Ashina: The Red Witch: Prologue
- July 17, 2020
- Stranga Games
Get on SteamThe story is about Ash. An ordinary girl who takes a journey through a mysterious spirit world filled with strange creatures. Ash must find her way back home...before something else finds her. Ashina: The Red Witch is an exploration-based story-adventure game. Use items to solve puzzles as well as talking to various other characters to help dig into the story even further. Take control of Ash a…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The pixel art and graphics are visually appealing, creating a colorful and vibrant world.
- The dialogue is often humorous and well-written, contributing to an engaging atmosphere.
- The game has potential for an interesting story and character development, especially for fans of the developer's previous works.
- The gameplay is primarily limited to tedious fetch quests, lacking variety and engagement.
- The demo has significant technical issues, including a non-functional save system and various bugs that disrupt the experience.
- The story is slow-paced and not compelling, with many spelling and grammatical errors that detract from immersion.
- story46 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Ashina: The Red Witch: Prologue" has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it slow and lacking depth, while others appreciate its character and world-building. Many noted that the plot is resolved too neatly in the demo, failing to create a compelling reason to continue to the full game. However, the game's atmosphere, art, and humor have been praised, suggesting that it may appeal to fans of story-driven adventures despite its shortcomings.
“The demo showed us a good deal of character building, world building, a great soundtrack, and most of all a great story.”
“The art is beautiful, the dialogues are funny and well written, and the story and the characters seem to be very interesting as well.”
“I'm honestly intrigued as to where the story is going, which is more than I expected.”
“Overall, I don't recommend the demo because the gameplay only consists of fetch quests which are not captivating whatsoever, the UI is poorly designed and the save system has been inexplicably disabled, the sprites aren't very detailed and don't look that great, the story is not engrossing at all and its main plot point is tidily resolved, which also does a poor job of enticing you to purchase the full game since you aren't left with a cliffhanger that persuades you to keep going.”
“The story is slow and not very engrossing, and some of the characters speak in annoying mannerisms.”
“Given that it's a story-driven game without much interaction permitted upfront, I'd expect a tighter plot, fewer clichés and character tropes, and no spelling errors.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are primarily pixel art, which many players find appealing and well-executed, contributing to a charming atmosphere. While the art style and animations are praised for their beauty and detail, some users feel that the environments could benefit from more vibrancy and better contrast to enhance visual clarity. Overall, the graphics are considered cute and enjoyable, though there are suggestions for improvements in certain areas.
“Pretty good game with an interesting story, fine soundtrack, and nice pixel graphics.”
“I think the graphics of this game are quite beautiful, especially the spirit town with all the little details in each house.”
“The graphics use a specific set of pixel art which appears to be the standard for this developer.”
“Although I wish the background was of a lower contrast to visually separate it from the characters and interactable objects, the art style is sweet and animations look neat.”
“I really liked the world-building, atmosphere, and art style, but the story and dialogue were really disappointing.”
- music13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is primarily composed of folk elements that complement its supernatural theme, though it is often described as unremarkable on its own. While some players appreciate the lovely and fitting soundtrack, others find it to be acceptable but not particularly standout. Overall, the music enhances the game's atmosphere, contributing positively to the experience without being the main highlight.
“Nice dialogues, objectives are funny and straightforward, well-written intro story, awesome Japanese ambient music.”
“The main draw is the great art, fantastic music, and intriguing story.”
“Music fits perfectly and can be listened to for ages.”
“The music is composed of folk music which fits the supernatural theme of the game but isn't anything special on its own.”
“When it comes to the soundtrack and other in-game sounds, nothing special.”
“Sound and music are acceptable and fit with the theme.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay primarily revolves around fetch quests, which many players find unengaging and lacking in variety. While some appreciate the simple mechanics and real-time interactions, the overall experience is marred by a poorly designed UI, a disabled save system, and a lack of essential quality-of-life features. The demo fails to showcase any compelling gameplay elements that might entice players to invest in the full game.
“The game's mechanics are good; you find items and unlock things or advance the narrative. I'm glad that there is no 'item found' animation like in Red Bow. Keep going, devs! As soon as you publish the mastered game, I will totally buy it. I am curious about the story!”
“This all plays out in real time and gives the player a chance to get used to the simple controls and game mechanics.”
“The gameplay consists of talking to characters, getting quests from them, then looking for the required elements to complete said quest.”
“Overall, I don't recommend the demo because the gameplay only consists of fetch quests which are not captivating whatsoever. The UI is poorly designed, and the save system has been inexplicably disabled. The sprites aren't very detailed and don't look that great. The story is not engrossing at all, and its main plot point is tidily resolved, which does a poor job of enticing you to purchase the full game since you aren't left with a cliffhanger that persuades you to keep going. The game is missing a number of basic quality of life features that should be present in modern-day games.”
“The gameplay consists purely of fetch quests and nothing else.”
“If the full game has other gameplay aspects, then they aren't showcased in the demo, which is not great design.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of "Ashina: The Red Witch: Prologue" has been criticized for being misleading, as it is essentially an advertisement for an asset flip rather than a legitimate game. Reviewers express that this practice clutters platforms like Steam with non-game content, detracting from genuine developers and harming the gaming community by misrepresenting free content as full games.
“This has negative value for gamers just by existing... it's non-game spam, polluting Steam and the product it's advertising is even worse.”
“This is only free in the same way that adverts on YouTube and banner ads in your browser are.”
“While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by snarky and sarcastic dialogue, well-written quests, and a quirky cast of characters that contribute to a funny and engaging narrative. Players appreciate the droll exchanges and clever one-liners, which enhance the overall experience and add charm to the game's story and setting. The combination of humor and interesting character dynamics creates a delightful atmosphere reminiscent of beloved anime influences.
“The dialogue is very snarky and sarcastic at times, but it's funny!”
“The characters are all strange, the dialogue is droll, and the quests are funny.”
“Fun, cute, creepy cast of characters, a ton of references to Stranga's catalog of games, and a bunch of funny moments.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its strong world-building and appealing art style, creating an immersive experience. However, some players feel that the story and dialogue do not live up to the atmospheric quality.
“I really liked the world-building, atmosphere, and art style.”
“I really liked the world-building, atmosphere, and art style, but the story and dialogue were really disappointing.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and cumbersome, particularly criticizing the fetch quests for lacking engagement and the frustration of backtracking when items are missed.
“The fetch quests aren't even engaging and are instead tedious and cumbersome, especially if you miss something and have to backtrack.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay motivated to continue playing.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which makes the game feel more like a chore than a fun experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported experiencing screen tearing and audio glitches, although some attribute these issues to their own hardware limitations. Overall, stability appears to vary based on individual system performance.
“I personally had issues with screen tearing and audio glitches, but that might just be my computer being a potato.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game features a Bomberman-inspired design, which adds a playful and nostalgic element to the characters. However, the reviews do not provide further insights into the depth or progression of character arcs.
