Background information
Hollywood Animal: the glitz, sleaze and glamour of Tinseltown
by Kim Muntinga
"Rimworld" was yesterday? This is how "Ascent of Ashes" fares
31/7/2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Kim Muntinga
Developed by former "Rimworld" modders, "Ascent of Ashes" aims to do many things differently. In its current state, however, little of it succeeds.
08:12, day 1: I look out over a wide, green-yellow expanse of grass. Rolling hills, gnarled trees, scattered stones. Five survivors stand lost in the landscape.
The beginning of «Ascent of Ashes» feels like a silent prologue. No dramatic crash, no buzzing explosions, just: being there. My group consists of characters such as «Magnus», «Skipper», «Wen», «Blunt» and «Jasmine». Each of them carries their own rucksack full of skills, injuries and idiosyncrasies. I let them stand there for the time being and get my bearings. The camera can rotate freely in the 3D world, the style is angular and clear: somewhere between cartoon and voxel edge.
What's on the screen is easy to describe in theory: «Ascent of Ashes» is a top-down colony-building game in a post-apocalyptic setting. An indie project. Developed by the small German team Vivid Storm Interactive - the brains behind the infamous «Combat Extended» mod for «Rimworld», which turned the game's combat system completely inside out.
Lead developer Maximilian Hermann formulated the motivation behind this in an interview with Gameluster as follows:
The idea goes back a long way: to the time when «Rimworld» was still in early access. «Rimworld» had just introduced an overworld system, and that really excited me. However, this enthusiasm waned over time because the developers didn't do anything really interesting with it.
This has long since changed: «Rimworld» has gained many new strategic levels through DLCs such as «Ideology» and «Odyssey» as well as numerous mods: from space travel to caravans and multi-level factions. But the goal of the «Ascent of Ashes» developers is still clear: they want to create a game that is not built around individual maps, but around a living, systemically linked world.
Scenario and game idea: survival after the collapse
The world of «Ascent of Ashes» is quiet, almost eerily empty. It does not consist of ruins or cityscapes, but of open grassy areas, a few trees, stones and rolling hills. Nature dominates the picture, but not in the sense of an idyll, but as an environment in which I am completely alone. There is no more civilisation. No roads, no crowds of people.
When I start the game, I choose a map with a random seed, biome and topography. Then I take control of five characters. I immediately start assigning everyone their first tasks. Chop wood. Loot bushes. Collect weapons. I quickly set up my first camp: a hut with beds and a field with berry bushes. But it soon becomes clear that the game feels empty. No tutorial helps me, no explanation, anyone who doesn't know their way around is literally left out in the cold.
The game conveys a clear survival feeling: I have to gather resources, secure food, build shelter. But the flow of the game is slow. Even small tasks drag on, even in fast-forward mode. Much is reminiscent of «Rimworld», just less elaborate. I'm not just fighting against the world here, but against the game itself.
Build, toil, fight: How does the game work?
Even in «Ascent of Ashes», every task has to be assigned, every piece of furniture built and every tool crafted. There are no production chains in the classic sense, but rather a controlled chaos.
The base construction is modular: I put up walls, set doors, erect roofs, set up simple beds or workbenches. Everything looks functional. My five characters are responsible for the construction. Work is distributed either via direct commands or via a priority system that is strongly reminiscent of the great role model «Rimworld»: simple, but effective.
Progress, research, frustration
The technology tree looks solid at first glance: at least visually. However, there is currently little substance behind the clear layout: I can unlock just eight technologies, including agriculture, metalworking and electricity. There is hardly any sense of progression. Even after completing research, there is no notification, no visual or acoustic feedback. These small details are still missing throughout the game and make it tedious.
Much else is also rudimentary: Expeditions can be planned, but they look like placeholders. Character animations are simple, combat is immature. When I want to hunt a deer, the character suddenly stops. Why is that? No information.
A particularly irritating moment was when one of my characters - «Wen» - suddenly disappeared completely. She didn't appear in the character menu, nor was she anywhere to be found on the map. There was no message, no hint, no explanation. Such a lack of feedback undermines confidence in the game system. Especially in a title that thrives on micromanagement and control.
The so-called Fog of War also raises questions: Areas where there are no figures are darkened. In principle, the idea can be charming. In a game like this, where micromanagement and control are so important, it only artificially complicates the gaming experience. I also don't understand why I can't see anything even within my own buildings.
Graphic style and UI: bright spot with shadows
Optically, «Ascent of Ashes» surprises positively. The cel-shaded look suits the setting well: clear colours, clear contours, good legibility. The world looks stylised but functional. I recognise buildings, flower beds and figures immediately. The menus also match the style: dark windows, simple icons, all solid.
However, the UI has its weaknesses. Information such as health, hunger or equipment is difficult to access. Tooltips are almost completely missing, and some menus are overwhelming due to their emptiness or complexity. Basic quality-of-life functions that would make the game more user-friendly are often missing, such as visual cues when tasks are completed, better resource overviews or the status or equipment of my characters.
For example, I haven't yet found out how I can downgrade the prioritisation for work distribution. Instead of 3, I always click on 2 and can't go back to 4. I also can't see directly where my characters' strengths lie. I can only see whether they love something or have a talent for it.
If you have no experience with the genre, you will be frustrated. There is a solid basis: I like the design, but the finishing touches are missing.
Not yet a beacon of hope
«Ascent of Ashes» wants a lot and I can also guess where the journey will take us: A deep, networked colony simulation with tactical combat and a long-term survival character. However, the current early access build is more reminiscent of an early alpha or proof-of-concept version. Many core mechanics appear unfinished or barely implemented. The overall experience is still raw and fragmented. Numerous systems do not interlock. The pace of the game is slow and the gameplay feels more like a first demo than a typical early access title.
The comparison with «Rimworld» is obvious, not least because of the developers' past. However, «Ascent of Ashes» currently falls far short of its role model. In its current state, it needs one thing above all: time. And patience. A lot of patience.
«Ascent of Ashes» was provided to me by Vivid Storm Interactive for the PC. The game has been available since 25 July.
Header image: Kim Muntinga
My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.
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