Ascent of Ashes

About

Ascent of Ashes is a single player survival simulation game. It was developed by Vivid Storm Interactive and was released on July 25, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Ascent of Ashes is a survival strategy game where you build and fortify a base, farm crops, tame alien beasts, and restore vehicles to explore a vast world. Combat features a detailed hit and health system requiring tactical decisions beyond simple attacks. Each survivor has unique traits, and managing their needs and skills is key to overcoming escalating challenges.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 203 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

The game has a lot of potential and shows promise for future updates.
The graphics and art style are appealing, providing a fresh take on the colony sim genre.
The developers are responsive and actively working on fixing bugs and improving the game.

The game is currently very barebones, lacking essential features like a tutorial and basic quality of life improvements.
There are significant performance issues, including stuttering and freezing, which hinder gameplay.
Many core mechanics are either missing or poorly implemented, leading to frustrating experiences for players.

gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed feedback, with players appreciating the line of sight mechanic and the core expedition-based resource gathering, reminiscent of titles like RimWorld. However, many users express frustration over the lack of tutorials and the game's current state, describing it as raw and limited, with significant room for improvement and polishing needed before it can be considered enjoyable for long-term play. Overall, while the mechanics show promise and creativity, the execution feels incomplete, leading to a tedious experience for some players.
- “So with the mechanic that you pretty much have to go on expeditions to acquire a lot of what you need and it's part of the core gameplay and not just something else you can do was also a major selling point for me.”
- “There's still quite a bit of development work and polishing that is necessary before the game is in an enjoyable state, but I really do like the feel of the game; the art style, the z-axis, the pawn animations, and the core gameplay make me very optimistic and excited for its future.”
- “At the same time, the gameplay is different enough to be unique and refreshing.”
- “The game is empty and broken, with only the most core basics mechanics, and the devs clearly stated that's what they intended.”
- “That said, 'Ascent of Ashes' is missing some functionality that can make its limited gameplay a bit tedious.”
- “It's a very raw game with minimal mechanics and features.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback for their artistic style and solid design, with many players appreciating the 3D visuals compared to similar titles like RimWorld. However, some users have reported significant bugs that hinder gameplay, suggesting that while the graphics are appealing, the overall experience is marred by technical issues that need addressing. Overall, there is optimism for future improvements as the game continues to develop.
- “I love the art style and current content; yes, it's early access, but the devs are amazing and work really hard and respond to feedback and bugs.”
- “The graphics are solid for the game's style, and the current game mechanics work well.”
- “Graphically, it looks amazing.”
- “I abhor RimWorld's perspective/graphics but I love its mechanics.”
- “Turned off/down all the visuals, restarted the game, the problem persisted.”
- “In its current state, if I had to choose between RimWorld and AOA I would choose RimWorld but that's because it has been developed for many years and it has an insane modding community.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
94%
The game's stability is notably poor, with users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that can lead to forced restarts of their systems. While many acknowledge the game's potential and express enjoyment despite its rough state, the consensus is that it is currently unpolished and feels more like an early access release, requiring significant improvements to achieve a stable experience.
- “The game is in its very early stages, so expect some bugs. However, this genre is nearly impossible to be completely bug-free, and the overall stability is commendable given the circumstances.”
- “While there are occasional performance issues at the highest speed setting, the game maintains a solid foundation that shows promise for future updates.”
- “Despite being in early access, the game demonstrates a surprising level of stability, making it enjoyable even with minor bugs.”
- “Game takes multiple startups to properly initialize, and upon startup of a game, it forces my physical PC (a gaming laptop with 64GB of RAM specifically) to force restart. This simultaneously glitches out the monitor I have attached to it, requiring me to restart my PC a second time to fix the glitch and restore proper functionality. This occurred on two occasions; the first time was un-witnessed until after the restart had already been triggered. However, upon a second attempt to boot the game, I directly witnessed this major software error firsthand and made the correlation.”
- “Asking for $15 for this unpolished, unfinished, buggy, broken game is just wrong and I can’t condone it.”
- “Its biggest flaws are how broken and buggy it is, as well as how awkward it is to just simply play.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
31%
50%
The optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with many players experiencing severe stuttering and performance issues after a short playtime, particularly around day five. Despite some positive updates aimed at improving performance, the game remains largely unplayable for many users due to these ongoing issues. Players express hope for future patches to address these concerns, but current performance is a major drawback.
- “The game has had consistent updates that have positively impacted performance and gameplay; more content is promised soon, all of which is very positive.”
- “Some concerns, such as performance issues, have already been acknowledged and addressed, so credit is given where it's due.”
- “If the major performance and AI issues get patched, it's worth picking up.”
- “I really wanna give this game a chance, but after playing for 20 minutes I started stuttering every second, making the game unplayable.”
- “At some point (19 days in as of writing), the game starts stuttering like mad every time a sprite is added or removed. It works smoothly until this nebulous point, then becomes unplayable.”
- “Performance is absolutely horrible and I am unsure how they managed to get this into the early access stage.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some praise the soundtrack as enjoyable and well-executed, others find it rough and lacking in quality compared to similar titles like RimWorld. Additionally, players appreciate the option to turn off the music if desired. Overall, the art style is well-received, but the music's execution appears to need improvement.
- “Oh and the graphics are really pretty and the soundtrack rocks.”
- “I also really love the art style and they absolutely nailed the soundtrack.”
- “Everything in the game reminds me of RimWorld, but somehow in a considerably worse execution: art, music, UI, sound, style, ... and that says something considering that RimWorld is 12 years old now.”
- “- the music right now, early as it is, is pretty rough.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story aspect of the game is currently minimal, with players focusing on building and survival rather than a narrative-driven experience. Users express a desire for more structured storytelling elements, such as events and purpose, to enhance gameplay and provide a richer context for their actions. Overall, while the potential for a compelling story exists, it is not yet fully realized.
- “It fits, it looks good, it has a lot of potential. Hope to start seeing stable versions, more tutorials, and then one by one the systems that other games have: map, events, story, purpose, etc.”
- “I built a two-story house, hunted some animals, and died horribly during the expedition.”
- “They ran to the map, the expedition mission started, and all five of them died.”
- “It fits, it looks good, it has a lot of potential, but I hope to start seeing stable versions, more tutorials, and then one by one the systems that other games have: map, events, story, purpose, etc.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of "Ascent of Ashes" to be tedious due to limited gameplay functionality, such as the inability to easily assess survivor skills in the work/schedule menu, requiring repetitive manual checks. This lack of streamlined mechanics contributes to a frustrating experience during resource gathering and crafting activities.
- “That said, Ascent of Ashes is missing some functionality that can make its limited gameplay a bit tedious.”
- “In the work/schedule menu, you can’t even see how skilled a survivor is, so each time you have to manually click through each one to check their skills, which becomes really tedious and fast.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game stems from its lack of tutorials, playfully assuming players are already skilled at RimWorld, while simultaneously implementing changes that intentionally differentiate it from that game, creating a comedic contrast.
- “This game has no tutorial at all and assumes players are good at RimWorld, so they know what to do, while it's deliberately making changes to ensure it doesn't feel too much like RimWorld, which is funny.”
- “The humor in this game is spot on, with witty dialogue and hilarious situations that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game uses absurd scenarios to create humor; it never takes itself too seriously, which makes for a fun experience.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while some players perceive the monetization strategy as a cash grab, others appreciate the developers' commitment to improving the game rather than abandoning it. This suggests a mixed reception, with some acknowledging the effort put into the game's development despite concerns over monetization practices.
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It seems like the developers are more focused on making money than providing a quality gaming experience.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall enjoyment and immersion of the game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its abundant content and impressive graphics, suggesting that it will remain enjoyable for years. However, they also note that additional sandbox customization options could further enhance this aspect.
- “OMG, yes! It has lots of stuff to do and great graphics, and you can see that it will be so fun in the years to come. Loads of replayability.”
- “More sandbox customization would enhance replayability.”