Quests send you from those idyllic locations to a frigid snow-covered area beset with a thin fog that’s filled with oversized spider monstrosities waiting to claw out from beneath the surface. The tussle between light and darkness is clearly reflected in the world design.

Ashen compelled me to explore not just to acquire new weapons and key items, but also to see all it has to offer. Much later, you stumble into a majestic, ancient city at the foot of a towering castle, shimmering beneath the sunlight. When you emerge into the newfound light for the first time you’re greeted by rocky terrain split up by patches of grass, trees, the soothing current of a calm river, and crumbling stone buildings. The main way it does this is with its open world and cartoonish art style, which are less about forcing you into dangerous corridors and more about welcoming you to marvel and explore its diverse and perilous environments. Ashen peeks out of the shadows and spreads its wings by adding its own flavor. “And yet, despite all of this crystal-clear inspiration, I never felt as if I was playing a shameless knockoff Dark Souls. Though understated in its delivery, it’s a stirring and atmospheric tale. As you begin to restore a normal semblance of life to this world, the beauty of what was once lost in darkness becomes even clearer. The heart of the story comes from the environments you explore, the people you meet, and their mixture of hope and despair as they await the return of the Ashen. The eponymous god – a large, radiant bird – disappeared years ago, sending the world that it had kept whole into a bleak period of darkness. Whether you’re tiptoeing through a shadowy dungeon, squaring off against a massive boss, or exploring off the main pathway, Ashen has enough of its own ideas to feel additive instead of derivative.Ashen tells a standard but well-written story of a battle between light and darkness, elevated by solid voice acting. Those, combined with charmingly minimalistic two-player co-op, elevate Ashen to more than just a Dark Souls clone. A44’s action-RPG wears its Dark Souls-inspired identity proudly, delivering nearly identical mechanics and progression systems along with a captivating open world and gorgeous art style. Like a home away from home, Ashen feels both startlingly familiar and original.

Ashen metacritic download