Posted on: May 23, 2021
FKAWMEWB
Verified ownerGames: 171 Reviews: 22
Bleak, artistic, and a trial of patience
A volcanic event has turned the world into a desert of ash and ice; what's left of mankind is confined to high-tech domes; yours is failing; you're the third and last squad sent out to find a new home for your people. Your group of four offer choices for which paths to take, what to do with old gear and ruins you find, and how to approach wild beasts as well as fellow humans. To keep them going, you gather resources and make camp to manage their health, energy, warmth, food, and hope. This game is all about branching narratives. As you progress through increasingly inhospitable landscapes, you really navigate a tree of named events like The Vulture or The Button. Your decisions influence stats and resources as well as the direction you take. Many of them also have more subtle repercussions, for example on your relations with the tribal Outsiders. If squad members die, so dwindle your choices, which matters most in the late game when you choose what's left of 34 possible endings. There's lore to be found as well, and fireside convos help you get to know your squad. Bleak b/w landscapes, the camera following you on fixed paths, a title introducing each encounter - Ashwalkers is like walking through an art gallery, pausing at every painting. This is also my biggest gripe: Run after run, you watch your squad trudge along, click through the same camera pans and slowly appearing bits of text. This is especially aggravating since most of the endings branch off in the last minutes of the game. Granted, you can start in a custom starting zone, but I'd rather play through the whole experience with less, well, waiting. From the 4th run or so, I watched videos on the other screen while my squad trudged on. That's a shame, as the game's stylised visuals and hypnotic music can make for an almost meditative experience. I understand it's deliberate and fits the story, but with choices and endings being a major selling point, the game's slow pace still seems to weigh it down.
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