Among Ashes Preview - I Get What They're Going For

It’s a dark and stormy night outside. You’re home alone. The era is the scariest one you could possibly inhabit – the early two thousands. Your friend sends you a link to a free horror game, Night Call. The post from the developer that posted it is weird to say the least, but whatever. You play the game, and it really is strangely unsettling. But then, as you progress, strange things start happening in your apartment. Seems like there’s more to this Night Call than meets the eye. All in all, a pretty decent premise. But does it work? Well…

Here’s the thing – Among Ashes is two games. One is the game within the game, aka Night Call. You spend the bulk of the demo playing it. And I like that part a lot. It is a love letter to first-person horror games of the time, including stilted voice acting that weirdly adds to the atmosphere rather than detracts, characters tat all have the last names of famous horror authors, very limited saves, a clunky inventory, the works. And it really works! I had the heebies and the jeebies through the whole thing. The enemies are suitably horrific, the mystery has me hooked, the retro graphics look cool… I just want to keep playing.

But then, the “actual” game creeps in. I didn’t mind it initially. The flickering lights that you can just barely notice on the screen of the in-game computer had me excited to see what’s next. Turns out, it’s actually a bog-standard jump scare that takes place in Night Call and which took me straight out of the experience. It’s followed quickly by a crash somewhere in the apartment, which I had to investigate. And all the good will left me, because Among Ashes then turns into a dime-a-dozen first-person horror game, hundreds of which litter Steam. The character is difficult to control, he moves at a glacial pace… ugh. And my ultimate reward was another low-quality jump scare.

I wish Among Ashes just let me play Night Call. I like Night Call a lot. I don’t need the Among Ashes bit at all. But perhaps I’m being too harsh. Maybe the framing device has more to offer than can be seen in the demo. I see what they’re trying to do; a well-made game-within-a-game concept could set them apart from other, similar experiences. There’s still time before the full game launches, plenty they can do to improve the experience. And as far as I’m concerned, Night Call alone is worth the price of admission. I just wish I didn’t get interrupted by a spoopy demon girl while I’m trying to enjoy my game. If you want to play the Among Ashes demo for yourself, you can do so for free on Steam.