Ashen

Ashen is a quality Soulslike with a nice art style and some great ideas about seamless and anonymous online co-op. The dungeons are memorable, the evolving town is awesome, and the increased focus that quests provide is a nice touch.

Ashen contributes more hits than misses to the Souls formula, though the overall experience may feel too familiar to fans of FromSoftware's trendsetting series.

As I prepare to go bumbling back through the glimmering palaces of the (maybe) final section, I know that the Capra Demon’s curse is still there. I must inevitably compare this to Dark Souls itself. And in doing that, Ashen has already come away poorer than it ought to. But if we think of it another way, maybe we can circumnavigate the curse. So let’s compare it to other Souls imitators. Because w...

Ashen is full of nonsense. I don’t mean its gameplay. The fighting, exploring, advancement and traversal mechanics are all well thought out and a ton of fun. I’m talking about the story. Every time a character in Ashen speaks, my eyes start to glaze over. Then I snap back to attention and realize that the story isn’t boring at all — it’s totally bonkers.

A thoughtful, engrossing Soulslike that's not shy about its influences.

Ashen takes liberally from Dark Souls when it comes to combat and progression, but it’s a very good take on the formula that delivers satisfying, strategic combat and progression that rewards careful play. Thanks to a gorgeous, varied open world and neat, passive cooperative features, Ashen comes into its own wonderfully.

Ashen uses the Souls-like formula to tell a very different, optimistic story about community. Whether you’re playing alone, with an AI companion, or with another person, combat with the game’s varied enemies and bosses is challenging and satisfying. Ashen’s world feels real and lived-in, and getting to carve out your own settlement and watch it prosper is truly satisfying.

Souls-like games have been a dime a dozen lately, some mimicking the style better than others: The Surge and Nioh are great examples of the difference. Dark Souls is one of my favorite franchises, and while I have still enjoyed the spin offs it has inspired, none have perfectly mimicked the gameplay like Ashen has. It takes a lot more than only re-creating Souls tight gameplay to develop a great g...

An inspired approach to co-op and non-player characters turns what could’ve been just another Dark Souls clone into one of the most interesting action adventures of the season.

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,...

From Software changed the world of gaming forever with the release of Demon's Souls first and then, later, Dark Souls. Many developers in the past have released their unique tale on the formula, ranging from 2D experiences like Salt and Sanctuary and Death's Gambit to full-blown massive game like Team Ninja's Nioh. While these games tried to introduce new twists into the formula, Ashen by Aurora44...

From the start, it’s pretty clear where Ashen’s primary source of inspiration comes from. If you’ve played any of From Software‘s Soulsborne games, the control scheme should immediately clue you in. I don’t want to start a whole line of discussion about how Ashen is yet another Souls-like, though, because it’s not.