I was immediately intrigued by Of Ash and Steel when I saw it, specifically because of how ambitious it looked for an indie project. For what appears to be the first game by developer Fire & Frost, its size and scope as an action RPG seemed pretty impressive, and I’m always on board with indie studios punching above their weight if they can manage it.
Getting to go hands-on with Of Ash and Steel was a bit of a conflicting experience. There’s a lot I want to like about it—heck, there’s a lot TO like about it. But it’s also pretty clear it may need a few more months in the oven to fully cook. Fire & Frost supposedly were inspired to make RPGs that captured the style and feel of 2000s-era RPGs, and I would definitely say Of Ash and Steel is giving me those vibes—for better and worse.
Of Ash and Steel puts players in the medieval boots of a humble cartographer named Tristan. “In the wake of certain events in the capital of Asteria,” he journeys with a small crew to the island of Grayshaft and quickly goes from cartographer to adventurer. It’s a simple story that feels surprisingly fresh. It isn’t the typical zero-to-hero story that most RPGs tend to feature; instead, it features a fairly likable protagonist with a thirst for knowledge and adventure—seemingly mirroring the way more RPG enthusiasts approach the genre.
“Fire & Frost supposedly were inspired to make RPGs that captured the style and feel of 2000s-era RPGs, and I would definitely say Of Ash and Steel is giving me those vibes—for better and worse.”
The way Of Ash and Steel approaches its gameplay should feel pretty familiar to fans of open-world RPGs, but it still finds ways to add interesting twists to the formula that make for a rougher, more intense experience. The island of Grayshaft is a dangerous place, and survival is put front and center in this experience. While fairly standard survival elements like managing hunger are present, what interested me was how Of Ash and Steel implements a wound system.
Tristan isn’t a beefy barbarian hewn from the side of a mountain, and certain attacks can inflict Minor Wounds upon him. While minor wounds will cause some stat reduction, making combat more difficult, if left untreated, further attacks will see them develop into Major Wounds, which can make things substantially worse and possibly result in death.
Combat itself has a unique weight to it that feels both fluid and hefty at the same time. Players need to be incredibly aware of the fight and time their blocks and parries alongside movement in order to get the upper hand in a fight. It’s a far cry from any Bethesda RPG where players just mash the attack button until they win, or even a Soulsborne where combat is punishing but easy to cheese if you know what you’re doing.
However, I think it needs to be said that this preview of Of Ash and Steel shows that the game still has A LOT of work left to do to really tighten the experience. A certain jankiness was present throughout the entire experience, and a lot of seemingly obvious mistakes were still present. Certain menu options were left untranslated from Russian, and several character names were incorrect—or unchanged from previous versions. Facial animations can get really weird at times, and the hands don’t seem to be rigged to any bones, as most animations cause the fingers to twist in every direction.
That being said, I’m still genuinely impressed by Of Ash and Steel and genuinely can’t wait to see a more robust version of it when it’s ready. There is a solid foundation for something really enjoyable here; all it needs now is for the issues that are still present within the preview build to be ironed out. Of Ash and Steel has a genuinely incredible style, a lot of fun characters and a fascinating world that I hope to explore a bit more.
