Combat here is excruciating stuff extremely punishing, slow and mostly nonsensical and it very often – if not always – descends into a turgid game of luck. Mechanically, on the most basic level, this is the exact same grid-based combat you'll know and maybe even possibly love from Stoic's game but, where AurumDust have aped a look and feel, they've managed to make a mess of the intricacies and balance. You set out as all three main characters, picking up a bewilderingly large crew of fighters along the way in order to strike back in combat sequences you'll instantly recognise if you've played The Banner Saga, except here they're absolutely awful. This is a world filled with magic that nobody seems to believe exists, a world haunted by a history of Reapings where no-one is prepared for the next. The Reaping.īut what is The Reaping? Well, it's something that everyone in Ash of God: Redemption's world simultaneously knows everything about but can't explain or believe when it occurs. Captain Thorn Brenin, Lo Pheng and Hopper Rouley are initially interesting characters, each one inextricably linked to the fate of the world here as the evil Reapers return to, well, reap during what's known as. Early hours see you get acquainted with the central characters, each on separate personal journeys which are destined to become intertwined in the later stages of the game. This is a gorgeous game, every bit as impressive to behold as its most obvious inspiration, and it's got a fantastic score – handled by Adam Skorupa and Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz (yes, that's Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz of The Witcher 3 soundtrack fame). Things do start off pretty well in Ash of Gods: Redemption. However, as much as it walks and talks a good game, as much as it looks and sounds the part, this is a hollow, infuriating, badly-written and bewilderingly punitive effort that very quickly drains any enthusiasm you may have to play it. It's got the exact same animation style, dark and brooding story, life-or-death decisions to be made, branching narrative, RPG elements, permadeath and tough grid-based combat.

Everything about AurumDust's turn-based RPG is influenced massively by Stoic's superlative dark fantasy effort, and that's fine. Ash of Gods: Redemption wants to be The Banner Saga so bad it hurts.

Ash of Gods: Redemption instal the new