Ashfall is an upcoming adventure shooter MMORPG that is not only set to give players a chance to save humanity in a post-apocalyptic world that honors Eastern cultures in its design, but one that will also feature music by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro, and Inon Zur of Fallout fame.
IGN recently partnered with Ashfall developer Legendary Star Studio for an Ashfall gameplay showcase that featured an extended look at the game in action, interviews with those responsible for creating it, and much more. You can watch the entire Ashfall showcase below and then read the rest of the article to learn everything you need to know about the upcoming game.
What is Ashfall?
Ashfall, as previously mentioned, is an adventure shooter MMORPG that is set in a post-apocalyptic world that saw an artificial intelligence uprising push humans to the brink of extinction following a nuclear war. The few remaining survivors were forced underground to live in Vaults for many years, but the time has finally come for you and your friends to adventure back out into the world in hopes to save humanity.
“The setting of Ashfall focuses on rebuilding,” Ashfall designer Jesse said. “It takes place in a future world where artificial intelligence launches an uprising and wages a war against humans. After the nuclear apocalypse, there is nothing other than ruins left in the world and you have to leave your vault to search for the legendary key known as the Core of Creation to save everything.”
While Ashfall is going to eventually come to consoles, the MMO is set to be released first in 2023 on PC, iOS, and Android.
How Ashfall Stands Apart from Other Post-Apocalyptic Games
The post-apocalyptic genre in the world of video games is one that has been visited many times before, but Ashfall looks to stand apart from the pack with its unique take that puts a focus on Eastern cultures and player freedom.
“Ashfall is different from previous outstanding wasteland-themed games because we tried to put players into a new experience when they are playing it,” Jesse said. “To that end, we spotlighted the advantages of our project team to the fullest and integrated some unique Eastern vibes such as various Chinese-style buildings, monsters, and folk customs.”
The team at Legendary Star Studio is also putting a big emphasis on immersion and wants players to feel as if they are actually part of Ashfall’s world, and it is doing this through motion capture, a real-time weather system, exciting and meaningful combat situations, an extensive character creator, and so much more.
Oh, and wait until you hear about the music and why it looks to elevate Ashfall even more.
Ashfall’s Soundtrack Is Being Co-Created by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and a Legendary Crew
The music just may be one of Ashfall’s biggest selling points as it is being produced by Academy Award—winner Hans Zimmer, Inon Zur, and Steve Mazzaro, and they will be using Ashfall’s unique blend of Eastern culture and a devastated wasteland to craft music that will help bring out heart and emotion of both the story and the world.
“Ashfall’s scope does not only include a world after the apocalypse, but it also uses various unique elements of Eastern cultures, which provides a lot of inspiration for this cooperation,” Zur said. “We believe this to be a very special and unique take on the genre, and we hope to use the music to bring a new understanding and presentation of the post-apocalyptic world and to display the charm of a game world to players around the world.”
This music mission will be completed by interweaving the music in with all aspects of Ashfall, and carefully creating tracks for specific moments – whether that be going on a quest, experiencing a story moment, or just exploring the wasteland.
“In terms of the music, we hope to help everyone better understand the world through memorable, compelling melodies,” Mazzaro said. “The scores will accompany everyone when they are exploring the world and embarking on a wondrous adventure.
“In addition, our goal is to incorporate a number of unique instruments to work alongside the story and combat of the game and, as the music plays out, players will be able to experience the intensity of the adventure even with their eyes closed.
“We’ve always believed the synergy between music and games is something extremely meaningful. Not only will music be able to improve and complete the game itself, but it also brings a combined experience of art, games, and music to the players. We are very hopeful that, through our collaboration with Ashfall, we are able to create a never-before seen immersive experience for everyone.”
Ashfall Gameplay Walkthrough Showcases Character Creation, High-Level Play, and Massive Bosses
IGN’s Alan Wheeler was able to get hands-on with Ashfall to try out an in-progress build of the MMO and, during the Ashfall Showcase, he was able to create a character and give fans a glimpse of low- and high-level gameplay.
Ashfall wants to give you the tools to create the character – called a Wanderer - that most represents you or the character you want to create and play with for hours on end. In the character creator, you begin by building the character’s looks, and then you have to make some choices as to what kind of Wanderer you want to be.
These choices are manifested in the form of Prototypes and Traits. These serve as your class and specific traits that can give you a head start in a facet of the game you want to excel at.
Do you want to be a fast-talking, charming Wanderer who can get the best discounts at any store? Go with the Wage Earner Prototype and the Silver Tongue and Charmer Traits. Want to go in guns blazing to any situation? Choose a Gunslinger Prototype with the Nine Lives and Born Leader Traits. There are a ton of options, and this is only the start. As you level up, you will be able to continue to build out the character you want to play. While there will be more, the full list of Prototypes and Traits are as follows;
After creating his character, Alan was introduced to Drolma, an older woman who needs some help with clearing out some Mutated Bugs. There are dialogue choices and a narrator who is filling in even more of the story that is unfolding in front of you.
We then get a look at actual gameplay, as Alan brought his character through a level to stop the bugs from getting out of control. Ashfall plays out in third-person and encourages players to hide behind cover while waiting for their perfect moment to attack. There is also a mix between gunplay, grenades, skills, and much more.
Later on, we were taken to a place called Iron Cage Cavern where we got to see how playing with an AI partner would work. Alan was also given access to bigger and better guns like a Sniper Rifle and Assault Rifle. He had to free prisoners, but not before he had to take down a teleporting boss who was doing all he could to stop him in his tracks.
Alongside the gameplay, we are also treated to a trailer that showed more of the open world and the many zones players will be exploring, including a desert and a beach filled with shipwrecks. On the beach, we were even shown a boss battle against a massive boss known as the Crayfish Commander, and it looks like a formidable foe worthy of rallying your best friends to take down.
There is much more to be revealed about Ashfall before it arrives on PC, iOS, and Android in 2023, and we look forward to sharing all the new details as we get closer to launch!
Wishlist the Ashfall on Steam today!
And to learn more about the game, check out the official Ashfall website, Facebook, Discord, and Twitter.