Ash of Gods: Redemption

1. Aterdux

   Mar 29, 2018

   10

   Really good game, great story, impossible to stop following it. Gorgeous presentation. The game for me works much better as a visual novelReally good game, great story, impossible to stop following it. Gorgeous presentation. The game for me works much better as a visual novel rather than a turn-based RPG. I will go back to combat after I finish the first play through.
   
   Initially I thought it was a Banner Saga clone and missed this game Kickstarter. But then | got to play it during a video game conference and fell in love with it. I know the art looks a bit like Banner Saga and combat also seems similar, yet the game has a lot of innovations to stand on its own.
   
   And wonderful story. Oh, did I say it again? Well, it's worth repeating!… Expand

   • 12 of 16 users found this helpful
2. Kai82

   Dec 15, 2021

   10

   It is like Banner Saga a mixture of a strategic RPG and survival management. However it improved the gameplay formula with some greatIt is like Banner Saga a mixture of a strategic RPG and survival management. However it improved the gameplay formula with some great additions. The mixture of this made a challenging gameplay with lot of hard decision. Also the art style, soundtrack and graphics are excellent and enhance the immersion. I must admit that many say and criticize that it is nearly a 1 on 1 copy of Banner Saga or even outright plagiarism but I say this is a good thing as the Banner Saga is truly excellent and the game has its merits. The story of the game is written by Russian author Sergey Malitsky. I did not know him before but this awakened my interest for his works. It is presented like a visual story and you have to make decisions that can have anything from minor to critical results. It is set in a world named Terminus which has medieval technology and magic exist but not in large amounts. After a flashback several hundreds years ago where a group of immortal warriors stopped an apocalyptic event called “The Reaping” by sacrificing themselves the story starts. It focus on the travel of three groups as a new apocalyptic event seems to start (I am vague to avoid spoilers). There is the retired guard captain Thorn Brenin and his daughter who are forced into a journey, then there is the healer / scholar Hopper Rouley who is more than it seems and finally the assassin Lo Pheng who is a member of an ancient order. Those 3 and their allies will be deciding the fates of the world if they survive. The story has branches and it is not granted that all characters will reach the final. The story is well written and interesting. I was invested into the characters, lore and world. I must remark that you will not get all answers immediately as the characters themselves do not know the reasons behind the events. At the end you will have answers but also other questions (Set up for a sequel and other motives existing as well). My only critique here is the translation (German version) which is not good. The English version is better. Gameplay: You travel on routes you can chose to your destination. Depending on them there are events, battles, decisions and other things. I like to have more options than in Banner Saga and it feels good. A key element are gems called Strixes. These protect you and you should avoid to run out of them. This can lead to some hard decisions. The events, choices and different routes are to my fullest liking and improved this in comparison to Banner Saga. The battles are turn based and require strategy. Each side has alternating turns no mater the numbers but you can chose the order. Example you have 6 characters so after 12 turns you have used every character once. Like I said the order depends on you as you cant use a character again before all of your others have acted in this turn too and ended the round. This is dangerous when you have spared the most powerful enemies until the end. Each character has abilities you can use. There is a resource called energy that is mandatory for some abilities but also can be used for extended movements. You gain experience through battles and can learn and improve abilities. There are some interesting options and character variety. Don't expect to completely change a characters role. There are magic cards you can use. The better the later you can use them as there are minimum rounds for activation. Those can be won or bought and mostly are in multiple parts you have to collect. Some are pretty useful. I nearly forgot that downed characters in battle are injured and have lowered stats. I costs time to recover and Strixes. There is more like items, moral and loyality but you will get used to this. Like I said there are branches including multiple endings and you can fail in small and big situations. Some decisions are better than others. Presentation wise the game is excellent. The art style is amazing and the graphics enjoyable. The visual novel style works really well. The soundtrack was even better. It impressed me multiple times during my playthrough. There are some negatives: The already mentioned poor translation (German version only), the story could be told a bit better (reveals faster done) and a few bugs I encounter like minor control problems. Overall this was still a 10/10 for me. I liked the Banner Saga and this is pretty much a carbon copy. The characters, lore and gameplay won me over.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. andyche

   Jan 3, 2021

   10

   Most of the people who gave negative reviews are from people who complain about similiarity with Banner Saga. The art style looks similar, butMost of the people who gave negative reviews are from people who complain about similiarity with Banner Saga. The art style looks similar, but is it really bad? Game gives you decent story, really good characters, unique setting. I've enjoided playing AoG so much. There are cons, but they aren't really important for me (like small fonts or sequence of turns in the battle mode). If you like BS - 90% you will like AoG. Looking forward for the next game from these guys.… Expand

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
5. przeprze

   Jul 19, 2020

   8

   I played the game twice now, and it keeps growing on me. Admittedly, the first time the whole experience was marred with "The Banner SagaI played the game twice now, and it keeps growing on me. Admittedly, the first time the whole experience was marred with "The Banner Saga clone" controversy and release bugs, but two years later, without comparing it to TBS, the game actually shines.
   
   Pros:
   - characters;
   - atmosphere;
   - the main story, while derivative, brings many interesting nuances to the table;
   - variability and replayability: there are a lot of literal path to chose, many decisions to make, and most of them have notable consequences, namely your characters dying left and right, altering the further development of the story;
   - battle mechanics - I actually like it much more than The Banner Saga's one; it's much more free-flowing and, with some characters having completely different sets of abilities, quite a lot of fights rather resemble dynamic puzzles;
   
   Both a pro and a con:
   - visual presentation: yes, it's very much reminiscent of TBS, and, in some places, it's not quite up to par; however, it has enough unique elements to be its own game and not just a blatant ripoff;
   
   Cons:
   - at times stale and hamfisted writing and dialogues;
   - pacing issues, especially in the third act;
   - some classes seem to be drastically less useful than others, so quite a lot of characters end up never used;
   - some choices are either not foreshadowed enough or just have very strange internal logic to them, especially on Lo Pheng's route (which requires a manual not to screw up everything and everyone and actually get at least the slightest chance at a decent ending); and yes, while the unpredictability makes it more fun in some parts, in others it causes serious frustration because what you think characters will say based on a prompt and what they actually say or do may just be drastically different.
   
   Overall, this game is quite an enjoyable story-driven experience with dynamic battles, a thick atmosphere, and some seriously amazing character development.
   
   7.5-8/10… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
6. Asderout

   Mar 29, 2018

   8

   How incompetent became the game journalism and their critics. The game is apparently great, who are all talking about the copying BS or notHow incompetent became the game journalism and their critics. The game is apparently great, who are all talking about the copying BS or not played in the Ash of gods, or have not played BS.… Expand

   • 8 of 12 users found this helpful
7. cottandy

   Mar 24, 2018

   7

   Overall a good game, recommended to everyone. Even if you're no fan to turn-based strategies, you can try it just for the beautiful art andOverall a good game, recommended to everyone. Even if you're no fan to turn-based strategies, you can try it just for the beautiful art and story. Especially for the ones, who doesn't like tough fights, there's an option in the beginning of the game, where you can choose, whether to play only for the story or either for it and for TBS combat.
   
   And one can't help comparing it with its inspirer - "Banner Saga", because it's too similar practically in everything - art, gameplay, combat, etc. If you haven't played either, you should definitely start with the better "Banner Saga" and if you like it, absolutely should continue with "Ash of Gods".
   
   Nice story, music and overall gameplay, but in "Banner Saga" everything was slightly better, maybe except for the music. Though of course each can find his own pros and cons in both games. The story and characters are different of course. Storytelling is interesting and long enough, so you can definitely enjoy the game. The only thing they spoiled in "Ash of Gods" is combat, but it's also not bad. You won't just find anything new and interesting in fights here, because there are already several games with quite the same mechanics, abilities, style, etc. F.e., "Battle Brothers" is a much suoperior TBS concerning combat, "Banner Saga" is better too, "The Great Whale Road" is worse, but similar.… Expand

   • 10 of 16 users found this helpful
8. CroGerA

   Mar 28, 2018

   0

   This is a very bad plagiarism of "The Banner Saga". No, it´s not inspired, it´s just stolen and also very bad. I can´t beleive it thatThis is a very bad plagiarism of "The Banner Saga". No, it´s not inspired, it´s just stolen and also very bad. I can´t beleive it that AurumDust can be this brash.… Expand

   • 8 of 31 users found this helpful

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