05th Apr2022

‘Ashwalkers’ Review (Nintendo Switch)

by Alain Elliott

Ashwalkers is not a type of game I have ever really played before. It’s an adventure survival game in which you make choices for your group of four (or less if you have unfortunately let one or two of them die on the journey) and those choices will determine what happens next. It sounded a little bit like the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books I loved as a kid but in video game form.

This particular story is set 200 years after the first geological disasters and the earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The world looks sparse and lifeless and you have to find your way through with small guidance on what to look out for.

I really liked the graphics in Ashwalkers, that cell-shaded style works really well, especially close-up. That’s when the characters, in particular, look their most interesting. The backdrops aren’t as exciting though but they are not really supposed to be. Much of the scenery is not there to be interacted with. The things you do interact with all look sharp. The only ‘colour’ in Ashwalkers is black and white (and greys in between) but it absolutely works with that style the game makers are going for.

The music might be subtle but it really does add, and actually create much of the atmosphere in Ashwalkers. There’s no doubt this atmosphere is one of the best parts of the game. You feel like it’s the end of the world. That this is post-apocalyptic and there’s always something lurking around the corner.

Unfortunately, there are things that don’t work with this atmosphere too. Many gamers will be put off by the slow pace. Despite what may be described as action on screen, this is still a deliberately slow and actually relaxing game. The fights, attacks and deaths are all just played out. You don’t physically control anything, you just decide, via text choices, what the characters do and then find out what happens next. It does work fine that way but don’t go in expecting any different. This does mean though that there’s no real tension to the game. This slow pace stops any of this from having as big an effect as it should.

With there being so many choices from all four characters in many different situations, there’s plenty of replay value here. Almost every play through of the game will feel different (to a certain degree). With each complete run at about 2 hours and 34 different endings possible, there’s plenty of longevity here.

Perhaps the best part of the game is learning how to play it. That might sound silly but learning what each symbol on screen means and how each character is different is fun. Those four characters – Petra, Sinh, Kali and Nadir – are all different and act in different ways.

The worst part of the game is actually how it plays on the Switch. At times it is near impossible to play in handheld mode. Often the writing is too small to read and even when it is big enough, white writing on a white background isn’t a good combination.

There’s more though as sometimes the controls don’t feel very responsive and even walking gets a little annoying. The occasional graphical glitch can be forgiven but when there are glitches in gameplay that leave you unable to do anything but go back to the main menu and start up the saved game again, it gets very frustrating.

These problems are annoying but Ashwalkers is still a good game. Working out the best ways to keep your group alive and having the chance to do it in many different ways and scenarios means you will go back again and again. I’m not sure I liked the game enough that I will see all 34 endings but if you want to play a relaxing post-apocalyptic game, Ashwalkers is the way to go.

*** 3/5

Ashwalkers is available on the Nintendo eShop now.

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