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Dawn of the Ashen Queen

Dawn of the Ashen Queen Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
83% User Score Based on 42 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Dawn of the Ashen Queen Game Cover

About Dawn of the Ashen Queen

Dawn of the Ashen Queen is a single player role playing game with fantasy, mystery, medieval, historical and others themes. It was developed by Shattered Moon Games and was released on November 7, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

"Dawn of the Ashen Queen" is a classic grid-based, first-person dungeon crawler reminiscent of 90s RPG games. Set out with your party to reveal the legacy of a millennia-old curse in a narrative-rich experience. Explore the colorful world of Eshavon, unearth its many secrets and fight dangerous foes sent out to stop you on your mission. Explore your Fate Three years have passed since…

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Dawn of the Ashen Queen screenshot
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Dawn of the Ashen Queen screenshot
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Dawn of the Ashen Queen screenshot
Dawn of the Ashen Queen screenshot
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Reviews

83%Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews
story14 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • Engaging old-school grid-based dungeon crawling with real-time combat reminiscent of classics like Dungeon Master, Legend of Grimrock, and Eye of the Beholder.
  • Beautiful graphics and artwork, with varied and atmospheric locations that enhance immersion; music and sound fit well with the tone of the game.
  • Solid story and writing with interesting characters, decent puzzles, and a good balance of exploration, combat, and secrets; developer is active and responsive to community feedback.
  • Combat system is simplistic and can be unbalanced; limited to equipping only two active skills or weapons at a time, which can be cumbersome and restricts flexibility.
  • Several technical and UI issues including bugs, clunky inventory management during combat, inconsistent art quality with some AI-generated portraits, UI glitches, and occasional crashes.
  • Lack of economy and replayability features like no currency, no way to sell items, limited inventory space, and no map note-taking; also some level design and puzzle elements feel repetitive or uninspired.

  • story

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    74% positive mentions, 15% neutral mentions, 11% negative mentions

    The story is generally praised as engaging and atmospheric, offering a solid, if somewhat familiar, fantasy narrative that effectively drives the dungeon-crawling gameplay. While not groundbreaking, the writing is considered sensible and character-driven, with a compelling underlying plot and good pacing that appeals to fans of story-focused RPGs. Overall, reviewers find the story to be a strong element that enhances the game's immersive experience.

    • “A very solid Legend of Grimrock-like title, with a bit more of a story focus to keep pushing you along.”
    • “The story was great, the atmosphere superb.”
    • “Your mileage may vary but the game is funny at times (though not the focus) and there is a compelling story at the heart of it all with sensible writing that hints at much more going on beneath the surface; the dialogue also comes off as coming from real characters or people - as real as a world with magic and talking werewolves and pandas.”
    • “It’s not awful, the writing is not the worst I’ve encountered by far, but the story is generic: 'orcs are invading because reasons, you need to find out!'”
    • “You have gorgeous screens with the story transition (as others already stated with a distinct feel of undisclaimed AI art as evidenced by the hands/handshake etc.), some others are not as refined, some of the icons feel basic compared to the sometimes very detailed character portraits.”

  • graphics

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    58% positive mentions, 26% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The graphics receive praise for their beauty, detailed artwork, and immersive visuals that stand out in an indie RPG, especially for a grid-based dungeon crawler. Though generally considered well-optimized and attractive, some users note inconsistency in assets and room for performance improvements on high-end setups. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere and appeal, blending modern quality with classic gameplay style.

    • “The graphics are very beautiful for a grid-based dungeon crawler and are the outstanding feature of the game.”
    • “While the game does nothing new, the graphics and sound are top notch, and the writing is overall decent.”
    • “Great to see an indie RPG not using pixel or low-res blocky graphics for a change!”
    • “Writing is very average; visuals are inconsistent, feeling mostly like a patchwork of asset store packs (and possibly some undeclared AI, based on forum discussions).”
    • “I play on a UHD+ monitor with a high-end graphics card, and I've still had to drop the resolution a full slot to get better frame rates – indicating room for optimization.”
    • “There are different levels of graphics options, but more tweaking may be necessary to improve the visual experience.”

  • gameplay

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its responsive developer support, rich RPG elements with diverse items and abilities, and a strong story-driven experience. Combat can be somewhat tedious due to inventory management interrupting view, but overall the design, puzzles, and immersive world-building contribute to an enjoyable and thoughtful gameplay experience.

    • “It has reasonable gameplay and design features with lots of items, equipment, spells, and special abilities for your characters, making it a very story-driven RPG.”
    • “The aesthetic design of the characters and world, the music reminiscent of remastered classic RPGs, and subtle thoughtful implementation create a believable world with good level design for an enjoyable gameplay experience.”
    • “There are puzzles that, while simple and thoughtful, add to the gameplay experience rather than distract or detract from it.”

  • atmosphere

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised as pleasant and superb, complemented by fitting music and engaging graphics that enhance the overall experience. The combination of a wonderful story and smooth progression contributes to a captivating and enjoyable ambiance.

    • “The music is nice and fits with the atmosphere of the game well.”
    • “The story was great, the atmosphere superb.”
    • “It paints a nice atmosphere and the story is engaging.”

  • music

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music is well-suited to the game's atmosphere and changes appropriately across levels, enhancing the immersive experience. While not extraordinary, it is generally praised for fitting the world and gameplay well, contributing positively alongside the graphics.

    • “The music is nice and fits with the atmosphere of the game well.”
    • “I like the music change on the various levels as well.”
    • “The aesthetic design of the characters and world, the music which at parts sounds like it would fit well into a remastered Lands of Lore 1 (for me that's a good thing) and subtle thoughtfulness to the implementation of the world that makes it feel like it could be a real lived place while still fitting good level design for an enjoyable gameplay experience - that's not as easy to achieve as you might think.”

  • replayability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Replayability is mixed for this game; while some players enjoy multiple playthroughs to collect all content, many find it limited due to its linear structure and finite content.

    • “Fairly priced for the amount of content but little replayability.”
    • “The only downside is that there is not much replayability because the game is very linear.”
    • “(To my knowledge, you don’t find that out until you finish the game.) The good news is that there are people who’ve played through multiple times looking to get them all, so that does say something positive about the game's replayability.”

  • grinding

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game involves frequent inventory management to switch weapons or abilities, which can be tedious during combat as it blocks the view. However, the emphasis on stacking passive abilities adds meaningful gameplay depth, somewhat balancing the grind. Overall, while the combat and grinding may feel repetitive at times, the game’s story and mechanics remain engaging.

    • “Today's games are so bloated with features it becomes tedious to play.”
    • “The combat is a little tedious; having to open inventory which blocks view while trying to fight can get tricky.”
    • “Taking the time to open the inventory screen to slot in other weapons/spells/abilities is not that bad on occasion, but would be tedious on an ongoing basis in every fight.”

  • character development

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The character development in the game is engaging and unique, with a well-designed system that integrates skills and RPG elements effectively. Players appreciate the depth and variety it adds, encouraging exploration and discovery of rewarding secrets. Overall, it enhances the storytelling and gameplay experience despite some simplicity in combat.

    • “A unique character development system, a variety of locations, puzzles and secrets await you.”
    • “The character development, skills and RPG elements are all very engaging; you need to pay attention when exploring and there are plenty of secrets which are rewarding when you find them.”
    • “Excellent map, monsters, gear variety, good story, graphics, and character development.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, -50% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game shows room for optimization, as even high-end setups may require lowering resolution to achieve smooth frame rates. Some minor UI and performance issues, along with a few small bugs, are present but not game-breaking.

    • “I play on a UHD+ monitor with a high-end graphics card, and I’ve still had to drop the resolution a full slot to get better frame rates – so there’s room for optimization there.”
    • “I play on a UHD+ monitor with a high-end graphics card, and I’ve still had to drop the resolution a full slot to get better frame-rates – so there’s room for optimization there.”
    • “Some UI and performance issues in a few areas, a couple of bugs but nothing major.”

  • stability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The game runs smoothly and performs well even on older hardware, though some item physics glitches cause objects to behave unpredictably or end up in unusual locations.

  • monetization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    There is no relevant information about monetization in the provided user comment.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor is occasional and not its primary focus, but it complements a compelling story with sensible, natural dialogue that fits its fantastical world. The writing hints at deeper layers beneath the surface, enhancing the overall experience.

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Play Times

16h Median play time
12h Average play time
3-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dawn of the Ashen Queen is a role playing game with fantasy, mystery, medieval, historical and others themes. Common tags for Dawn of the Ashen Queen include grid-based movement, first-person, indie, magic, linear and others.

Dawn of the Ashen Queen is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 12 hours playing Dawn of the Ashen Queen.

Dawn of the Ashen Queen was released on November 7, 2024.

Dawn of the Ashen Queen was developed by Shattered Moon Games.

Dawn of the Ashen Queen has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Dawn of the Ashen Queen for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Dawn of the Ashen Queen is a single player game.

Similar games include A Quest That Became Legend, The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians, Legend of Grimrock, Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Archaelund and others.