[HTML1]
During Microsoft's E3 2015 press conference today, they set aside a few minutes to showcase a few games coming out via their ID@Xbox service. The ID@Xbox service allows qualified independent game developers to self-publish digital games to the Xbox One.
One of these developers, Aurora44, took to the Xbox stage to demo their upcoming action RPG, Ashen. The open-world game focuses on a wanderer "in search of a place to call home," and features a world covered in ash. With no sun, the only natural light available to players comes from the eruptions that create the ash.
Within Ashen, players will build relationships with other gamers and build camps and towns in an effort to survive. Each player within the game will have their own agenda and goals, making the world engaging, and at times, hostile. Players will have to decide who to trust and let join their camps.
As the above trailer shows, the game presents players a unique gameplay experience filled with fantastic creatures and challenging experiences. While little else was revealed in the trailer, the game's official website provides some additional details about Ashen.
For instance, developer Aurora44 has created a "non-linear progression" within the game, that causes the world to move on without players. This feature causes no two games to be the same, as players "being in different places at certain times will alter the story in dramatic ways."
Ashen also features what Aurora44 is calling "High Risk Combat," stating that any encounter, no matter how trivial it may seem, has the potential to end in disaster for the player and those around them. In fact, understanding and knowing the land, and being patient, are probably the two most valuable weapons available to players, as they'll help keep them alive longer.
And those dangerous encounters aren't just other players, but also the numerous "rare, lonely giants and hungry, twisted inhabitants of the night." Monsters will be present in the game, and will act as continual threats to players, especially in the darkness. Teams of players will need to work closely together to survive, with each player watching his or her own back, ever mindful that a fellow player may use a bad situation to gain an advantage over others.
The premise of Ashen is fresh and exciting, especially for open-world exploration fans. No release date has been provided yet for Xbox One, though it's likely the game will release before the end of the year.
What do you think about Ashen on Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.
Ashen is coming exclusively to Xbox One at an undetermined point in the future.
