Ash of War

About

Ash of War is a single player action game. It was developed by Two-Way Ltd. and was released on November 2, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The story about an uneasy journey of one man. You will experience certain situations, those, that could have happened with our parents, children or even a neighbours on just any other war. Through the eyes of our hero you will see his struggle in a modern war, struggle with oneself.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

story15 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The game features a soulful and emotional story that deals with the harsh realities of war and personal sacrifice.
The atmospheric music and soundtrack significantly enhance the game's immersive experience.
The indie title has decent graphics and environments for its scope, with varied locations and smooth animations.

The game suffers from poor voice acting and numerous translation issues, negatively impacting narrative immersion.
Gameplay is often tedious and frustrating, with clunky controls, overly long combat segments, and unengaging mini-games.
Technical issues include bugs, glitches, and inconsistent art style, alongside a short overall game length.

story
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The story is generally seen as having an interesting and emotionally engaging premise centered on war, loss, and personal struggle, but it is often criticized for being stereotypical, disjointed, and poorly executed. Major drawbacks include awkward writing, frequent grammar mistakes, and notably subpar voice acting that detracts from immersion. While some players appreciate the narrative effort and atmosphere, others find the pacing tedious and the storytelling confusing or ineffective.
- “For the most part, the game has a pretty immersive story and narrative.”
- “Ash of War narrates the story of Joe, an American boy deciding to follow in the footsteps of his father by joining the army, to find out the reasons behind his attachment to military life and a purpose in life.”
- “This game features a story with dark tones, speaking of loss, traumas, and the madness of war.”
- “The story is terrible in every aspect - direction, plot, voice acting, constant grammar mistakes, and weird unnatural sentences.”
- “The story is pretty stereotypical and cliché, and while they try to go for an immersive sad story, the poorly formulated sentences, grammar, and the voice acting (especially for Joe) is quite terrible at speaking English. However, the actor gives it a lot of effort.”
- “When you start the game it says it's based on a true story, but the story is really poorly told.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
63%
23%
The gameplay is largely criticized for being tedious, poorly executed, and centered around repetitive mini-games with broken shooting mechanics, making it feel more like a chore than fun. While some find the combat and puzzle elements adequate and the interface functional, the overall experience leans heavily on narrative rather than engaging interactivity. A few players appreciate the emotional depth that keeps them invested despite gameplay shortcomings.
- “Uncomplicated and unobtrusive gameplay guides you through Joe's story.”
- “The gameplay in Ash of War is divided into exploration, combat and puzzles.”
- “Combat is featured in some sections, sometimes as an on-rail shooter with reload, cover and headshot mechanics, featuring different types of enemies armed with heavy weapons, rocket launchers or rifles.”
- “The gameplay consists of a bunch of tedious, boring mini-games that go on for way too long, like the convoy shootout. Also, why does the main character have the hangover shakes and tremors?”
- “The gameplay is more of a chore than it is fun.”
- “The aiming mechanic is completely broken, so you have to sort of fire and hope for the best.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The game's graphics are generally considered decent and well-designed for an indie title, though not particularly impressive or standout. Some users noted minor graphical issues like glitches and clipping, but overall visual presentation is adequate and sufficient for the game's scope.
- “Very decent graphics for the indie project.”
- “Graphics are decent.”
- “Graphics are nothing to write home about, but the major drawback is the numerous and severe translation errors.”
- “Some graphical glitches are present like clipping or objects being seen through walls.”
- “The graphics aren't anything special, but for an indie game it's actually really well designed.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, greatly enhancing the overall experience and complementing the story and environment. Many users highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature that effectively draws players deeper into the game.
- “In my opinion, it has great music and a plot that draws you deeper into the story and mini-games.”
- “I really can’t avoid the soundtrack and I have to say that it fits amazingly into the game.”
- “The music and the environment create the impression that you are in the shoes of a soldier fighting for what he considers right.”
- “Hey guys, I bought the supporter pack DLC but I didn't find the OST and the added operation. Where can I find it?”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
Users praise the game’s atmosphere for effectively capturing a tense, wartime mood with well-crafted environmental details and atmospheric music. The recreation of historical events adds depth, creating an immersive and sometimes surprising experience reminiscent of acclaimed titles like Firewatch.
- “There was a tense atmosphere in the air, although the city seemed safe to me.”
- “The Ash of War has its own atmosphere and true story - that's great!”
- “The atmosphere of some sections is recreated well and even positively surprised me a few times.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is characterized by tedious, overly long mini-games and missions lacking checkpoints, leading to frequent restarts. Despite the developers' effort and interesting concepts, the repetitive and drawn-out gameplay severely detracts from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay consists of a bunch of tedious boring mini-games that go on for way too long, like the convoy shootout.”
- “Levels lack checkpoints since if you lose, most of the time you have to restart the entire mission, which is tedious as hell.”
- “You can tell the devs put some hard work into this game and it has some interesting concepts, and a story that tries really hard to immerse you, but it all falls flat due to poor English and tediously lengthy gameplay segments in some parts of the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while the story is attractive and emotionally engaging, repetitive character models and recurring enemy encounters hinder players' ability to form strong attachments.
- “Attractive and very emotional story.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues with graphical glitches such as clipping and objects visible through walls, but these problems are minor and do not disrupt overall gameplay.
- “Some graphical glitches are present, such as clipping or objects being seen through walls.”
- “Some evident glitches and problems, but none are game-breaking.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is straightforward and effectively delivers laughs, contributing to an enjoyable and entertaining experience.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization is praised for delivering stable performance and smooth gameplay, ensuring minimal lag or crashes. Overall, users find the game well-optimized across various hardware configurations.
- “Performance & stability”