Ashen

Ashen is a quality Soulslike with a nice art style and some great ideas about seamless and anonymous online co-op. The dungeons are memorable, the evolving town is awesome, and the increased focus that quests provide is a nice touch.

72%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

grinding, stability

66% User Score Based on 1,899 reviews

Critic Score 78%Based on 24 reviews

Platforms

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About

Ashen is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by A44 and was released on December 9, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Ashen is an open world co-op action RPG about a wanderer in search of a place to call home.

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,899 reviews

story145 positive mentions

grinding48 negative mentions

Unique minimalist art style with a charming aesthetic and beautifully designed environments
Satisfying and accessible Souls-like combat with varied weapons and fluid animations
Enjoyable multiplayer coop and AI companion that enhance gameplay, plus a growing settlement adding immersion and progression

Technical issues including frequent crashes, particularly on newer Intel CPUs, and buggy multiplayer connectivity
Some frustrating game design choices such as long boss runbacks without checkpoints and inconsistent AI companion behavior
Limited weapon variety and simplistic combat mechanics, with repetitive enemies and few bosses making later gameplay feel tedious and less engaging

story
570 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
69%
6%
The story in "Ashen" offers a minimalist, somewhat vague narrative that is easier to follow than typical Souls-like games, focusing on exploration, environmental storytelling, and character-driven side quests that progressively rebuild the player’s home base. While some find the story charming and emotionally engaging with well-written NPCs and a hopeful tone, others consider it predictable, sparse, or disjointed, with quests mostly involving generic fetch tasks. Overall, the balance of story and world-building appeals to players who enjoy subtle, atmospheric storytelling over complex plotlines.
- “I really liked watching the village grow as you progress the story, side quests are really fun I would almost call them essential to the game.”
- “The story is nicely told with beautiful cutscenes and NPCs that slowly tie into the story, and they make even the fetch side quests have a nice background to them which made them engaging to finish. This brings us to the town system, which is absolutely incredible and gives a sense of progression as you move through the story.”
- “A beautiful story, superb voice acting, rich character development, and well knit together as a whole to drive the story of vagrants looking to carve out a haven for themselves in the midst of light and darkness.”
- “The "quests" you get are very barebones, and there isn't much of a story worth remembering, but that's subjective.”
- “The story was pretty cookie cutter, though it's well told and charming; you meet a good group of characters and they're all pretty likeable, but watching the town slowly being built is a wonderful sense of progression and by the end it really felt quite big and lively.”
- “All of the NPCs have little depth, and have little backstory.”
graphics
454 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The game's graphics feature a distinctive minimalist, cel-shaded art style praised for its unique charm, beautiful environments, and atmospheric lighting that creates an immersive, haunting world. While the visuals are generally regarded as captivating and stylistically refreshing compared to typical dark, realistic aesthetics, some users find the simplified, repetitive design and muted color palette less engaging over time. Overall, the art style is a standout element that enhances the mood and exploration, even if the graphical detail and variety are sometimes considered limited.
- “The art style is gorgeous - the use of a muted palette fits the game and the muted cel shading makes the game feel like you are playing an old Tim Burton stop motion movie.”
- “It's a really beautiful game with a great art style and aesthetic that has a lot going on, perfectly complemented by the haunting atmosphere.”
- “The landscapes are vast, sprawling, and marked by muted earth tones and stylized, cel-shaded visuals that feel both timeless and painterly.”
- “The DLC further soured my already middling opinion of Ashen, and unfortunately despite its interesting art style and evolving village, it's just not good enough to recommend, even to the most die-hard of Souls-like fans.”
- “This studio pretty much did a cheaper copy and paste of Dark Souls and used different graphics.”
- “The game has a unique art style, but it definitely presents itself terribly with extremely samey and uninteresting areas in the opening hours.”
gameplay
439 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
60%
13%
The gameplay of Ashen offers a simplified, accessible take on the souls-like genre with solid core mechanics, responsive combat, and enjoyable exploration enhanced by unique elements like climbing and a lantern system. While the combat is smooth and the progression intuitive, many find it lacks depth, enemy variety, and challenging boss encounters, with some gameplay aspects feeling repetitive, clunky, or underdeveloped. The co-op multiplayer adds a distinctive layer but is often criticized for technical issues and AI shortcomings, making the overall experience best suited for players seeking a lighter, atmospheric souls-like adventure, ideally played with a friend.
- “The gameplay loop is one I never got bored of. The combat is solid and feels satisfying, the progression is simple but intuitive, enemies are challenging but learnable, and while the game is also amazing to play solo, I do recommend playing with a friend.”
- “The gameplay in Ashen is smooth and fluid, with a seamless blend of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving.”
- “Absolutely love the town building mechanic! The game has some fun parkour sections and also has a cool co-op mechanic where you can boost each other over higher walls.”
- “The enemy variety is extremely disappointing, which would be okay if the actual gameplay mechanics had some juice but there's just nothing new here.”
- “Overall the game have great graphics, and the story is somewhat unique and interesting, it had a lot of potential but the overall gameplay, and especially the level design and the combat mechanics are lacking tremendously, to the point that we could even question the presence of specialised people focusing on that part of the game during production.”
- “The gameplay loop simply isn't complex or varied enough to maintain your interest for that long.”
music
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The game's music is widely praised for its calming, atmospheric, and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the game's mood and world-building with a minimalist and ambient soundtrack. While some find it subtle or less memorable during combat, many highlight the soundtrack's dynamic adaptation to environments and its role in creating a relaxing yet engaging experience. Overall, the music is considered a major strength that complements the art style and atmosphere, though occasional critiques note a desire for more energetic or varied tracks in certain moments.
- “The music was such a pleasure to listen to and the way the music shifts between environments and how the environment and music complement each other is brilliantly done.”
- “The soundtrack is a masterpiece in itself, and the composer, e, created a score that perfectly defines the mood of each scene, giving color and light to the world whenever necessary.”
- “The music is very unique and does a lot with very little melodic material - it is primarily made up of disconnected motivic ideas embedded in oceans of soundscapes that perfectly set the mood.”
- “Droning noises don't count as music, so no score there.”
- “Music on the other hand was not very memorable.”
- “Skippable story, no music in last boss area (wow, that's bad).”
atmosphere
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of dark, somber, and relaxing tones, enhanced by stunning minimalist art, varied biomes, and a haunting, immersive soundtrack. Many reviewers highlight its captivating, distinct mood that balances soulslike intensity with a calmer, more accessible vibe, making exploration and world-building deeply engaging. Despite mixed opinions on gameplay, the atmosphere consistently stands out as the game's strongest and most memorable feature.
- “The atmosphere of the game is incredible. Its beautiful art direction lends a minimalist aesthetic which makes the environments all the more enrapturing, and the sombre music that plays alongside greatly invests you in the mood.”
- “The hand-painted environments, atmospheric lighting, and hauntingly melodic soundtrack create an enchanting and immersive experience that draws you deeper into the mysterious tale.”
- “After playing for over 22 hours, I can confidently say it is one of the most captivating and atmospheric games I have ever played.”
- “The other big con of the game is that the atmosphere is lacking.”
- “There are several dungeons, and the atmosphere in several will leave you at a loss for words.”
- “At times it feels like it has its own setting, atmosphere, art style and gameplay; and at other times it just feels like a bad copy of Dark Souls that “added” a couple things trying to stand on its own feet, like open spaces and climbing.”
grinding
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
7%
91%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and repetitive, with combat feeling shallow, unvaried, and lacking satisfying enemy engagement. Progression often requires time-consuming farming or replaying dull areas, which diminishes enjoyment and exploration momentum. Co-op can mitigate some grind-related frustrations, but overall, the mechanics and upgrades make grinding feel more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.
- “No grinding is needed as stats and equipment are obtained mainly from quests and exploration.”
- “Too grindy and repetitive.”
- “Second upgrading weapons is so costly that even grind-happy players will find upgrading and experimenting with lots of weapons tedious; I only managed to upgrade 4 weapons and it was so tedious.”
- “FeAlmos like an MMO at times, complete with grinding to be able to move on to the next area.”
stability
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including frequent bugs, freezes, crashes, and problematic AI companion behavior that can hinder gameplay. Multiplayer netcode is especially unstable, leading to disconnections and frustrating experiences, while certain mechanics like climbing and jumping often feel clunky or glitchy. Although some players found the bugs detracted significantly from fun, others felt the game still offered enjoyment despite its jankiness.
- “This is where the netcode falls apart, and the experience for the player who is not the host becomes extremely buggy.”
- “While there aren't as many bugs as in many horror stories from the game's launch, there were still occasional freezes and crashes, as well as items for side quests becoming un-interactable until I reloaded the game.”
- “It's incredibly buggy, and you'll often find yourself stuck in a loop where you jump over and over even after you let go of the jump button because you're stuck on a ledge or in some in-between area the game can't figure out how to guide you out of.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
39%
42%
The game suffers from poor replayability due to minimal build variety, lack of engaging character progression, limited weapon movesets, and absence of a traditional new game plus mode. While it offers a short but enjoyable experience, repetitive combat and unbalanced difficulty reduce incentives for multiple playthroughs. Some modes attempt to add challenge, but overall, replay value is considered low compared to similar titles.
- “[*] Custom game modifiers for additional replayability, like boss rush mode or challenge tweaks.”
- “Already on my fourth save in DS3 though, would get that over this, good balancing, good replay value.”
- “The Souls games offer a lot of replay value by giving the player tons of different weapons, armor, spells, and leveling abilities to create unique builds and playstyles.”
- “If you thought DS1 was clunky, this is worse, with tanky enemies that do not stagger, stupid AI companions that die many times, broken hitboxes, enemies that deal much more damage than you, barely any weapon variety in moves (only 2-4 same animations for the number of items), limited inventory forcing you to throw away items, one of the worst endgame bosses ever forcing cheese, and a long, punishing path to retry the boss if you die. Most bosses are too easy, there is no build variety, no real replayability, a lackluster ending, input buffering causing death, slow attacks that cannot be canceled, and many other negatives. Avoid this game.”
- “The game is good although it's short compared to Dark Souls and has very little to no replay value.”
- “It also unfortunately has no real replayability, a very bad inventory/menu system, and only a handful of bosses.”
emotional
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight Ashen's emotional impact as subtle and hauntingly beautiful, resonating through themes of perseverance, friendship, and hope with a meditative atmosphere. While some find the story sparse and characters less engaging, many appreciate its unique, heartfelt tone that offers a refreshing, spiritually touching experience distinct from darker entries in the genre.
- “While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it refines the core experience into something uniquely meditative and subtly emotional.”
- “The game's overarching themes of perseverance, friendship, and hope resonate deeply with players, leaving an emotional impact that lingers long after the credits roll.”
- “The world, the atmosphere, the music, the characters and the plot - it's 100% unique and it just feels so incredibly deep and real, mind- and heart-warming... so much love was put into it, you can easily tell.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
9%
The game's humor is appreciated for its lighthearted moments and amusing character interactions, with some players finding the combat quirks and AI behaviors unintentionally funny. While the humor adds charm, it doesn't fully engage players emotionally, especially during repetitive enemy encounters. Overall, the game blends humor with challenge, appealing to fans of similar difficult action titles.
- “With a simple combat system it's very funny to play (always with a friend) and fun to explore the open world.”
- “Its smooth as silk, funny, interesting story.”
- “It's funny I love this game, like a mini Dark Souls or Sekiro.”
- “All in all, it's a no for me. When a game is not funny but only difficult, it means no interest for me.”
character development
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
9%
27%
Character development in the game is praised for its rich storytelling, superb voice acting, and rewarding progression system, creating a cohesive and immersive experience. While character and weapon designs are generally well-crafted and aesthetically pleasing, some find the faceless characters unique but overall less distinctive compared to other titles. The lore and depth of character development may not match games like Dark Souls, but the gradual unlocking of features enhances the sense of growth and engagement.
- “A beautiful story, superb voice acting, rich character development, and well knit together as a whole to drive the story of vagrants looking to carve out a haven for themselves in the midst of light and darkness.”
- “Also because you unlock every feature slowly one after the other, it feels much more rewarding and character development feels every time like a grand step forward.”
- “Character design, weapons, armors, and effects are well done and crisp.”
- “The lore isn't as deep as Dark Souls, and the sense of scale and character development doesn't really live up to Outward.”
- “The faceless characters were a unique feature, but the overall character design didn't stand out.”
- “Also, because you unlock every feature slowly one after the other, it feels much more rewarding, but character development doesn't feel like a grand step forward each time.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with praise for smooth performance and beautiful graphics in single-player, but notable issues in multiplayer, including poor optimization, connectivity problems, and occasional bugs. Some users experience strange performance drops and random window switching, impacting overall stability.
- “Beautiful graphics, amazingly well optimized, a lot of fun!”
- “9/10, only docking a point for some strange performance issues and weird bugs after playing for a few hours.”
- “Performance is as it should be.”
- “Multiplayer broken and poorly optimized; a PowerPoint presentation about this game would cycle through images at a higher framerate.”
- “Poorly optimized.”
- “Other bugs include some poor optimization, random window switching (e.g., alt-tabbing), and an inability to select the output audio device (it also won't always pick your default audio device).”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is criticized for being a blatant cash grab, with short DLC sold despite promoting the game as co-op. Players feel the "souls-like" elements are superficially added to attract fans, while gameplay is hindered by mechanics that seem designed to frustrate and push purchases.
- “DLC is short and a complete cash grab.”
- “The souls-like elements seem like they were added onto a walking sim game as a cash grab; this is a walking sim with a paper sheet that says 'souls-like' on top of it to entice the souls playerbase into the game.”
- “This is despite them selling it on Steam while advertising it as a co-op game.”