The wait is over! The dark world of Ashen, made by New Zealand game development studio, Aurora44, has finally seen the light and launched on Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass on December 7.
To celebrate the launch of Ashen, the ID@Xbox team recently visited the Aurora44 studios in Wellington, New Zealand to find out more about the open-world, action RPG that Xbox gamers around the globe can now experience. The team were excited to share a snapshot of that visit along with a preview of Ashen as they begin to welcome players to a mystical world to discover, defend, and share with each other.
Thrown into a world of darkness, Ashen follows the story of a fantasy world with no light, that is suddenly reborn with an explosion of sunlight. It is your role to understand and protect this light, fighting the evil and darkness in stamina-based action combat, either independently or with the help of helpful strangers through passive multiplayer gameplay.
Your journey through Ashen will have twists, turns, and magical moments as you discover both the enemies of the light, and the strength of a community that creates amazing moments together. With passive multiplayer in Ashen, you’re only ever alone if you want to be – you’ll never die or battle alone, because you’ll have a helping hand next to you from others in the game…. if you need it.
But that’s not to say you won’t be challenged. Whilst accessibility has been key to the game design, players who seek brutal boss fights and challenges will find a wealth of worthy battle sessions in the game.
Aurora44’s virtual studio tour video will give you a snapshot of the team’s journey, their partnership with the ID@Xbox team, and the excitement they’ve felt, finally bringing this game to launch on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox One and enhanced for Xbox One X. While the game’s first preview at the 2015 Xbox E3 Briefing set Aurora44 on the path to an exciting trajectory of development and new ambitions in the games design, what’s most exciting is finally getting the game into the hands of players.
Aurora44 is excited to welcome you as you join them in Ashen!
Ashen is now available on Xbox One via the Microsoft Store and for Xbox Game Pass members with an active subscription. Ashen is an Xbox One X Enhanced title.