Of Ash and Steel Reviews

Of all the depressing studio closures of the past few years (and there have been far too many) one that hit me particularly hard was that of Piranha Bytes, the legendary pioneers of the Eurojank RPG. Famous for creating the hugely influential Gothic series, as well as Risen and Elex, all of their games shared a unique feel that garnered a loyal fanbase. While the settings were different, each title featured unforgiving combat and a sense of openness that made many other RPGs feel claustrophobically restrained. A remake of the first Gothic game is still in the works but there is clearly a gap in the market for RPGs that share the DNA of Piranha Bytes’ canon. Of Ash and Steel is one of the first games to aim at filling this niche, and it certainly succeeds in that aim, although this isn’t always a good thing.

Of Ash and Steel isn't trying to be a huge triple-A adventure, but while committing to its own vision of a Gothic-like RPG, it has plenty of its own problems to sort out first.

Of Ash and Steel is a truly fascinating world and experience that absolutely has merit. The sheer amount of content the game contains (there's even an 'Arena Master' mode outside of the main story that allows you to enjoy more combat challenges) is remarkable for an indie studio that's just now getting its feet wet. It checks a whole lot of boxes for what a love letter to classic 2000s open-world RPGs should contain, and the care and attention to these details is abundantly clear. That said, it does try to differentiate itself in ways that it doesn't need to, such as the lack of navigation UI elements and skill requirements. It also needs a bit more polish on other fronts, such as its dialogue mechanics, and the cutscenes can feel a bit awkward to watch at times. With a bit more time in the "forge" as it were (or just constructive update patches), this game could truly be one to remember.

If you can temper your expectations and have an impressive tolerance for jank and lack of polish, Of Ash and Steel might have something to offer. The world is sort of interesting, even if the stuff you need to do in it is rarely as fun as it should be. The main character goes through the game sort of annoyed and bewildered. So did I.