Ash Asylum [Early Access: Pre-Alpha V 0.1.4.2] Review

*Contains Spoilers*

Fun Idea But Far From Polished

First and foremost, this review is for the Early Access version of Ash Asylum [Pre-Alpha Version 0.1.4.2] and should be used for informational purposes regarding this version only.

Ash Asylum is visually very pleasing. The developer used Unreal Engine, which is evident in the form of smooth movement and convincing textures that help immerse you in the spooky old asylum you find yourself in when you first wake. Aside from the movement and textures, there are a few items I hope the developer takes a closer look at while working on the game.

One of the first things I noticed about the game is the unemotional voice acting. The character who did most of the speaking during my asylum adventure sounded as though they were merely reading words from a script. This may just be placeholder dialogue at this point to be replaced with something else later on. If not, I would encourage the developer to seek out a voice actor who could better communicate the many emotions the character might be feeling waking up in a spooky old asylum. Without it, I fear they risk losing the immersion they intend to create. I also had difficulty hearing the existing dialogue, whereas the rest of the game’s sound effects came in loud and clear, so an increase in volume would be helpful as well.

The game’s menu system is a bit difficult to navigate. I struggled to find and use items in my inventory and the right click/left click mini menu (containing picks and keys) was not very intuitive. I suggest only being able to select items from the main inventory screen or mouse wheel. The hot keys (1, 2, 3 and so on) for weapons and light sources also served as a spoiler since it informed me of a gun and other items I had not yet discovered.

The scares I encountered were, for the most part, forced. My character would gasp as if they saw something terrifying, my vision would blur, but I could not see or hear anything that may have caused that reaction. The fear also made my character’s health decrease. While fear causing damage is a perfectly acceptable approach to making the player feel a sense of vulnerability and unease, I suggest making those moments clear and avoidable, putting pressure on the player to avoid any spirits or other obstacles that might do them harm. The painkillers, in this case, would be used to heal damage the player takes when they make a mistake instead of healing wounds the player is, at this point in development, unable to avoid. Adding places to hide so the player can avoid damage might be an avenue the developer could consider too.

Light source management gives the player a lot to think about. In chapters 1 and 2, I encountered a lighter which uses lighter fluid, glow sticks with limited lifetime, and a flashlight with batteries. The lighter makes sense, although I might ask how we ended up with it in our room, seeing as asylum nurses probably want to keep dangerous objects away from their patients. The glow stick gave everything an electric green glow and was useful for finding objects. In a few cases it was, perhaps, too useful as I was able to see objects through walls and doors that I shouldn’t have been able to see. The flashlight was the most useful visually because it lit up the room far better than either of the previous tools. On thing I might recommend is preventing the light source from being used up while the player is reading a note or examining an object. Too many times, I used up what little light I had left trying to read a note or look at a picture. Consider the player that reads slowly and takes in every detail of the various notes littering the asylum, which brings me to my next point.

If the developer insists on including notes in the game, they need to be worth reading. Nearly everything I read discussed other patients but in no way aided my progression in the game or my understanding of the story. They were also riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, so I encourage the developer to seek out a proofreader or writer to improve the information in the various documents players will encounter throughout the game.

Reading notes also consumes resources, which can be frustrating. Including backstory is fine (and encouraged), but when light sources are limited, solving puzzles to proceed takes precedence. To counter this problem, I suggest the developer consider allowing the character to pick up notes and read them from a well-lit inventory screen. This allows players ample time to read without the need to use resources or backtrack to find it again, should they feel they missed important information.

The camera was an interesting mechanic, but the game only provided me with 4 pieces of film in Chapter 2. I took all 4 photos in what I believed to be key areas, hoping the photograph would reveal something, but nothing happened. Instead, you just put the photographs in your inventory as “Memories” which serves, as far as I could tell, no further purpose. If the camera is included in the game, I suggest having an endless amount of film and the photographs you take either reveal something new in specific areas or protect you from danger. 

When it comes to the game’s use of sound, there’s not much I can cover. Ash Asylum currently does not have a soundtrack that I have encountered, and the sound effects are almost nonexistent. Adding a soundtrack for the game’s main menu and loading screens would improve the introduction, and ambient sound or other effects would create tension during gameplay that is not yet present.

My review at this point only covers chapters 1 and 2 because that is as far as I was able to play. In chapter 2, the player is asked to do a few things. First, you are asked to light all the torches in the hall and rooms. I did this and nothing happened. Then you must travel to the morgue where you retrieve a bear that you are supposed to return to a toy chest upstairs. Placing the bear in the chest also did nothing, however. A baby doll can also be found and placed in a nearby drawer, which also had no effect. After running around the level for 30+ minutes, I found a paper in my inventory labeled “Game tip”. Since I was unsuccessful in progressing on my own, I decided to click on it, which caused the game to crash. I tried this on a few other occasions and each time, it produced the same result.

Ash Asylum has an interesting concept, but it requires more adjustments to be an enjoyable game. In its current state, I cannot recommend it to others. Given time and more work, however, I feel the game could become something truly spooky. I look forward to seeing how the game changes over time. 

[Lady played Ash Asylum in Early Access with a mouse and keyboard]

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