Ashen
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Ashen is an action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home. This is a world where nothing lasts, no matter how tightly you cling to it. At its core, Ashen is about forging relationships. Players can guide those they trust to their camp – together, you might just stand a chance.
Steam User 80
I've played all From Software games except Sekiro. Ashen isn't Dark Souls by any means but it's still a great game. There is no way to say that it is objectively a bad game, as some describe in their negative reviews. It's a "souls-like" no "Dark Souls".
Due to the mixed reviews, I almost didn't buy the game and in hindsight missed out on a really special, immersive and atmospheric experience. In fact, I'm willing to think that, in my opinion, Ashen is one of the most underrated titles on Steam.
Don't let the mixed Steam reviews fool you.
Steam User 52
I love Ashen and have played through it several times on Epic Games, hence the few hours on Steam at time of writing.
Elephant in the room, Ashen seems to get bad rep for two main reasons:
1) It looks like Absolver, but it is nothing like Absolver. This is true, but nothing about the game's promotion would lead you to think otherwise?
2) It looks like Dark Souls, but it is not much like Dark Souls. For one, unlike FromSoft games, it is designed specifically so you and your friend can play through the whole thing in one go, instead of having to constantly bonfire back and forth. It 100% benefits from being played that way, as opposed to playing it on your own and bumping into people at tough spots as one might be inclined to do.
This decision seems to me to compliment another essential difference; in the Game of Thrones/Dark Souls era of grim-dark "actually all options are bad, you idiot, you fucking buffoon, and being anything other than cynical makes you a moron", Ashen dares to have a heart.
Think of it as if Dark Souls was inspired by Shuna's Journey instead of Berserk.
Understandably disappointing if you are looking for Absolver's unique fighting system or Souls' series sense of oppression and desperation.
Excellent, one of a kind game if you're looking to share a wondrous journey with a friend or significant other.
There's nothing else quite like it out there, save maybe Outward, and what it strikes out to do it does wonderfully.
Steam User 18
If your cpu is 10th gen or newer, it will keep crashing so do this to fix it:
Co-op does work but it takes a bit to work. I think its a great game but I would recommend getting it on sale.
Steam User 16
A step more clunky than Dark Souls, but the art is so beautiful and the world really is a joy to explore. It's also not gonna obliterate you like DS. Prepare to just have some good fun with some tough bosses that will take you several tries, but not several hours worth of trying.
Steam User 34
Elden ring for 40 year old dads with no time to play.
Steam User 8
Fun game to play in co-op. Family that get frustrated together stays together, when your adventure is going smoothly there's something bound to happen just at the corner of some doors or walls Peek-a-boo! you're dead and have to redo all the running and fighting again until you reach the next checkpoint... After 5 years, some checkpoints are just way too far xd
Recommended to get on sale ^-^//
P.S Me and my friend got saved by a Hyena from 4 giant rock (crabs?), that Hyena fought bravely protected us until it died, It didn't have to do so since most creature was hostile but that one fought for us. I couldn't just let it go with me that our hero was nameless, so I named him Barry, Barry the Brave. This Review will be his tombstone and his epitaph reads "Here lies Barry the Brave, the savior of the Ashen's Guardians."
Steam User 9
I'm a diehard soulslike fanboy - in short I give Ashen (including the DLC) 8 out of 10
The good:
* It has an incredible art style that is a refreshing break from the usual grimdark feel of most soulslikes
* Combat is engaging enough, controls are fluid and reliable
* It's a really fun world to explore and well designed (except for a few dungeons with sparse ritual stones)
* The story and voice acting are both fairly well done (except for one annoying character)
* Watching your town develop as the story progresses is a real treat
* I like the Talismans/Relics system for granting additional bonuses
* the lantern mechanic adds great atomsphere and encourages you to use 1-handed weapons
The bad:
* Weapons are all very similar with many sharing the same moveset
* The two hardest bosses (final boss and DLC boss) have the worst runbacks, with the DLC boss being the easier of the two but having the worst runback in the game - they should have made a shortcut or a checkpoint closer to the boss for these
* A few Talismans/Telics are grossly underpowered such that they are useless
* It would have been great to fast travel from every Ritual Stone
* difficulty feels unbalanced, most of the game is fairly easy but a few areas are suddenly MUCH harder
Overall I'd still recommend if you're a big fan of the soulslike subgenre, for a slightly lighter and more cheerful adventure.