Ash of Gods: Redemption

Just different enough from Banner Saga to keep it interesting

I'd played this game quite a bit since it was released on steam. I am, in fact, one of the backers. Frankly, this is a game in beta that needs to work on its balance elements. The nonsense around strixes turns an otherwise enjoyable game into a tedious slog that is neither fun nor enjoyable, in short, it's all a lot of tedious bs. Hopefully they fix it, frankly, I'll not recommend it as long as they focus on a mechanic that's included less for 'fun' and more for 'frustration', as many survival mechanics are when it comes to non-survival games.

If you value narrative quality, you have to play AoG. The tactical part is not flawless, but it is challenging and requires reflexion. I'll particularly remember the engaging story and above all a very original universe. It is very detailed and rich. A game a will remember for sure. I just finished it and will come back to it a little later to see other endings and try to save some characters. I hope the creator will think about a sequel or prequel.

Interesting setting, and the turn-based strategy fundamentals are there. But I walked away midway though due to a combination of 1) balance issues (the mid-game Ense enemies were routinely one- or two-shotting everyone) and 2) stability (a few frustrating CTDs). A lot of potential here, but the end result is frustrating more often than fun for me.

Pros: -Good music -Good voice acting -Great art. -Some really great ideas ruined by strange balancing issues and complete lack of informed choices. Cons: -You get one action per character. So does the enemy, meaning they are pretty much just as lethal throughout a battle. This sucks because your characters have long term penalties for dying in battle whereas your enemies don't -Spell cards don't really get better as you go, the more powerful cards can't be cast til later in battles, but also get terrible drawbacks making them worse. -Travel choices are meaningless if not downright misleading. The most egregious being the first one you make, which has a 1 in 3 chance of you losing about 1/3 of your precious strixes. -It's too easy to lose the whole game if you make some unlucky non-choices. My first playthrough I lost the game after about an hour due to not getting any strixes (I never rested and didn't lose any on the first choce) meaning all my characters were useless in combat and quickly died. -Combat is incredibly swingy with some enemies having massive range and damage, some even ignoring defense. -Some characters will die in the story, without any obvious way to save them, which can result in you losing the character you invested the most time into levelling up. Conclusion: Overall I'd avoid unless you're a big Banner Saga fan and are looking for a game with similar flavour and are willing to put up with Ash's shorcomings