hours of gameplay. This was an hour of premptively playing the game before getting my buddy to buy it, and 20 hours of co-op playthrough where we finished everything, and collected everything. We saw everything this game has to offer in 20 hours, and that included the DLC which was roughly only 2 hours long. My friend and I are Vets of similar games, so we may have finished it quicker than others, but if you're used to how these games play, you'll fly through it.
-Town Upgrades: Scoria, the ingame money, will at a certain point, lose its value, as it is possible to buy everything in the village, which there is no reason not to buy everything, as Scoria is plentiful especially later on, and not have anything more to spend it on aside from cheap consumables which you may not even want to get due to the limited storage mentioned earlier.
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If you got this far, thanks for reading. Game is a good game, with severe flaws that hold it back from being a great game.

Overall this game has been a pleasure to play and I am only stopping to post this review because I think it has been judged unfairly so far.
Ashen scratches all the right itches of a Souls game while innovating in a few key areas. The movement is a bit more free-form and fluid than Souls games. You have a dedicated jump button and there are ledge grabs that make jumps easier. At first it was a bit difficult to tell which ledges you could grab onto and which ones would lead you sliding, but after about an hour or so you get the idea.
Quest-wise, I much prefer Ashen's straightforward approach. Where the Souls games would involve you in side-quests that, in some cases, left you even wondering what the hell you were supposed to do, Ashen implements a more typical RPG-style approach with quest markers. Many of them only lead you into the general area, however, so exploration is somewhat preserved. Still, I recognize that many people will see this as a negative; I didn't.
My favorite innovation that Ashen focuses on is its exploration. Along with the typical open-world style of game where you are running between bonfires (shrines in Ashen) there are periods where you find yourself crawling through pitch-black dungeons with only a lantern and your one-handed weapon. These moments are tense the first time you go through them as enemies can pop out from around corners or a skeleton might animate. However, just like the Souls games, once you know what to expect (after dying, in most cases) you can move through these dungeons much more quickly. It's an extremely satisfying gameplay loop.
In terms of character progression, Ashen does away with stat-based progression. Simply put, the more side-quests you do, the more health and stamina you will have. As you progress through individual companion's storylines, you will be rewarded with HP and Stamina increases. There are gear pick-ups and you can change weapons and armor, but for the most part, so far, it has simply been a system of incremental upgrades. On top of this, there's a fun rune-type system where you can specialize your character; for instance one rune might increase the damage you deal to enemies until you get hit, while another causes you to slowly sprout wings which will eventually reflect damage back to your attackers.
Weapon types are far less varied than the Souls games. You have One-handers, Two-handers, and Spears as a projectile weapon. The melee weapons come in two basic flavors: blunt weapons (typically maces) have a higher chance to stun enemies, while edged weapons (typically axes) have a chance to crit and deal extra damage. I haven't noticed a huge variety in movesets, but there is definitely some. Many people enjoy the Souls games because of the deep character customization with dozens of different weapons that rely on different stats and movesets: there is much less of that in Ashen.
In terms of story, characters, and world-building, I actually prefer Ashen's style to the Souls games. My biggest gripe with the Souls series was that the story and the world is not something the typical player can uncover for themselves: everyone I know that has wanted to delve into the Souls world has had to rely on wikis, youtubers and other external resources. I hate that. In Ashen, I have never once needed to alt-tab to get more info on a character or felt that I would be missing some secret dialogue or even a quest. Things aren't exactly straightforward; there is still a lot of room for interpretation in the overall mythos of the world, but it's not so esoteric as to make me roll my eyes and alt-tab.
To conclude this long-winded review I think that I would say Ashen is one of the most approachable games I have played in the Souls-like genre, though it doesn't compromise on difficulty. I think the pricepoint is perfect : you get most of the meat of the Souls-like gameplay, but without all of the complicated systems that require external resources to unpack and understand.

Score: 7/10
An interesting adaption of the Souls-like genre, whose affordances in the realm of accessibility are its greatest weakness. The AI partner is simply awful, and if you do end up with an actual player as a partner through the game's largely vacant passive multiplayer system, the quality of your experience will vary. This is a highly difficult game, but if you are patient and can look past its shortcomings, you will be rewarded with some stunning imagery and gameplay experiences.
Pros
Tasteful art style that lends itself to minimalism, but is not lacking in thoughtfulness or subtle details.
Beautiful use of lighting to create unique gameplay mechanics and awesome ambience.
The unfolding of events and new skills creates a real sense of discovery and accomplishment that changes the way you see the game and encourages experimentation, if not additional playthroughs.
Combat is intense and immensely rewarding, despite lacking variety.
Interesting and well adapted tribal themes and paleolithic atmosphere.
Cons
The AI partner, and the commands to control this partner, are not even close to an adequate substitute for a real player. They'll frequently fall off a cliff, drown themselves, engage with enemies you don't want them to, etc. Prepare for some frustrating moments playing alone.
On the other hand, the passive multiplayer system feels inadequate. There's no meaningful way to engage or collaborate with your co-op partner. And connecting with a specific player requires jumping through some hoops.
Exploration is encouraged through some fantastic level design and intelligently hidden items, but the loot just never seemed that interesting to me, especially when compared to other games of this genre.
Unless you have God-given talent with action RPG games, prepare for a grindfest in the latter stages. If you are comfortable with the Souls-like mechanics of farming currency and crafting materials to improve your character and give yourself a fighting chance, then you won't be bothered by the core gameplay loops of Ashen. Also prepare to try and try and try again in the game's dungeons, which are incredibly difficult.
The gameplay and story lacks the certain substance that gives a sense of weight and meaning to the superior Dark Souls source material (mechanics-wise). It can feel somewhat dry at times.
Minimalistic art style makes environments feel sparse and uncompelling in certain areas.
I would prefer a more robust interface for inspecting and comparing items.
Overwrought, kind of bad voice acting and writing.
Summary
If you've played the PlayStation exclusive Journey, the legacy of that game really shows its roots in Ashen. In many ways, Ashen feels like a thematic successor to Journey while also being an homage to the Souls-like genre. Overall Ashen has a unique atmosphere and positive message rooted in some impactful moments, but is brought down by too many negative factors to make it stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the flagship games in this genre.

Story
7/10
Somewhat oblique and hard to follow but overall intriguing atmosphere and environmental storytelling.
Gameplay
7/10
I loved the unique use of the lantern as a gameplay mechanic, but the combat and platforming were fairly mediocre overall.
Graphics
9/10
You'll find some amazing, other-wordly vistas and landscapes, but other areas that are not so pleasant to explore. The game stands apart in its dungeons, where the use of lighting creates great moments of suspense.
Sound production
7/10
A little dry. I found the sound effects to be too sharp and had to remix my audio using the in-game sliders to get it right in my headphones.
Difficulty
8/10
Don't give up!
Multiplayer
5/10
The game features a "passive multiplayer" system that will substitute random players for your AI partner. There is no telling what kind of experience you'll have in these scenarios. There's no chat system or other significant means of communication, making cooperation difficult. I only had players join my game a handful of times during my playthrough.
Replay value
7/10
There is a hardcore mode called "Children of Sissna" for the brave and willing.
Overall value for asking price ($40)
5/10
Wait for a sale ideally.

I felt like I needed to wait to write this review because of the fact that so many reviews were just incorrect in their idea of what this game really is. Fair warning, I'm not going to do a TL;DR because if you really want a clear understanding of what this game is you can't get it from like 6 words, but I will split this into 3 parts, and I will also preface this by saying I've been following Ashen since it's announcement and even waited for the year-release on steam, oh, and I'm not disappointed :) .
Part 1 - Misconceptions
I need to get this part out of the way first. *This game is not Dark Souls, it barely has any similarities other than you die*. If you've ever played Absolver, then this game instantly looks familiar to you. If not, go check it out, it's a really fascinating experience. I played Absolver and after almost completing the story of this game I have to say that these two games are like brothers from a different mother. They have the exact same feel with the same art style, and so if you don't like Absolver or didn't like it then don't play this game. The combat isn't similar either, and if we want to compare this game to any it's more like Skyrim than it is Dark Souls, so don't cry about it lacking certain things when that isn't the artistic intent.
Part 2 - Story/World-Building
In my opinion this game's story is very interesting. By the end I felt very invested in the characters and even sad that some of the side-stories ended. The ambient sound in this game is incredible and really adds to the feel. I even found myself prioritizing other NPCs over others from their personalities and combat style. The voice acting is a little strange at first, but I think it's the accents, once you get used to it everything settles into place. *One of my favorite things in this game is the world-building*, specifically at Vagrant's Rest (The Home Base). Your little place starts out as nothing but some rocks, but over the course of the game you go back and there's development. The characters you know and love have built more things and even landscaped a bit, I felt extremely satisfied coming back after a long trek to a completely new home base. All of the areas of the game feel different and interesting, the enemies and challenging, but have their weaknesses. Another extremely cool thing I found in this game is the fact that bosses are nothing like Dark Souls other than the fact that they have health bars. All major bosses are actually started with a dungeon, and once you beat the dungeon you fight the boss. At first I thought this was frustrating, but after dying a bunch cause I'm an idiot and also cause Jokell is a bitch- I mean very nice guy- I would beat the dungeon and feel even more dopamine than in Dark Souls, the battles felt more meaningful and weren't just throwaway fights like some in the Dark Souls franchise *cough cough Crystal Sage*. The exploration was very rewarding, with every twist and turn leading to new rewards, all-be-it some worse than others, but overall very satisfying.
Part 3 - Gear/Character Customization
Now this part got me a bit annoyed when reading other reviews, comparing this game to Dark Souls or Skyrim, yes, it is "lacking" in armor or weapons, BUT if you compare it to Absolver, then you'll feel very satisfied with the gear. All throughout the game you get new weapons, all of which are actually viable in the long term and I even use one of the first one-handed axes even in the late game. Even if there are 2 similar weapons, they most likely have different move sets. The armor looks pretty cool and like the weapons all the armor can be used late game. There are some armors that aren't as good at what they do, but they all have their bonuses. One thing I think a lot of people don't put much attention on is the Runes. The Runes really let you hone your play-style and put your fighting into a different category. All of the Runes have their own benefits and this really leads to different combination. So much so that IMO it makes up for not leveling up your character. The game was extremely fun combat wise and I always felt that when I died it was because of 2 things: 1. I got too reckless, and 2. Jokell is a fucking bitch. Overall the combat is very satisfying and feels great when executed nicely. Another thing that ties into this is that the bosses aren't supposed to be these impossible fortresses, they're at the end of their respective dungeons and are are still pretty difficult, but most of the reason you'll be depressed over your loss of in-game currency is from the fact that you made a mistake and you probably shouldn't have let Jokell come with you.
-Conclusion-
Overall the game is a 9.7/10. I really enjoyed this game, It's overall feel and world-building were impressive and the enemies were very interesting and cool, except for the Rhino things, don't feel bad for them, they may be the slowest thing in the entire game, but they pretty much one-shot, so don't get cocky. I bought this game with the DLC and have been waiting to finish the game to play it, so I'll comment on this review when I finish it. The game is nicely challenging without making you rage, the stories are satisfying, and the world exploration is fun. I also have a speck of a theory that this world is actually linked to Absolver. A44 has made another brilliant experience, and I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone that likes world exploration and thinks the art-style looks slick.
BONUS!!!!! : Hopper's Tips and Tricks -
- If you hear a dripping noise, it's a spider, I almost died from a heart attack multiple times.
- To switch who your partner is, change your selected quest, and whoever the person the story is for you'll get them.
- DO NOT LOOK UP ANYTHING ON THIS GAME'S PROGRESSION! If you feel lost, just continue with the story and It'll make sense, this includes exploration and other things related to that.
- There is Fast-Travel, it's a little later on, so before you get it, stock up on those bone-piles that teleport you back to Vagrant's Rest.
- In Multiplayer, your NPC will become possessed by the other player, this doesn't really matter seeing as the game is a story-driven game and it might ruin your immersion if some weirdo shows up dressed like it's Halloween, If you don't want players joining your game and spam-pinging you to walk the opposite of where you're going, turn off Multiplayer in the settings (That's what I did, screw you random guy trying to waste my time).
- Be patient, don't throw a fit if you die, it happens. If you feel under-powered, go finish some side-stories and come back.
Thank you for reading this far into my review! I never really write reviews, but the ones already put on this game feel lacking. I'll have comments enabled and try to be as active as a can, if you have any questions feel free to ask. And if you enjoyed this game, I highly recommend Absolver, it's another beautiful title by A44. And with this I bid adieu, have a great experience out there!

Genre - Dark Fantasy Soulslike with quirky graphic style
Another game that was an Epic exclusive, but it was worth the wait and there is now an added DLC that was worth a purchase too.
The graphical style might seem lazy to some, but I found it endearing and quirky. The models and terrains still look good to me.
There are only single or double handed clubs or axes to use as your main weapon, but you do get shields, spears and shields as utility items too. The AI is actually quite useful and you will rely on them in a few fights. I had a few real people jump in for co-op, but this wasn't very common.
The enemies are actually varied enough throughout the course of the game and the setting changes enough to keep your interest. The story is pretty forgettable, but the rebuilding of your main village is an attractive reason to keep plodding along.
It isn't the hardest Soulslike I've played, but is still a challenge. I do think they got carried away with the last boss though, as I nearly rage quit the game before looking up a few hints.

I've waited an entire year for this to be on steam, thanks to Epic exclusivity. And I'm not disappointed in the slightest. The wait was worth it.
It's rare I get into a game and feel stunned by the beauty of the surrounding scenery. The difficulty isn't so hard as to make you cry "what bullshit", but every time I got beaten by something, I knew it was because I had made a mistake and that it wasn't the game's fault. The random seamless co-op really surprised me too, one minute I was wandering about and the next minute I see a person who's beating up enemies, only to team up with him and run through several objectives together.
I think I only have two problems with the game. Firstly, the customisation, while interesting, seems limited in comparison to other games similar this (Dark Souls, Code Vein and such), but that's honestly pretty minor. The major problem I have with it is that you can't see the customisations of anyone who joins you. All companions who join through the seamless co-op function, whether AI or human, seem to look the same, other than carrying different weapons. I don't quite understand it and, especially when I first started, made me feel confused about if it was a player or an AI who had joined me.
Overall, though, it's a really pleasant experience so far, and I'm glad I got this game.

Ignoring the exclusive crap of Epic, Ashen had caught my eyes since its announcement. Its unique art style and gameplay mechanic succeed in arousing my interest. I play through the game and I get plenty to say about the game. Commonly referred as "soul-like game", bearing some resemblances from the Dark Souls series, Ashen gets some tricks up its sleeve fresh enough to differentiate itself from the category.
Things I like about Ashen:
1. Great Atmosphere
Traditional duality of light and dark is one of the main themes of Ashen. The dev does a great job in portraiting the two themes. At first the world is shrouded in darkness. Everything looks sombre and cold, yet somehow calm. When the Ashen is reborn, grossly incandescent light bursts out, igniting the world like a magnificent father . Our character awakes, bathing in the warm light of Ashen. Even the world appears to be unattended and ruined, the veil of light softly, gently envelops our surroundings. Tranquility is the best word to describe the tone. It feels like no matter where you go, there's always people around to give you company. This part of the game has already given me a fresh start because most of the souls-like games used to deliver their opening sequence with a sense of dread as if the world is dying. About darkness, when you explore the first dungeon, the gloom emanates from the door. In contrast to the warmth of light, the darkness embraces you with coldness. However, the cold here is not something you experience physically, rather mentally. The feeling is the same as staying alone in the darkness, the tone of solitary. It's somehow peaceful and makes the exploration quite chilling or dare I say easy. These two examples are the best way to showcase how great the dev build the world and levels with light and dark. Just like the NPC says in the game:"Its great to be alone in the dark, but in the light, we often crave for companion."
2. Good Reward for Progression
There are two parts of the game you can notice this idea. First one is Vagrant's Rest. As you venture out the world, our little sanctuary does not cease to develop itself since we liberate the place. Once you finish the dungeon, tired and running out of resources, from time to time you can travel back to Vagrant's Rest to restock and be amazed at how the place has changed over time, from basic structures to an actually populated village. Near the end the village is complete. Everyone you meet along the road all settles in their special cottage, and our character of course, gets a house with a comforting bed and a treasure chest in it. At that point we are no longer wanderers without a place to call home, Vagrant's Rest has already become our home, a home where we truly belong. The second one is about individual NPC. At the end of their responding quests, each NPC will give you either stamina or health increase, and as the final quest complete, NPC will receive a different outfit. The rewards make these side quests mandatory to complete since the other way to upgrade yourself is to find the Ashen feathers scattering around the world. The outfits might not be as rewarding as others consider, but for me it is a token of proof, proof that I have journeyed with them and assist them whenever I can.
3. A Straight-forward story
Decrypting the whole lore of Dark Souls series sure is fascinating, but sometimes a visible, coherent story line is not a bad thing at all.
4. Bataran, can I marry your sister Silaren pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?
Things I dislike about Ashen
1. The AI Is Really Dumb (Don`t know why but especially Jokell)
There are so many dumb things my NPC companion had committed throughout my playthrough. The two most frequent incidents are as below: charging off a cliff, and enjoying floating in water. The first one goes like this: when an enemy is near a cliff, a single swing is enough to push it down to its demise. NPC approaches with his/her axe, ready to end its whole career. He/she charges up a full heavy attack and both of them go down the cliff(visible confusion and utter disappointment). I don`t know if its intentionally designed or not, but NPC seems to always open a fight with a fully-charged heavy attack no matter the circumstance is. The second one is semi my fault actually. I fail to jump over the river. NPC jumps in the water with me. I can quickly swim to the shore without running out of my stamina. When I look back, my companion is still in water. He/she does not even move an inch. We then proceed to have seconds of staring contest and he/she finally drowns(another speechless moment). As a result, equipping the Fury tailsman(if your companion dies, you gain +25 damage, maxing out at +50 damage, until you rest at a Ritual Stone) is a must thanks to these two incidents.
2. Unsatisfying Upgrade
Usually in other action adventure games when you feel like certain enemy is really hard to kill, it's either you are poorly-armed or your level is too low. Farm some experience and upgrade material at previous level will resolve the problem. In terms of Ashen regarding the same situation, you are definitely ill-equipped since there is no character level system. However, even if you upgrade to a better or suitable level, you still hit like a wet noodle. From my experience, I upgrade the Toothed Club to ashen infused +6, in the Lathyrus Palace dungeon the enemies take four to five hit to finish. I then gather some materials and scoria to max out my weapon. I return and finish the same enemy with four to five hit. Hmmmm. I don`t really expect a fully-upgraded to suddenly one-shot everything, but what's the point of upgrading +6 to +7 since you deal visually the same amount damage?
3. You Cannot Pet The Diasora Cub in Ashen
4. Two-handed Weapons Are Not Viable in Dungeons
Dungeons of Ashen are typically dark. Without a lantern you can hardly navigate, let along knowing what lurks in the dark. Hence, the situation only favors lantern in left hand, light weapon in right hand. Even though the game gives you a tip indicating that you can drop the lantern and it will automatically return to your hand. This may sound like a way to use two-handed weapon. In reality it is not. Your vision in the dark is limited, you are forced to move around your lantern, and you cannot chase the enemy unless you go back and pick up the lantern. All of this can be skipped if you just use a light weapon instead. Some may say that NPC carry a lantern as well. Why not let them do the lighting? Well, to answer this question please refer to my first dislike.
Flawed it might be, Ashen is still a good adventure game to play through it yourself.