Best RPGs of Q4 2018
Ashen
Ashen drew quite a bit of attention back in 2015 when it was announced, mostly due to its striking art style. It’s been a long wait since then, but Ashen finally released on Xbox One, and it turns out it was worth the wait.
Ashen makes no attempt to hide its Dark Souls inspirations, and if you’re familiar with From Software’s iconic series, Ashen will fit like a glove.
Combat has the same methodical style right down to button mapping, and there’s a big emphasis on using timing and keyframes.
A few wrinkles are added onto the formula with Ashen’s open world and co-op. You can bring a friend or AI buddy along for the ride with you, letting you create more strategies for taking down enemies.
The muted cel-shaded aesthetic of Ashen also gives the game an entirely unique flavor, and its open world is gorgeous to behold, both before and after you save locations from the darkness that’s overtaken it.
If you’re a fan of the Souls-like you owe it to yourself to play Ashen, as it does a phenomenal job of adapting the core ideas of the genre while adding a few unique, interesting wrinkles on top.
