Ash of Gods: The Way

Ash of Gods: The Way is a turn-based roguelike RPG with strategy and card game elements, set in the fantasy world of Terminum. The game was developed by AurumDust, an independent studio, which also produced the previous game in the series, Ash of Gods: Redemption. This game, however, is not a continuation of the earlier title, although the plot is set in the same universe.

Plot

It has been 20 years since the Great War. The kingdoms of Frisia and Berkana have managed to keep the peace, but old grudges have not been forgotten and one side has already gathered forces to attack again. Thanks to a secret game known as "The Way", developed by the best strategists, Frisia has acquired new talented commanders. Young aristocrats had the opportunity to learn the art of war and those who were able to prove their tactical skills in the game gained both respect and command positions. Frisia's reconstructed and reinforced army is therefore ready to start another war. In order to survive, the second kingdom must buy itself the time necessary to prepare to repel the attack of the aggressors. At the risk of their lives, the Berkana's spies have managed to steal the rules of the game developed by the enemy nation. One of the main characters - Eik - plans to train his apprentice Finn according to the rules, so that he can take part in the next tournament organised by Frisia and face the commanders of the enemy kingdom.

Mechanics

In terms of game mechanics, The Way does not differ much from the previous game. Combat is based on a turn-based system and an important element of the battles is to develop a good strategy. Card game elements also appear here, as well as the ability to choose answers during conversations with various characters.

As in Redemption, each warrior has one action (attack, heal) per turn during a fight. Battles take place on boards divided into squares, where units chosen by the player and the enemy can move. On the right side of the screen, random cards are displayed with the types of warriors the player can use in a given turn (among them may appear such as Ranger, Guardian, Warlock, Blade Master or Deserter). Each character is assigned a specific class, affecting life levels as well as combat skills. The game has a wide range of available units, some of them are good in close combat, some in long-range combat, others again have primarily healing abilities, so they serve mainly as support. When you move the cursor over a card, information such as item limit (the maximum number of items that can be used to improve a character), speed and attack range are displayed. On the left side of the screen you will also see cards with special items or spells, the use of which strengthens the selected hero (some can increase life points, others increase the attack power of the unit, etc.). Blue boxes on the map indicate places where you can move your character. If the character is on a red field, he can attack. Which team wins is determined by the choice of tactics, taking into account the abilities of both their own and their opponent's warriors.

The goal of the battle is to reach the commander of the opposing team, who is at the back of the army, and kill him. However, the player must be careful that his own hero does not fall victim to enemy units in the meantime, otherwise he will lose the commander and lose the battle. Attacking the main hero is possible when one of the three lines is cleared of enemy units. The commander has a certain number of life points, which can be lowered not only by enemy attacks but also by some of the available special items, so it is worth keeping this in mind when selecting support cards. If the battle succeeds, the player will receive rewards at the end, e.g. in the form of gold, a warrior card or a special item.

Moving around the locations is done by means of a map. In each of the visited cities the player takes part in championships, undertaking a series of fights, which lead to a final battle with the game master. Before he can unlock the ability to fight his final enemy, he must first defeat his sidekicks. Fighting some of them only unlocks when certain conditions are met. After selecting one of the available options, special tasks may also appear, which the player must complete in order to achieve victory (once it will be using a certain number of warriors in battle, once it will be starting a fight with a specific unit). In addition, the player has the opportunity to fight each of them several times (after subsequent encounters, a higher difficulty level is unlocked).

The key to success is a well-crafted playing deck of 10 cards. The player can view and change the cards in the "Deck" menu. A warrior can be replaced by another captured or purchased character. Furthermore, several characters of the same class may be in the deck (this is unavoidable during the first battles). The same applies to support items, which can also be replaced by other purchased items. Moreover, player can increase the level of selected cards, which results in the upgrade of warrior's skills or strength of the item.

Between championships the player can also go to a merchant camp, where they can purchase additional cards or hold a dialogue with another character. The dialogues in the game are another important element of the gameplay. During conversations with different characters the player has the possibility to choose certain answers. These have an influence on how further events will unfold, e.g. whether a character will want to help train a hero.

Although The Way is not a continuation of the previous project - Ash of Gods: Redemption - its action takes place in the same world. So the player has the opportunity to visit the same places, listen to stories about the events taking place in Redemption, or even meet characters from the earlier game.

Technical aspects

Ash of Gods: The Way graphics has a similar feel to the previous game from the studio, with character models already known from the previous game. Once again we are dealing here with 2D graphic design, inspired by the works of Ralph Bakshi or classic Disney animations.