AshenForest

About

AshenForest is an action-packed roguelite focused on boss-rush, where you play as Agave, a strong warrior and inquisitor, tasked by the Church to purify the ashen forest causing a plague. Fight against monsters, utilize heavy attacks, and shield parries to charge and make enemies stumble. Even if you fail, use the "Salvation" score to strengthen your character and challenge the forest again. The peaceful forest turned plagued after "it" fell from the sky, transforming people into monsters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features tight controls and a rewarding combat system that emphasizes timing, dodging, and parrying, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate skill-based gameplay.
There is a good variety of characters, each with unique abilities and playstyles, which adds depth and replayability to the game.
Despite its short length, the game offers a lot of replay value through multiple difficulty levels, character unlocks, and a skill tree that enhances gameplay.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with issues such as clunky controls, poor English translation, and a confusing world map that can detract from the overall experience.
Some mechanics, like the health potion system, feel overpowered and can lead to less challenging encounters, undermining the game's difficulty.
The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content and depth after completing it.

gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of boss-rush mechanics and roguelite elements, offering a sense of mystery and discovery through its opaque mechanics and diverse character abilities. Players can choose from four unique characters, each with distinct skill trees and attack styles, enhancing replayability with various item combinations and permanent upgrades. While the controls are fluid and the gameplay challenging, some players feel the roguelite elements could have a more significant impact on the overall experience.
- “Each character is extremely unique, from their character design to their gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is great, no joke, the roguelite item system makes it more awesome and you get some pretty nasty combinations, which I love. Apart from items that get refreshed, you get permanent upgrades at the church, and they are your regular RPG skill trees, but they are done rather well and are impactful.”
- “Fluid controls and challenging gameplay: it actually took me a bit to understand the enemies and my own character's skillset, but after a few deaths, it was just a pleasure to play.”
- “I found the gameplay to be a simple 2D boss rush that tries to emulate Dark Souls with its dodging and blocking mechanics.”
- “The rogue elements don't feel like they alter gameplay enough to really matter.”
- “A rather short game (took me 3 hours to beat every final boss with one character), it has 3 difficulty modes, 4 characters to finish the game with, and a roguelite element where every run you may get a different item combination which affects gameplay significantly.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The game offers significant replayability despite its relatively short length, with players reporting around 7.5 hours for full achievement hunting. It features multiple difficulty modes, four distinct characters, and a roguelite element that introduces varied item combinations, enhancing the gameplay experience. While some may find the overall duration brief, the diverse character abilities and challenges encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “Overall, you get about a 7.5 hour game for full achievement hunting, and it has a ton of replayability, so you could definitely go more (such as beating the max difficulty with each character).”
- “It's fairly short but has a lot of replay value.”
- “Overall, you get about a 7.5-hour game for full achievement hunting, and it has a ton of replayability, so you could definitely go more (such as beating the max difficulty with each character).”
- “A rather short game (took me 3 hours to beat every final boss with one character), it has 3 difficulty modes, 4 characters to finish the game with, and a roguelite element where every run you may get a different item combination which affects gameplay significantly. If you are looking for replayability, it is there, and the devs really made the characters interesting, giving them different charge attacks, regular attacks, blocks, and parries, along with distinguishable looks.”
- “- Only downside: a bit short to beat the whole game, but there is a high value of replayability.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The game's story revolves around choosing one of several characters to confront a forest corrupted by dark magic, with the narrative deepening through multiple playthroughs and higher difficulties. While players may not connect with all characters, the engaging storyline of at least one character makes the experience worthwhile. Overall, the story is praised for its fun and intriguing elements, justifying the game's value.
- “The premise of the story is that you choose one of three to four characters to enter a forest fueled by dark magic, and someone has to go in and put a stop to it.”
- “To get the real story, you have to beat the game multiple times to keep unlocking final bosses, and I think on higher difficulties too.”
- “I only played through one character's story, but it was fun and interesting the whole time.”
- “To get the real story, you have to 'beat' the game multiple times to keep unlocking final bosses, I think on higher difficulties, too.”
- “I didn't click with the other characters that much, but even just that one character's story was absolutely worth the price of entry.”
- “The premise of the story is that you choose one of three to four characters to go into a forest that's been fueled by some kind of dark magic, so someone's gotta go in and put a stop to it.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that while the game requires a minimum of 15 playthroughs, its variety and enjoyment make the experience less tedious. However, those aiming for full optimization may find the grinding aspect excessive and unnecessary.
- “And if you're going for full optimization, it gets unnecessarily grindy.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing slow performance, requiring frequent restarts, and leading to a grindy experience when pursuing full optimization.
- “If you're aiming for full optimization, it can become unnecessarily grindy.”
- “Optimization can be a challenge, as sometimes the game runs very slowly and requires a restart.”
- “If you're going for full optimization, it gets unnecessarily grindy.”
- “Optimization - sometimes the game runs very slowly and I have to restart it.”
- “If you're going for full optimization, it gets unnecessarily grindy.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics feature a polarizing art style that some criticize as the worst of modern pixel art, while others find the aesthetics beautiful and appealing. Overall, the visuals contribute to an engaging atmosphere that complements the game's challenging combat.
- “The aesthetics are beautiful and the combat is very pleasantly unforgiving.”
- “The art style is all the bad things about modern pixel art distilled to their purest essence.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is generally praised for its unique dark quality and polished design, though some users feel it could be improved. Overall, it contributes positively to the game's experience, complemented by smooth controls and fluid battles.
- “The battles are so polished, fluid controls, a unique dark atmosphere.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is highlighted for its uniqueness, with each character featuring distinct designs and gameplay mechanics that set them apart from one another. This diversity enhances the overall gaming experience, allowing players to engage with a wide range of personalities and play styles.
- “Each character is extremely unique, from their character design to their gameplay.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music and sound design are praised for their minimalistic approach, which complements the game's grey pixel art aesthetic and creates a compelling atmosphere.
- “The pixel art, music, and sound design are fantastic; the grey palette and minimal approach to sounds create a great vibe.”