Dawn of the Ashen Queen

About

"Dawn of the Ashen Queen" is a grid-based, first-person dungeon crawler that harks back to 90s RPG games. As an Emissary in a post-Grand War Eshavon, you must investigate a surprise attack on a border town, revealing a plot that threatens the empire and uncovering the legacy of a millennia-old curse. Join forces with a band of unlikely allies to restore peace in this narrative-rich experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

graphics12 positive mentions

replayability4 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a charming atmosphere, reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers.
The character development system is engaging, with a variety of skills and classes that allow for customization.
The writing is well done, with an interesting story and enjoyable dialogue that adds depth to the game.

The combat system is overly simplistic and can feel unbalanced, making the game too easy at times.
There are several technical issues, including unresponsive keys and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
The skill system is limiting, as players can only equip a few skills at a time, which can hinder strategic gameplay.

graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their immersive quality, beautiful artwork, and varied environments, contributing to an engaging atmosphere. While the visuals are appealing, players are advised to pay attention to details to avoid missing important items, as equipment can be scarce. Overall, the graphics enhance the experience, especially for fans of first-person dungeon crawlers.
- “Great immersive graphics and artwork.”
- “If you appreciate first person dungeon crawlers, with varied character customization, attractive optimized graphics, enjoyable puzzles, exploration, secrets and a touch of adventure elements with engaging writing that runs smooth and loads quickly then get this game!”
- “It has quite a few aspects going for it: yes the graphics are very nice but if you don't pay attention to the details, you might miss quite a few items and this is important as so far in 3 hours of gameplay, equipment and objects are rare to come by, even weapons and armor.”
- “Graphic-wise, it looks pretty decent, and the places are nicely decorated and quite varied.”
- “Though, despite its simplicity, it can be fun to evaporate the monsters with some of the more 'graphic' spells.”
- “Visuals”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
11%
The story is praised for its engaging narrative and superb atmosphere, featuring compelling writing and character development that hints at deeper themes. While the art transitions are visually stunning, some elements feel less refined, and the combat can be tedious due to inventory management. Overall, players find the story enjoyable and reminiscent of other beloved titles, making it a highlight of the game.
- “The story seems interesting and sort of explains the choices of who will be in your team; you only create one main character (at least from where I am in the game).”
- “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.”
- “A pleasant non-hardcore adventure, with a wonderful story and atmosphere.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for being engaging and enjoyable, with many users highlighting its superb graphics and storytelling. Overall, it creates a pleasant and immersive experience that enhances the non-hardcore adventure theme.
- “The story was great, the atmosphere superb.”
- “It paints a nice atmosphere and the story is kind of engaging.”
- “A pleasant non-hardcore adventure, with a wonderful story and atmosphere.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is reminiscent of titles like Grimrock and Heroes X, featuring excellent art and a compelling story. While combat can be tedious due to inventory management blocking the view, the thoughtful level design and engaging puzzles enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the immersive world and aesthetic, contributing to a satisfying RPG gameplay experience.
- “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 the subtle thoughtfulness to the implementation of the world 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.”
- “There are puzzles, and while I'm not a puzzle fan myself, these are both simple enough (though thoughtful) and interesting enough to add to the gameplay rather than distract or take away from it.”
- “It's similar to other games like Grimrock or Heroes X, both of which I liked. The art for the story is excellent, as is the gameplay. The story itself is good so far.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is highlighted as a strong aspect of the game, featuring a unique system that integrates engaging RPG elements and skills. Players appreciate the variety of locations and the rewarding nature of exploration, although some note that the combat can feel simplistic. Overall, the character development adds depth to the gameplay experience.
- “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 that are rewarding when you find them.”
- “Excellent map, monsters, gear variety, good story (no voiceovers), graphics, and character development.”
- “Excellent map/monsters/gear variety, good story (no voiceovers), graphics and character development, but simplistic fast-paced combat and some level backtracking in empty corridors.”
- “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.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a fair amount of content for its price, but many users note that its linear design significantly limits replayability. Overall, while the initial experience may be enjoyable, the lack of varied paths or outcomes diminishes the incentive to replay.
- “The only downside is that there is not much replayability because the game is very linear.”
- “Fairly priced for the amount of content but little replayability.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, reminiscent of classic titles like "Lands of Lore 1." However, the absence of voice acting and sound effects is noted, which may detract from the overall audio experience. The thoughtful integration of music contributes to a cohesive and immersive world design.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “The music is nice.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game demonstrates good stability, running smoothly even on older hardware configurations. However, users have reported occasional glitches related to item physics, causing items to behave unexpectedly or end up in unusual locations.
- “Also runs great on my old setup (i7-8700, GTX 1080, 16GB, SSD).”
- “Also runs great on my old setup (i7-8700, GTX 1080, 16GB, SSD).”
- “There are also some glitches with items, which have weird 'physics' and might end up in strange places.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been noted to have some UI and performance issues in certain areas, along with a few minor bugs; however, these problems are not considered major.
- “Some UI and performance issues in a few areas, a couple of bugs but nothing major.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game reminiscent of titles like Grimrock and Heroes X, appreciating the excellent art and engaging story. However, the combat can feel tedious, particularly due to the inventory management that obstructs the view during battles. Overall, the experience is rated positively, with an average score of 8.5/10.
- “The combat is a little tedious, having to open the inventory which blocks the view while trying to fight can get tricky.”
- “Grinding feels repetitive and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the story.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not provide any specific insights into the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on performance and settings. Therefore, no conclusions can be drawn regarding monetization from the provided texts.
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is hit-or-miss, with some moments of genuine fun, though it is not the primary focus. The writing is sensible and contributes to a compelling story, featuring dialogue that feels authentic, even within its fantastical setting of magic and anthropomorphic characters.
- “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 comes off as coming from real characters - as real as a world with magic and talking werewolves and pandas.”