As someone who grew up in the ’90s, I remember chatting on MSN Messenger, downloading strange freeware from message boards, and the feeling of staying up late playing a horror title on a CRT monitor. From the start, the concept behind Among Ashes resonated with me—a game about playing an obscure horror title in the dead of night in the early 2000s. Its rough nature and unique take on the subject worked in a strange but effective way, creating a strong sense of time and place for the fictional events.
While not everything worked, and it felt a bit too influenced by games like P.T. in its later sections, the concept behind Among Ashes held up. I can’t wait to see what the developer does next. Among Ashes has a strong start, jumping into a Doom-style game called Demon Blood that effectively captures the feel of the era. This is interrupted when your friend Mark sends you a message about trying a new horror game he’s found. Sitting alone over the holidays with nothing better to do, you decide to download the game and dive in.
Inspired by titles like Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark, the game begins in familiar territory: a pair of detectives head to a mansion to investigate reports of screaming. For the first 30 minutes of gameplay, it feels very much like this style of game, complete with awkward dialogue and blocky graphics.
It is not until you begin investigating the mansion and encountering bugs and glitches that the dark history behind the game starts to emerge. What initially seemed like an interesting concept—a game within a game, filled with nostalgia—gradually becomes creepier and more unsettling, with the game’s world slowly bleeding into reality. Puzzles must be solved in both the real world and the game to make progress. It’s a great concept that kept me engaged, even with the issues I faced as I pushed through for review.
“The creature design in Among Ashes is solid throughout, with one of the later monsters being particularly unsettling…”
The gameplay in the two distinct sections of the game is markedly different. The in-game experience of Night Call is what you would expect from a first-person, late-’90s horror game. You explore rooms, pick up keys, use notebooks to save, and fight to stay alive as zombies try to kill you—complete with clunky gun mechanics and poor aiming.
The “real world” sections, by contrast, are much less interactive. There is little you can actually click on, and most of the gameplay revolves around your small apartment. It’s very reminiscent of P.T., at least in tone, though without the looping hallway. This is where you use your desktop PC to play Night Call and access the MSN Messenger-style chat interface to talk to your friend. You can also find links to read in your web browser, a detail familiar to anyone who grew up in that era.
“The story of Among Ashes is gradually revealed over the course of the game and succeeds in getting under your skin. “
Graphically, Among Ashes does what it needs to, but no section of the game pushes the limits of visual fidelity. The Night Call sections feel period-accurate, capturing a sense of horror and dread with as few polygons as possible. The real-world sections, while functional, give a sense of your life and home but don’t do much beyond that. The creature design in Among Ashes is solid throughout, with one of the later monsters being particularly unsettling—even if its movements and appearance are undeniably janky. Considering the size of the development team, Among Ashes accomplishes a lot, though its limitations in execution are evident. Ultimately, it’s the tone and horror that matter most, and in this area, the game excels.
The story of Among Ashes is gradually revealed over the course of the game and succeeds in getting under your skin. The mix of late-’90s gaming and computing, paired with old internet-style web articles and chat logs, works to establish an unsettling tone. As the game progresses, it builds on this atmosphere and intensifies the feeling of unease. There’s a grimy roughness to old retro horror games that makes them uncanny, and Among Ashes leans into this, pushing it to its limits and gradually testing your patience and sense of safety.
Even saying all that, I want to be very clear: Among Ashes can feel very indie at times, and I mean that in both good and bad ways. There is clearly a lot of passion behind this game. It is surprisingly expansive, with branching sections and additional areas set up just to be explored once.
“Among Ashes is filled with ideas.”
The game is also incredibly ambitious, constantly playing with the concept of a “real world” and a “game world.” It even includes an 8-bit-style game within the ’90s-style horror game, which is impressive in its own right. I haven’t even touched on some of the more elaborate aspects and complex puzzles encountered later in the game. Among Ashes is filled with ideas.
The issue I have with the game, however, comes down to the challenges faced by a small team building an expansive experience that pushes the boundaries of what most game engines are designed to handle. The concept is brilliant, and the blending of reality and fantasy is an ambitious one. However, it does not work as smoothly as I would have liked for much of the game, and at times, it completely breaks. On several occasions, I had to either reload a save or quit and reopen the game to progress.
Considering the size of the team and the scope they attempted to build with Among Ashes, many of these issues can be forgiven. Game design is challenging, and even larger teams encounter problems—especially when pushing the limits of what game engines are designed to handle. Many of the issues I experienced have since been patched for the full release, so most players won’t encounter the game in the state I first played it. However, I can’t help but feel that the overall experience was muddled by the bugs and glitches that pulled me out of the horror.
I truly enjoyed my time with Among Ashes, but I also recognize it can be a hard sell at times. This is a horror game that works best if you’re familiar with the era it draws from, as it builds on that knowledge and nostalgia. The game gets a lot right, delivering an unsettling and at times horrific experience—when it works. Despite my enjoyment, I know the bugs, issues and general jankiness may put some players off, making it a difficult game to fully immerse yourself in.
Even with these criticisms, there’s a lot for horror fans to appreciate in Among Ashes. The concept is fantastic, and as someone who loves horror, I appreciate seeing studios try something new. While not everything worked in Among Ashes, the talent on display is phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see what Rat Cliff Games does next.
