Ash of Gods: The Way
- April 27, 2023
- AurumDust
- 25h median play time
Redefining Turn-Based Strategy in the best way with some deck-building on top.
Get on Steam"Ash of Gods: The Way" is a story-driven tactical card combat game where you build decks of warriors, equipment, and spells from four factions to battle through major tournaments. Your decisions and outcomes in conversations with characters will affect the fate of the world. As Finn, you must master the card game 'the Way' to prevent a neighboring nation from attacking your home by infiltrating their tournaments.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Windows
Tablet
Reviews
- Engaging and unique gameplay that combines deck-building with tactical strategy, offering a variety of challenges and rules in each battle.
- Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a compelling story with well-developed characters, enhanced by solid voice acting.
- The game encourages experimentation with deck-building and offers a good level of challenge, making it rewarding for players who enjoy strategic thinking.
- The game can feel unbalanced at times, with some battles being frustratingly difficult and requiring repeated attempts to succeed.
- Limited replayability and a single save file can lead to issues if players make mistakes or encounter game-breaking bugs.
- The writing and dialogue quality can be inconsistent, with some players finding it lacking compared to the previous installment.
- story174 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Ash of Gods: The Way" is generally engaging and features a unique narrative with interesting characters, though opinions vary on its depth and execution. While some players appreciate the non-linear elements and voice acting, others find the writing and dialogue lacking, with a few noting that the plot can feel rushed or formulaic. Overall, the game combines tactical gameplay with a captivating storyline, though it may not reach the heights of its predecessor.
“The storyline is gripping and kept me engaged throughout the entire game.”
“Intense and emotionally captivating game with a unique story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
“Ash of gods: the way is a captivating turn-based RPG with a deep storyline, beautiful hand-drawn graphics, and engaging gameplay.”
“The story was a bit rushed and bolted on, but the gameplay is solid.”
“The final area of the game was very short and underwhelming and the story ending was a bit silly.”
“It is a fun and short auto battler + deckbuilder with an utterly awful and sloppy story, especially compared to Ash of Gods: Redemption, and mostly boring dialogue that is well voiced this time but still should have better been left out.”
- gameplay138 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Ash of Gods: The Way" is a blend of card-based strategy and turn-based combat, offering a unique mix of mechanics that require strategic thinking and planning. While some players find the gameplay engaging and rewarding, with a variety of challenges and a captivating story, others note that it can feel repetitive and less deep than expected, with certain mechanics feeling underutilized. Overall, the game is praised for its art style and character customization, though opinions vary on the balance between puzzle-solving and traditional strategy elements.
“Challenging gameplay and great art style are the highlights, and truly shine throughout.”
“The game's unique gameplay mechanics had me hooked from the start, but what really caught my eye was the incredible design and style of the game.”
“The combat system is well-balanced and requires strategic thinking, while the character customization and progression add depth to the gameplay.”
“I knew it was focused more on being a deckbuilder, but I didn't expect a slightly shinier flash game where the entire gameplay loop is winning one of three lines by throwing cards at it over and over.”
“The new gameplay is horrible.”
“There are some frustrating mechanics, like the fact that you can't move your troops backwards, but once you get the hang of it, and get some quick wins by 'going face' as they would say in Hearthstone, you will start doing better!”
- graphics58 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful hand-drawn art style and impressive attention to detail, creating an immersive dark fantasy atmosphere. Players appreciate the combination of stunning visuals with engaging gameplay mechanics, noting that the graphics enhance the overall experience, even if some aspects like voice acting may not be as strong. Overall, the art direction is highlighted as a standout feature, reminiscent of titles like "Banner Saga," contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The game has a beautiful art style with hand-drawn visuals that add to the immersive experience.”
“In place of the story, the graphics look very nice here, with stunning crisp drawings, appropriate music, and beautiful character animations.”
“I played the previous part, which seemed quite good, but the next one came out with reworked mechanics and graphics.”
“The graphics and sound design are top-notch, and the dark fantasy world of the game is beautifully realized.”
“A very interesting and addictive tactical card game with pleasing graphics.”
- music30 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised as a masterpiece, with many reviewers noting its captivating and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack, reminiscent of the Witcher series, is complemented by high-quality voice acting and stunning artwork, creating a rich and immersive environment. Overall, the combination of exceptional music and art contributes significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
“The music is a masterpiece; the first time I entered the game, I did not want to start the game until the track ended.”
“The art style and soundtrack are top-notch, and the game mechanics are challenging yet rewarding.”
“The sound design is exceptional, with great music that perfectly captures the mood of the game.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players completing the main quest in around 14 to 23 hours and expressing a desire for additional modes or rogue-like elements to enhance replay value. While some players found enough content for a fair amount of replayability, the strong narrative focus currently detracts from the incentive to replay. Future content updates are anticipated to potentially improve this aspect.
“It took me ~14 hours (including when I played in beta) to 100% the game on normal mode, so there's a decent amount of gameplay involved with a fair amount of replayability.”
“Also, the main quest-line is fun, but if there were some kind of conquest mode or rogue-like elements to enhance replayability, it would be perfect.”
“Further future content = 9/10 'must buy' provided the replayability increases.”
“Completed in 23 hours and not enough replayability to inspire a second pass.”
“Given that there is a strong narrative, the game would not offer much replayability.”
“Not much replayability.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its intense and emotionally captivating narrative, with well-developed characters that foster strong player investment in their fates. While the dialogue and voice acting are generally well-received, some reviewers noted that the main character's emotional expressions could have been more effectively conveyed. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile experience that engages players on an emotional level.
“The characters are unique and well-developed, and I found myself getting emotionally invested in their fates.”
“Intense and emotionally captivating game with a unique story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
“Definitely a worthy use of time, with fun dialogue, well done art, and solid voice acting overall.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its perceived misleading advertising, particularly regarding the emphasis on deck-building and tactics over the puzzle elements, which some players feel are downplayed. This has led to frustration among users who believe the marketing does not accurately represent the game's content.
“But go ahead and blame our reading comprehension instead of your advertising if it makes you feel better.”
“On Reddit, your developers are downplaying the puzzle aspect of the game and saying things like it contains 'puzzle-like elements,' while at the same time advertising the deck-building and tactics side of the game more heavily.”
“But Steam isn't the only place you're advertising, right?”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through its interesting characters and witty dialogues, with players highlighting the comedic chemistry between characters Kleta and Raylo. The funny animations and engaging plot presentation contribute to an overall enjoyable and addictive experience.
“The presentation of the plot in the form of a novel is very good, the characters are interesting and quite funny.”
“Game just wow, a lot of characters, beautiful graphics, interesting story, funny animation, there are interesting character dialogues, a lot of achievements, the game is addictive, I can recommend.”
“I personally love the bromance kind of thing that happens between Kleta and Raylo; some of their lines are simply hilarious.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive graphics and sound design, complemented by high-quality voice acting and atmospheric music. Players appreciate how their choices influence the unfolding events, enhancing the overall experience. Consistently, the artwork and general ambiance contribute to a captivating environment.
“The graphics and sound design create an immersive atmosphere, while the player's choices affect the course of events.”
“High-quality voice acting of characters and atmospheric music.”
“Everything remained at a high level: voice acting, music, artwork, and the general atmosphere of the game.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the combination of deck strategy, narrative, and character development, but find the grinding for upgrades tedious, particularly due to the need for frequent deck respecs after each fight.
“Tedious deck respec after each fight.”
“Combo of a nice deck strategy with narrative, character development, and upgrades grinding.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The Ash of Gods series features strong character design and an engaging narrative, but players find the overall gameplay experience lacking in enjoyment.
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, with users reporting no lag or performance issues, allowing for a smooth and immersive experience. The combination of beautiful graphics and engaging cinematics further enhances its appeal.
“The game is very addictive; it is almost impossible to stop playing! Everything is beautifully drawn, with excellent cinematics at the very beginning, plus outstanding optimization—there's not a single lag or spike.”
Critic Reviews
Ash of Gods: The Way (Nintendo Switch)
Ash of Gods: The Way is a unique take on the deck building genre that fans of said genre should check out. It follows the usual “collect cards and build a better deck” that most deckbuilders follow but with the fun twist of leaning more into tactical strategy battles. Add in the potential to have different characters in a battle, which may change the rules of said battle, and you’ve got yourself a game that never has two of the same battles. Ash of Gods: The Way does make you feel like you’re always at the disadvantage going into literally every battle, regardless of the deck you’ve built. Regardless, Ash of Gods: The Way is a fun enough take on the deckbuilding genre that you should definitely give it a look.
80%Ash of Gods: The Way PC Review
Redefining Turn-Based Strategy in the best way with some deck-building on top.
90%Ash of Gods: The Way Review – Go forth in my name
Ash of Gods: The Way doesn’t shy away from the realities of war, whether it’s the unpredictability on the battlefield or the impacts it has on those involved. The story sucks you in as you try to end the war, but your decisions result in non-linear gameplay that makes you wonder if you made the right choice. Combat is strategic and forces you to plan ahead, using all resources available to you to overcome your enemies. The difficult Challenger battles sometimes feel blatantly unfair and having only a single save file does create issues you can’t easily resolve. But if you persevere and come up with new tactics, you are rewarded with a great story and gameplay that makes you feel like a real tactician.
80%
