Of Ash and Steel Review

Ash and Steel Review

In their time, RPGs like the original Gothic (2001) were praised for their ambition and derided for their lack of technical excellence. Sometimes the mistakes and failures were cute and exploitable. Often the games were just bad. “Euro-junk” has become shorthand for games very similar to From ashes and steel. This is a game whose good, or at least interesting, ideas are marred by serious technical problems and faulty mechanics.

No hand holding

Of Ash and Steel places the player in the worn-out shoes of Tristan, a cartographer who unexpectedly finds himself stranded on Grayshaft Island. With few clues, he eventually ends up in the bustling main city, where the narrative picks up speed. Eventually, after completing quests, Tristan joins one of the three factions. But this happens only a few hours after the start of the game.

From ashes and steel specifically built on a very specific design philosophy. There are no hands, quest markers or dedicated NPCs. No trace of breadcrumbs or map for quite some time. Directions given by NPCs are most often vague, with the purpose of encouraging the player to head towards an opening, a new quest, or a hidden area. At the beginning, the main quest is simply “go to the docks and make a deal.” What docks? Where? Deal with whom? And why? Completing even the most minor side quest almost always involves moments of loss, confusion, or having to listen to endless lines of NPC dialogue. You never know where the next clue or quest will come from.

Games with this kind of story and quest design are potentially incredibly interesting. We're all tired of overly convoluted RPGs that leave little to the imagination. However, the lack of direction must be balanced by the joy of being in the space. Even if Red Dead Redemption 2 didn't have a narrative, spending time in the world would always be enjoyable. Here Of Ash and Steel takes on an inglorious and painful face. Even when the goals are relatively clear, there is always a glitch or frustrating mechanic that gets in the way of not only progress, but also a good time.

First of all, the news is not All Bad, just mostly

For a AA game, Of Ash and Steel's environments can look attractive, with particularly effective lighting throughout the day and night cycle. The medieval low fantasy art movement does not imply any specific cultural background, with the possible exception of other role-playing games. Exploring flower fields and shady forests is often fun. Although the game's music gets annoyingly repetitive, the ambient sound is well done.

When it comes to character design, be it human, animal or monster, Of ​​Ash and Steel is several generations behind in quality. There are some truly terrifying faces in the game, many of which are reused with minor changes. The game's lip syncing is generally terrible. On the plus side, Of Ash and Steel has a ton of voice acting and is surprisingly well choreographed. However, there are some problems. First, the game strangely substitutes different voices than the character's normal voice during combat or combat. Secondly, lines are often repeated and overlapped. Finally, the game clearly uses dialogue options to influence the story, but this system can often be made or broken.

But shipping and writing are two completely different disciplines. Most of the time, the game doesn't take itself too seriously and relies on humor. As a result, almost every character has a similar style. Conversations go on forever and are so meandering that it's easy to forget what the point is and what the direction might be. And of course, the game never accommodates interactions that occur out of sequence, resulting in glitches or confusing quests.

Not a fighter

If you were a humble cartographer rather than a trained fighter, you would have a hard time mastering the basics of picking up a sword or aiming a bow. There's definitely a logical element to the fact that Ash and Steel's fight seems terrible until Tristan trains and levels up. He will have a lot to learn: stamina management, blocking, parrying, and effective timing. Two problems: logical doesn't necessarily mean fun, and leveling up requires hours, a lot of gold, and a lot of failure and death. Meanwhile, getting there seems like a chore.

As with most NPCs, there are many systems and currencies associated with leveling up skills, weapons, and crafting. Most systems consist of several components. Experience earns skill points, but using them to level up costs gold. Of course, you need to find trainers, and they usually have quests to complete. You need to find crafting stations in the world. Ash and Steel's economy definitely needs some work. Almost every enemy, from rats to humans, leaves behind loot, but the vast majority of it is worthless junk.

Even when Tristan reaches a level of competence, the combat doesn't feel rewarding, fine-tuned, or effective. At best, the experience is less bad than when the player started. However, there is a good selection of melee and ranged weapons, which at least adds variety. Magic isn't absent, but it unlocks quite late and requires following a specific skill line, which takes forever.

As always, mistakes

Of Ash and Steel is one of those games where you immediately know you're in for a tough challenge from a technical standpoint. In this regard, it does not disappoint. From choppy animations to buggy subtitles, from characters walking through objects to quests that don't work, the game is the definition of junk. Sometimes it can be fun, but often mistakes and lack of polish only add to the frustration. Ash and Steel is ambitious. It wants to be a big, impressive, and multifaceted RPG that has one foot in the mechanics of the past and one foot in the present.

If you can temper your expectations and have an impressive tolerance for nonsense and polish, Of Ash and Steel has something to offer you. The world is interesting in some ways, even if what you have to do in it is rarely as fun as it should be. The main character goes through the game somewhat irritated and confused. Me too.

***PC code provided by publisher for review***