Defeated the second boss in Ashen last night Whilst not as original as the first boss, and relatively easy, once I'd upgraded my equipment, I am really enjoying the game so far. It's not system seller good, like Bloodborne was for the PS4, but I like the journey-like social multiplayer elements. I've just unlocked fast travel between the “Bonfires”, which makes it less grindy. It came just at the right moment, as a trek back from the "Firelink" to the next area seemed prohibitively daunting.
In terms of comparison to Dark Souls, it is not as open world as you would have been led to believe. Each area is would take about, so far, 2 mins to walk top to bottom and 5 mins side to side but with a lot more verticality, ruined castles and inhabitants, most of which want to kill you. Jumping is easier compared to DS and adds to the exploration element.
However, it is still a pretty linear story / journey, with each progression of each quest taking place in the next area, and so far, I've not come across any shortcuts that need to be unlocked (part of the joy of Souls). So in terms of the path, it's wider than Dark Souls, but not GTA/Breath of the Wild wide, but it still funnels you down to certain areas in order to progress the stories, that makes no sense to tackle in anything but the prescribed order.
Following a year of Epic Games Store and Xbox One exclusivity, developer Aurora44's brooding co-op action-RPG, Ashen, will be shaking off its shackles and heading to PlayStation 4 and Switch on 9th December - and it'll be arriving on Steam and GOG the same day.
The wanderer accompanies a mother on a quest to find her lost daughter. Venturing far from familiar ash covered shores, players descend into the perilous depths of Nightstorm Isle. Countless horrors lurk below, yet nothing will prepare you for the ancient evil they imprison.