Sunset's Ashes

Experience the short story of Alex and Nic as they share memories with each other while climbing a mountain together for the first time. For years, Alex has been going for climbs, and trying to get Nic to join. It’s a chance for them to remember their lives together and know why this climb is so important.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 102 reviews

story31 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The story is emotional and touching, with a surprising twist at the end that resonates with players.
The artwork and music are beautiful, enhancing the overall experience and atmosphere of the game.
It's free to play, making it accessible for anyone looking for a short visual novel experience.

The game is extremely short, with limited choices that do not significantly impact the outcome, leading to a lack of character development.
One achievement is locked behind a paid DLC, which many players find frustrating and feels like a cash grab.
The user interface is lacking essential features like a save option, dialogue history, or a skip button, making replaying the game tedious.

story
97 mentions
32 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story of "Sunset's Ashes" revolves around a couple, Alex and Nic, as they reminisce about their lives while climbing a mountain, offering a bittersweet and emotional narrative. While the game is short, taking about 25 to 30 minutes to complete, it features multiple paths that provide different story elements, encouraging replayability. Despite some criticisms regarding its brevity and the inclusion of paid DLC for additional content, many players found the writing, visuals, and music to be beautifully crafted, making for a touching experience.
- “The story unfolds like a delicate flower, revealing layers of emotion and depth with each petal 🌸.”
- “The story focuses on the couple Alex and Nic reflecting upon their memories and life and deals with the concepts of love and loss.”
- “A short but effective story about love and mountains.”
- “The story feels very bland and uninspiring.”
- “Here, I summed up basically 95% of the story for you, so you can save 50 minutes on this excuse of a visual novel.”
- “This is one rare instance where I would say having choices in a visual novel is a bad thing, and that the storyline should have been linear.”
graphics
22 mentions
50 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning artwork and beautiful visuals, while others note the limited quantity of artwork available. Overall, the visuals are described as high quality and captivating, but the lack of variety leads to a perception of simplicity. Despite this, many players find the combination of visuals and music to create an engaging experience.
- “With its stunning artwork and captivating soundtrack, this visual novel is a feast for the senses 🎨🎶.”
- “The backgrounds are lovely and the one CG fits the art style of them quite well.”
- “Graphics: 10/10 more than beautiful or fantastic.”
- “The art style feels uncanny.”
- “There is very little artwork.”
- “This was the first visual novel I've read/played; however, with so few artworks, I would describe it as a short text-based story.”
music
22 mentions
73 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in this visual novel is widely praised for its high quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its soothing and fitting nature that complements the stunning artwork. While some mention the simplicity and limited variety of the soundtrack, it is generally described as captivating and perfectly aligned with the narrative, contributing to a touching and immersive experience. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals and evocative music creates a memorable sensory experience for players.
- “With its stunning artwork and captivating soundtrack, this visual novel is a feast for the senses 🎨🎶.”
- “The music just fits perfectly and the pictures are so beautifully painted.”
- “The story is short (it actually takes about a half an hour to finish reading it) but very touching; the CG works are awesome, and the music really helps to create the atmosphere, as well as the snow particles.”
- “Music was ok.”
- “There's only one music track, but it is high quality and appropriate for the subject matter.”
- “Simple, fitting music.”
emotional
21 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the visual novel is highlighted by its ability to evoke a wide range of feelings, from laughter to tears, as players engage with its heartwarming and bittersweet narrative. Many reviewers noted the game's short length does not diminish its emotional impact, with several expressing that they cried during the touching story of a loving couple. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals, music, and heartfelt writing contributes to a deeply moving experience.
- “You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll fall in love all over again as you accompany the characters on their heartwarming journey.”
- “A very touching message and one that everyone should hear.”
- “Even for a 15 minute read, I did emotionally cry a little because of the story.”
gameplay
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The gameplay is limited, resembling a brief visual short story rather than a full visual novel, with a playtime of only 30 minutes. It may appeal to achievement hunters, but overall, it offers minimal choices and depth.
- “Starting with gameplay, this game has very few choices in it, sort of a visual short story (too small to be a full visual novel, in my opinion).”
- “With a gameplay of 30 minutes, I recommend it to all achievement hunters out there.”
humor
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty dialogue and a humorous storyline, with a standout comedic element being the male character's obsession with butts. Overall, players find the humor to be a notable aspect of the experience.
- “The dialogue is witty and funny.”
- “The storyline itself is very humorous.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is enhanced by impressive CG artwork and a fitting musical score, which together create an immersive experience, despite the short story length of about half an hour. The inclusion of snow particles further contributes to the overall ambiance.
- “The story is short (it actually takes about half an hour to finish reading it), but very touching. The CG artwork is awesome, and the music really helps to create the atmosphere, along with the snow particles.”
- “The story is short (it actually takes about half an hour to finish reading it), but it is very touching. The CG artwork is awesome, and the music really helps to create the atmosphere, along with the snow particles.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a lack of meaningful character development, with players noting that characters do not undergo significant growth or change throughout the game.
- “There's no real character development or anything like that.”
- “The characters feel flat and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
- “I was disappointed by how predictable and one-dimensional the character arcs were.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally rated positively, with users giving it a score of 7, indicating that while there may be some minor issues, the overall performance is satisfactory and runs smoothly for most players.
replayability
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that while multiple choices in the game may not be essential to the experience, they enhance replayability by offering different paths and achievements to pursue, encouraging players to revisit the game.
- “The game offers a variety of choices that significantly impact the story, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- “With numerous achievements to unlock and different paths to explore, I find myself coming back for more every time.”
- “The replay value is incredible; each decision leads to unique outcomes, encouraging multiple playthroughs to experience everything.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless since the outcomes are often the same.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back, as the achievements don't add much value.”
- “The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the lack of a save/load feature, which forces them to complete playthroughs in one sitting. Additionally, the inability to review or skip previous text further contributes to the repetitiveness of multiple playthroughs, especially with the DLC content.
- “On a more technical side, there is no save/load feature, requiring you to finish a playthrough in a single sitting. There's also no way to review previous text or skip text, which can make additional playthroughs a little tedious, especially with the DLC.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the story.”
- “I found myself spending hours on grinding for resources, which took away from the enjoyment of the game.”