multiplayer or even the presence of
any companion, human or AI, entirely.
When you take away this unique
selling point, though, what’s left?
Well, first and foremost, a gorgeous
art style, reminiscent of Absolver or
Playdead’s Inside. Characters have
a smooth space where their facial
features should be, and the world is
composed of flat untextured blocks.
Everything looks dusty, and the rare
bursts of colour are striking.
It makes for an interesting place
to explore, especially because most
high ledges and hidden-away corners
will reward you for your trouble with
an item. This open-world adventuring
actually feels better on your own.
Playing with a partner, it’s easy to feel
guilty for holding back an expedition
so you can poke into every dark crevice.
When it comes to fighting, though,
it’s the other way around. Combat is,
by design, a bit lumbering. With every
attack, dodge or block draining your
stamina bar, you spend a lot of time
waiting for an enemy to complete their
attack cycle so you can get a couple
of blows in. Weapon reach is a huge
factor, and a little fiddly – miscalculate
a swing, and it will fall short of the
enemy you were targeting, leaving you
vulnerable. When fights, and lives, can
be lost in a couple of hits, this can be
intensely frustrating.Fight! Fight! Fight!
This is all still true with another human
around, but the rhythm of combat
makes much more sense when you’re
equal partners. One dives in, the other
ducks out while their stamina refills.
One can backpedal, luring enemies
towards them, their backs exposed
to a partner’s attacks. Lose that last
chunk of health bar, and – the first
time, at least – you’ll fall to your knees
rather than die outright, giving your
chum a chance to revive you.
These are the moments when you’ll
most treasure having company. Like
the games that inspired it, Ashen hassome fairly nasty difficulty spikes,
but they’re far less intimidating when
faced with a friend – even one who
doesn’t speak and you can only be
75% sure is a real person. It’s the most
convincing argument for this concept,
not just as a way of helping Ashen
stand apart from the ever-expanding
crop of Souls-likes, but as a genuinely
worthy addition to the formula. Which
is handy, because the fights you’ll
constantly be getting into – friend or
no friend – aren’t quite sharp enough
to compete on their own. QVILLAGE
PEOPLE
Ashen’s world can be
harsh and bleak, but
over the course of the
game you kindle a
spark of hope in the
form of Vagrant’s
Rest. It’s the game’s
only town, populated
with every lost soul
you meet along the
journey. As you
progress, the town
grows with you. In
mechanical terms,
that means new
opportunities for
upgrades and
crafting, but more
impactful is the
sensation of returning
to the town, to find a
new building has
sprung up seemingly
out of nowhere while
you were away.“Miscalculate a
swin and it will
fall short of the
enemy you were
tar etin leavin
you vulnerable”
ABOVEDungeon
doors require a
second pair of
handstoopen.
LEFTThey might
nothave faces,
butAshen’s
world is
populated by
a host of
colourful
characters.OXM VERDICT
Adecenttributeto
From Software’s
masterpiece,
elevated by its
co-op mechanics.7
FAR LEFTMost of
Ashen’s boss
fights are
actually a
blessed relief
compared to the
dungeons they
wait at the
bottom of.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 089