Ash of Gods: Redemption Review

When I was given the opportunity to review Ash of Gods: Redemption I was really pleased, as it was a game I’d had my eye on for some time and would have been tempted to purchase anyway. It ticks all the boxes for me, a fantasy role-playing game with a strong emphasis on story and an art style that really appeals. Like all eagerly anticipated new releases, I felt an air of caution as I booted up the game, hoping it would be as good as I’d hoped it would. So did Ash of Gods: Redemption live up to my expectations?

Firstly, let me explain a bit more of what the game is. Ash of Gods: Redemption is a role playing game set in a fantasy world. The world in question is named Terminus and is what you’d expect from any medieval style fantasy style setting, but it’s executed very well. The basic story is that every so often, a ‘reaping’ takes place; basically a form of evil that wipes out all who come into its path and threatens the very existence of life. As you’d expect, as the player, you have to navigate this plague and save the world.

To do this you need to, not only make the the right moves on the battlefield but also make the right choices in the game’s story mode. The story mode is a particular strength of the game, as the writing and strength of the narrative is simply superb! The story is told from the perspective of three different characters, all with their own motivations and it’s your role to combine them to achieve the common goal, namely saving civilization. Each character is unique and likeable, meaning that it’s very easy to become invested in both their story arcs and the overall tale of Ash of Gods: Redemption.

An aspect of the game’s story mode I really enjoyed are the choices you have to make along the way. There are no right or wrong answers here and the decisions you make have a real impact on the game’s story. Some could be as simple as choosing whether to help a new character that you’ve just met, or more complex life and death decisions. Sometimes there is no right answer and whatever you choose leads to something unpleasant taking place. There is also the option of not making a decision and sometimes this can be the best choice you can make, but rest assured the game keeps the story lively and engaging as you never know what will happen next.

The second part of Ash of Gods: Redemption involves combat and again, the game is very clever at how it introduces this. Basically, you can tailor the game to suit your playing style. Prefer playing just the for the story? That’s fine, select this mode and the AI will control your characters once the battles start and you can watch on. Really like combat? That’s fine, the AI will do nothing at all during a battle, giving you complete control over the members of your team. There is also an option for players who want to control the fights, but have the AI assisting with the more mundane tasks. Basically, however you want to play it, Ash of Gods: Redemption will cater to your tastes; which ensures that each player gets the experience they prefer. I wish more games did this!

The battles function pretty much as you’d expect from a turn-based role-playing game. Pre-fight, you pick your team from the characters available, assign equipment and cards that activate special powers, then the battle begins. The battleground is basically a chess board where your characters move and attack, based on the instructions you’ve given them. Once your move is complete, the AI does the same and the battle continues until one team is completely wiped out.

The battles in Ash of Gods: Redemption are varied, depending on who you’re facing and it’s why you need to be selective in choosing which characters will be in your team. You could be facing demons, wizards or just regular grunts. The game mixes up the variety of enemies in such a way that no two battles ever feel the same.

Something to be aware of though is that when a character is felled, they receive a strike and once they have been felled four times, that’s it, they’re dead. Just as in Game of Thrones, no one is safe and whilst this can be frustrating at times, I actually really enjoyed this aspect as it ensured every battle remained a tense affair along with making me think harder about just who I should select in my team for each encounter.

Ash of Gods: Redemption’s visuals were a real highlight for me. They are cartoony, but in a serious style and it really fits in with the game world. The locations are varied and detailed and the game’s characters are all really well drawn and stylised. The level of polish in the game’s visuals is exceptional and makes this title really stand out.

There is limited audio in the game as the characters largely don’t speak apart from the odd comment, so prepare to get your reading head on. However the game’s score is also exceptional and fits in perfectly with the setting and game world. At no point did I become tired of listening to the music playing as the story unfolds and it remains varied enough to avoid being the same tune repeated.

Put simply, Ash of God’s: Redemption is stunning both in terms of visuals and audio!

The game is also great value for money, being priced at £24.99 on the Nintendo store (I played the Switch version) but is also the same price on the Xbox and Playstation stores. For this you will get around thirty hours of gameplay, but the story is strong enough that many will return to it for another play through. Even more that it is possible to play through again in a completely different style to your first run through.

I was very impressed by Ash of Gods: Redemption and the game more than lived up to my expectations. For anyone searching for a role playing game with a captivating story, great visuals and something to sink a chunk of your time into, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this title. It’s a fantastic game!

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Switch code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.