{"id":43420,"date":"2017-06-23T20:40:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T18:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/?p=43420"},"modified":"2017-06-23T20:40:05","modified_gmt":"2017-06-23T18:40:05","slug":"seen-at-3-ashen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joypad.ch\/en\/visto-alle3-ashen\/","title":{"rendered":"Seen at E3: Ashen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ashen, a title from New Zealand studio Aurora44, is a game we've been waiting for a long time. First announced at E3 2015, it's an interesting indie survival title with a strong combat component. During E3 2017, Microsoft showed off the game again, both at the conference, during the showcase, and during the BCD (closed-doors) sessions at its booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Expected for November, alongside the launch of the Xbox One X, Ashen will immerse us in an almost stylized, completely open world where survival and exploration are the focal points of the experience.<\/p>\n

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\nSitting comfortably on a sofa, we listened attentively to the developers at Aurora44. In the forests and plains of Ashen, our character, a lone adventurer, must do everything to survive. We'll have complete freedom to explore groves and caves, collecting items and weapons. Described as a game with non-linear progression, high-stakes combat, and strong RPG elements, it won't be a very easy game, according to its creators themselves. Ashen's unique feature, however, is its multiplayer mode. The adventure will be shared with another player, automatically and randomly. Access to some dungeons (like the one shown to us at E3) will be restricted to two players, as will certain other types of actions. The unknown player accompanying us will connect to our game without the need for an invitation or lobby, but automatically and passively. We'll simply see another person in our area. It's then up to us to decide whether to continue together, based solely on their actions and playstyle, or to abandon the area and cause the stranger to disconnect. Currently, it's not even possible to contact strangers via chat, as the developers' goal is to offer a unique and unique gaming experience (one that, however, reminds us a bit of Journey on PS3 and PS4). The core of the gameplay is therefore based on randomly sharing the adventure. Upon our inquiry, however, we discovered that the game will provide NPCs to assist us if needed: for example, after the other player unexpectedly disconnects or in otherwise inaccessible areas. In short, no content will be blocked if we're playing without an internet connection.<\/p>\n

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\nIn the demo we saw, we learned that combat is challenging, requiring careful management of stamina and food supplies to avoid being overwhelmed by enemies. The gameplay is almost Souls-like, with a small number of enemies that nevertheless offer a fairly high level of challenge. It's therefore important to master timing and dodging, perhaps after a few moments observing the enemy's moves. The game features many RPG elements, such as inventory management, weapons, and loot. Weapons, in particular, can be one-handed or two-handed and have different stats for close-range and ranged attacks.<\/p>\n

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\nIn the first half of the demo, we saw the character wandering through a forest: humanoid enemies attacked the player from time to time as they approached their destination: a dungeon. After passing through a portal that required the intervention of a second player (an NPC in this particular case), we noticed how Aurora44 had placed a lot of emphasis on the concept of light and shadow. The game world is illuminated by a single light, located at the center of the landscape. The further we move away from it, the less illuminated the landscapes will be. Underground, however, we must rely on artificial lighting. In this dungeon, the player is given a flashlight that can be used to explore the underground passages, which are full of side paths and secrets (the developers revealed to us that they have literally filled the game with secret areas). The demo concluded in a room with a shadow boss. The enemy, which we found quite challenging, constantly tried to steal our light by jumping from one rock pillar to another. After a few minutes of fighting, however, the player prevailed, skillfully using close-range attacks and dodges. Ashen, as we said, has a distinctive, almost artistic visual style. The characters and NPCs lack clearly defined faces, and the game world is more cartoonish than realistic. This is something that many people turned down, but we found interesting and stimulating. It's a matter of taste.<\/p>\n

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\nAurora44's game has many aspects that intrigue us, but also some that make us turn up our noses. Mainly, the inability to play with a friend right now. During the brief Q&A session, we pointed out that this could dampen many people's enthusiasm, and the response was that they would think about it. There's still plenty of time before November!<\/p>\n

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