Ash & Rust

About

"Ash & Rust" is a single-player, open-world survival game set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Players must manage their resources, craft tools, and battle hostile enemies to survive. The game features a rich, immersive world with a focus on exploration and player choice. However, it has received mixed reviews due to some technical issues and a lack of polish.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

humor4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features a unique item and ability crafting system that allows for deep customization and creativity in character builds.
The developer is highly responsive to player feedback and consistently releases updates, showing a commitment to improving the game.
Despite its early access state, the game offers enjoyable gameplay with interesting mechanics and a fun progression system.

The game suffers from significant performance issues, including low frame rates and bugs that affect gameplay.
Controls and keybinding options are poorly implemented, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The lack of a comprehensive tutorial and unclear quest objectives can make the learning curve steep for new players.

story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
75%
13%
The story in the game is generally considered the weakest aspect, with players noting that while the lore is cohesive and well thought-out, the moment-to-moment narrative and dialogue are lacking. The overall storyline is short, taking around 10 hours to complete, and primarily serves as a backdrop for gameplay focused on combat and loot. Despite its shortcomings, the game features interesting ideas and a solid foundation, appealing more to fans of action RPG mechanics than to those seeking a deep narrative experience.
- “The overall story is short, but once you finish it, you unlock a 'waves' mode where you fight through stronger and stronger waves of enemies.”
- “Overall, the foundation here is excellent; albeit short, it took me around 10 hours to finish the story and all the currently available waves.”
- “Storyline is pretty barebones at the moment, but that's to be expected for most early access titles. Besides, who are we kidding... ARPGs are all about gameplay, synergies, and loot!”
- “I haven't played far into the story at all, but if the story and writing continue in the same vein, it would be, in my estimation, the weakest part of the game by a fair margin.”
- “The strange part is that it really seems like the lore has been taken fairly seriously and is cohesive and well thought-out, but the actual moment-to-moment story and dialogue seem a bit lacking.”
- “Storyline is pretty barebones at the moment, but that's to be expected for most early access titles. Besides, who are we kidding... ARPGs are all about gameplay, synergies, and loot.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
Gameplay is characterized by a janky movement system and lane-based mechanics that restrict player movement despite a large map. However, the unique mechanics and build possibilities offer an engaging experience, emphasizing the core elements of action RPGs such as gameplay, synergies, and loot, even if the storyline is minimal.
- “Mechanics are quite unique and feel like they were never tried before, so I'm having fun with the build possibilities so far.”
- “Storyline is pretty barebones at the moment, but that's to be expected for most early access titles. Besides, who are we kidding... ARPGs are all about gameplay, synergies, and loot!”
- “Regarding content, gameplay is pretty jank - especially movement.”
- “There is a lot of lane-based gameplay where you have a big map but are effectively throttled into a more narrow lane of space you are allowed to move in.”
- “Storyline is pretty barebones at the moment, but that's to be expected for most early access titles. Besides, who are we kidding... ARPGs are all about gameplay, synergies, and loot.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received for an indie title, showcasing a grounded art style with intimidating enemies. However, there is a notable dissonance between the serious tone of the visuals and the cartoonish nature of the writing, suggesting a need for greater cohesion between these elements. Overall, while the graphics are promising, a unification of tone could enhance the overall experience.
- “This game in its early stages is a very simple take on an RPG you customize, you change, you figure out what you really want, you pick up augmentation to change your skills, your characters, your stats and more. The graphics are not bad for indie style and there is a lot of promise; I would recommend giving this game a solid try as a potential up-and-comer.”
- “The graphics are not bad for indie style and there is a lot of promise.”
- “I think what I find off-putting is the juxtaposition between the tone of the art style (which is mostly grounded in reality, with fairly frightening and intimidating-looking enemies) and the tone of the writing, which so far has come off as very cartoonish and sophomoric.”
- “I think these things need to be unified -- either the tone of the writing needs to be made slightly more serious in nature with occasional jokes and banter thrown in for comedic effect, or the art style needs to be made slightly more comical and cartoonish to reflect the lighthearted nature of the writing.”
- “This isn't just aesthetic.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report encountering some bugs and glitches, though the frequency and severity appear to be relatively low. Comparisons to higher-budget titles like Diablo 4 suggest that while stability issues exist, they are not unexpected for a game of this scale.
- “There are definitely some bugs and glitches.”
- “It's not a Diablo 4 budget, and I still find bugs and glitches in that one too.”
- “There are definitely some bugs and glitches.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance drops and overall terrible performance in various areas.
- “The performance is absolutely terrible.”
- “And some areas have performance drops.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its old-school vibe, clever jokes, and effective fourth-wall breaks, which many players find enjoyable. However, some aspects, such as the inflation-deflation models for character creation, are described as both hilarious and visually unappealing. Overall, the humor contributes positively to the gaming experience, with players recommending it for its comedic elements.
- “Really loving this game with its old school vibe and funny jokes and fourth wall breaks; I absolutely would recommend!”