Of Ash and Steel Review Summary
Last updated: 2026-06-18
- Strong Gothic influence praised
- Game is charming and fun
- Story has strong moments
- Vague quest objectives
- Poor combat system
- Frequent crashes and startup failures
Archetypes
Hardware
Windows 12-15GB VRAMmixedWindows 8-11GB VRAMpositive
Snapshot History
Positive
Negative
315
60%
40%
161
99%
- Sample precision
- Helpful reviews
- 95%
- Unhelpful reviews
- 5%
- Protest reviews
- 0%
- 1%Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
- 99%Helpful reviews with negative sentiment
- Positive points
- 109
- Negative points
- 639
- Gameplay points
- 147
- Perf. points
- 79
- Rec. points
- 112
- Misc points
- 0
| Point | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
Strong Gothic influence praised
| The game strongly evokes Gothic and Risen, with a Gothic feel and old-school RPG atmosphere that scratches the Gothic itch. Progression from weak to powerful is satisfying. | 34% |
Game is charming and fun
| Multiple reviewers find the game engaging and charming, describing it as excellent, interesting, or fun. The core loop is enjoyable and overall sentiment is positive. | 28% |
Story has strong moments
| The story has intriguing moments and some good story points in later chapters, though it is described as unoriginal by one reviewer. No story bugs encountered, and writing is considered not awful. | 27% |
Early game is enjoyable
| Many reviewers enjoyed the demo, the start of the game, or early content such as the prologue and exploration from the hut to the camp. Initially interesting and fun. | 22% |
Atmosphere and music praised
| The atmosphere is widely praised as fantastic, with special mention of music that includes Gothic references and evokes the desired mood. | 22% |
Voice acting is good
| Voice acting, especially for Cordelius and the protagonist, is pleasant and good. Russian voice acting also receives praise. | 19% |
Exploration is rewarding
| Exploration is good, with many nooks to explore and lots of locations with good puzzles. Can climb and grab ledges. | 19% |
Passion and depth evident
| The passion behind the project is evident, and the game has amazing detail, quests, depth, and a good game structure. Concepts are solid. | 19% |
Core gameplay loop satisfying
| The core Gothic-like gameplay loop, skills, and superficial elements (follower system, brawls, progression) are enjoyable. Typical Gothic gameplay is present. | 17% |
Dialogues are humorous and fitting
| Dialogues are funny, lively, and use appropriate language for social class. References to Gothic 2 appear, and later chapters feature good dialogues. | 16% |
Story not awful but not unique
| While some find the story unoriginal, others consider it okay, fair, or not awful. The narrative has potential. | 14% |
Rewarding progression system
| Progression from nobody to powerful is satisfying. The hero starts very weak, and map, weapons, equipment require effort to obtain. | 13% |
Few bugs, active patches
| Only one bug was encountered in 80 hours on a recent patch, and developers have fixed many bugs. Patches and improvements are coming. | 13% |
Easter eggs and lore present
| Many easter eggs and references are noted, along with some cool characters. Lore notes in the starting area add depth. | 12% |
Great roleplay potential
| The game offers exciting roleplay potential and good content for RPG lovers. | 9% |
Enjoyed despite flaws
| Reviewers are enjoying the game overall despite flaws, and some managed to finish it despite issues. | 9% |
No hand-holding is a plus
| No quest markers and no hand-holding are considered positive features. | 9% |
Variety of features available
| Features like fishing, crafting, cooking, alchemy, skinning, smithing are present, along with well-done superficial elements like follower system and brawls. | 9% |