Ashes of Oahu

49%
Game Brain Score Based on 37 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • optimization
Ashes of Oahu Game Cover
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Ashes of Oahu is an open world, story driven shooter where you work with or against the surviving factions of a post apocalyptic Hawaii. Inspired by native Hawaiian stories, traditions, and beliefs but with a unique fictional twist that brings in ghosts, raiders, and godsFour distinct factions to work for...or against!Over 75,000 lines create a massive and engaging narrativeChoices truly matter a…

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Reviews

49%
Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews
story4 positive mentions
stability2 negative mentions
  • The game features a large and visually appealing open world, with a unique setting based on real locations in Hawaii.
  • The story and lore are engaging, with interesting character development and a variety of quests that keep players invested.
  • Despite its flaws, the game offers a rewarding experience once players get past the initial learning curve and technical issues.
  • The combat system is clunky and unpolished, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences due to poor controls and enemy mechanics.
  • The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs, crashes, and a lack of voice acting, which detracts from immersion.
  • The map, while large, can feel empty and lacks meaningful content in certain areas, making exploration less rewarding.
  • story25 mentions

    The game's story revolves around a Hawaiian native resurrected through ancient magic to protect his son, incorporating rich cultural themes and respectful use of the Hawaiian language. While the narrative has potential and is supported by numerous quests and faction interactions, players noted issues with confusing quest icons, lack of voice acting, and some bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, the story is considered engaging, especially for those who appreciate open-world RPGs, despite its imperfections.

    • “The story is about a Hawaiian native who’s brought back to life with ancient magic after he died attempting to protect his son from being kidnapped.”
    • “Story and use of Hawaiian language and themes was done with the utmost respect, and they heavily consulted the proper folks in Hawaii to make sure they respected the language and culture to the fullest extent.”
    • “I recommend this game to anyone who loves open world RPG shooters and also loves a good story.”
    • “Playing through it, I was utterly disappointed but still had some fun with the open world and the crazy traps, enemies, storyline, animals, spells, guns, and environment.”
    • “It is not really open world, as there are sometimes baffling invisible walls to keep you on the rails they want you to stay on. The RPG is okay, but the controls are bad, the UI is bad, and the story is lacking in almost every way.”
    • “The first thing that happens are a few story sequences, and you get no voiceovers and some really bad theatrics from the characters as they talk. You'll start to think, 'OMG, this is bad'... but if you push past this (it's the only bad aspect I have found so far), you'll find quite a good game, especially for the asking price.”
  • graphics11 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that while the art style is appealing and the world is well-designed, technical issues such as lag, crashes, and optimization problems detract from the overall experience. Many users feel the graphics are not as impressive as advertised, describing them as barely passable or not cutting edge, yet some appreciate the cell-shaded visuals and detailed textures. Overall, improvements in optimization and bug fixes are highly anticipated to enhance the graphical experience.

    • “The graphics are beautifully cell shaded with mostly very detailed textures, the characters have nice models if lacking in some detailed animation, the animals feel good enough and like they belong in the world, the buildings look as you would expect in the post-apocalyptic world the game is set in, it feels a well-defined game world.”
    • “It's well designed, and other than some random graphical glitches here and there, it's amazingly well made for being a non-AAA title.”
    • “While some of the quests are bugged, the graphics and storyline are great.”
    • “Finally, the entirety of the game has poor and laggy graphics.”
    • “Very upset at the fact that the graphics are not as advertised; there is only one sound bar for everything, so you can't turn off the music.”
    • “Optimization overall would go a long way toward improving the experience. I had to play on high settings instead of ultra, which lagged quite heavily for me, even though the graphics are certainly not cutting edge.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, requiring players to lower settings to medium or even low to achieve playable performance, often resulting in stuttering and high GPU temperatures. While the combat and overall experience show potential, the lack of polish and technical glitches detract from the enjoyment, leading many to recommend waiting for improvements before diving in.

    • “The game is rewarding once you get past some technical glitches; I only lost some major frustration once I dropped my settings to medium and saw no loss in fidelity, but major increases in performance.”
    • “Combat generally feels solid, though I believe that an overall optimization of the game would improve it as well.”
    • “Optimization overall would go a long way toward improving the experience, as I had to play on high settings instead of ultra, which lagged quite heavily for me even though the graphics are certainly not cutting edge.”
    • “Meaning, I had to put the settings on as low as they go and disable some settings altogether in order to even play without it constantly stuttering.”
    • “Optimization overall would go a long way toward improving the experience as I had to play on high settings instead of ultra, which lagged quite heavily for me even though the graphics are certainly not cutting edge.”
    • “Despite having a unique setting and tons of awesome skills to use, I just can't recommend the game at this point due to the performance issues and how bad the polish is.”
  • gameplay7 mentions

    The gameplay is generally enjoyable and offers a rich world with satisfying mechanics, though it is marred by bugs and issues such as a lack of a field of view slider and unremappable keys. While players can find a lot of content to explore, the experience can quickly deteriorate if not managed properly. Overall, despite its flaws, many find the gameplay to be finishable and rewarding.

    • “No matter the glaring problems, to me the game is totally finishable, and again, amazing world, and gameplay, beautifully enjoyable.”
    • “Every other aspect of the game appears to be good and the gameplay mechanics are great.”
    • “There is a ton of content and I have barely scratched the surface of the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay slows and speeds up at a constant frequency on any setting above low.”
    • “No FOV slider, no remappable keys, and a bug that made my character stuck after 3 minutes of gameplay.”
    • “The game mechanics themselves are riddled with bugs that certainly need squashing, though the most egregious offenders seem to rarely show their faces.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its exaggerated inaccuracies, such as the comically poor performance of certain weapons like the MG40, which leads players to prefer using shotguns for ranged combat. Additionally, the humorous portrayal of the map, particularly from a local's perspective, adds to the game's comedic charm.

    • “As a born and raised resident of actual Oahu, the butchering of the map is actually pretty funny.”
    • “Some of the guns in the game (like the MG40) are hilariously inaccurate, to the point where you're better off using a shotgun, because the shotgun is better at ranged battles than the damn MG40.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game experiences some technical glitches and random graphical issues, but players find it rewarding once they adjust settings for better performance. Lowering graphics settings to medium can significantly enhance stability without sacrificing visual quality. Overall, it is well-designed for a non-AAA title.

    • “But stick with it you must -- the game is rewarding once you get past some technical glitches. I only lost some major frustration once I dropped my settings to medium and saw no loss in fidelity, but major increases in performance.”
    • “It's well designed, and other than some random graphical glitches here and there, it's amazingly well made for being a non-AAA title.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its depth, featuring extensive skill trees, factions, and weapon customization, which contribute to a rich gameplay experience. However, as an indie title, it shows some limitations in execution due to budget and time constraints, preventing it from reaching the polish of a AAA game. Overall, players appreciate the effort put into crafting a large play world with meaningful character progression.

    • “I enjoy the character design and mana abilities.”
    • “The developers have lovingly crafted a large play world with deep skill trees, factions, weapon customization, character development, and a ton of missions to do.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks the depth that I was hoping for, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “While the game offers a variety of skills and customization options, the character development is ultimately underwhelming and doesn't feel impactful.”
    • “I expected more from the character arcs; they seem rushed and fail to evolve meaningfully throughout the game.”
  • music2 mentions

    The music in the game is noted as the standout element of the audio experience, with players finding it impressive despite the repetition of tracks. However, the lack of options to adjust or turn off the music has been a point of frustration for some users.

    • “The music was the most impressive part of the audio, and I would summarize that by saying that I got used to hearing the same tracks repeatedly, but they didn’t help or hinder my enjoyment of the game.”
    • “I'm very upset that the graphics are not as advertised, and there's only one sound bar for everything, so you can't turn off the music.”
    • “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
    • “The soundtrack feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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