The early days of consumer VR were filled with wave shooters. Many such as Raw Data were fun, but few could offer anything beyond a scant couple of hours of entertainment. Ashen Arrows aims to breathe new life into this tired genre by integrating roguelike elements. Does it succeed in standing out in its field?
Ashen Arrows uses a Nordic mythological setting, putting the player in the role of a simple archer who has been recruited by the Gods. You’ll face not only common foes like bandits and enemy warriors but also fierce mythical beasts across three main gameplay modes. Saga is the opening story campaign that also serves as a tutorial, Bastion is the core gameplay mode, and the Co-Op mode offers a three-player multiplayer option.
Saga mode introduces you to the story, guiding you across gameplay by an
authoritative voice that’s none other than Odin Allfather himself. This mode is helpful for beginners and provides a good introduction to the gameplay loop.
The voice acting and narration are excellent. There are a few moments of
anachronistic comments from Odin, such as him snarkily saying “Nice shot, Legolas” that make me think Ashen Arrows could have benefited from leaning into the absurdity a bit more. There is a nod in this direction with the upgrade chest, which has a voice that seems designed to be annoying, and the game actually encourages you to fire an arrow to shut it up.
The Norse legends were primarily told in an oral tradition, which made them grow
increasingly epic and ridiculous as they were retold. By the time those myths were written down, they had reached truly wild and wonderful proportions. Ashen Arrows could benefit from a stronger story that draws more on those legends, perhaps with some additional inspiration from the myth-based action shows of the 90s like Xena: Warrior Princess that likewise took an anachronistic and over-the-top approach.
Archery tends to work extremely well in VR, and Ashen Arrows is no exception. Bastion mode introduces a new twist to the standard wave shooter/tower defense setup by adding familiar roguelike elements. The maps are procedurally generated for greater variety. The player can select how many enemy waves they wish to face, from twenty on easy right up to sixty on hard.
As you progress through waves of enemies, you earn upgrade points used to enhance weapons, abilities, and defense. For example, you can get lighter arrows that travel further, or buy fortifications to protect yourself. These are randomized each time, encouraging flexibility that dovetails nicely with the random maps to provide plenty of replay value.
Visually, the game looks great. It uses a low-poly look that resembles something from the original PlayStation or SEGA Saturn but with all the crisp, sharp lines of modern technology. It does a surprisingly good job of creating an otherworldly feeling with its soaring snowy peaks, mysterious caves lit by bioluminescent mushrooms, and towering stone castles. The various maps you travel to provide numerous varied environments that keep things visually interesting.
The stripped-down feel of the graphics and flat textures also makes it easier to keep track of your shots, which is particularly important during some larger waves. It also shows how smooth the animations are.
Comfort
Ashen Arrows features several movement options to make things more comfortable. It includes options for teleport movement and snap turning, alongside the default for artificial stick-based movement and smooth camera control. The turn speed and dead zones can also be adjusted. There’s also a left-handed mode and a seated mode for further accessibility.
Shooting arrows is not the only thing you do in the game. Critters such as cats and foxes hang around, and I was utterly delighted when I discovered it was possible to pet them and get an adorable animation where they are surrounded by little hearts to indicate their enjoyment. There also seem to be plans for a fishing minigame, though this was not yet functional in the build I played.
Having engaged in a spot of archery myself in the past, I was interested to see how Ashen Arrows would match up with the real-life sport. Unsurprisingly, Ashen Arrows is nowhere near as strict about your arm placement as real archery is. However, taking the time to assume a proper archery stance, does actually improve your performance in the game. It’s crafted well enough that if you miss a shot, it is solely your skill, and not any problem with hit detection or motion tracking.
There’s a fun and absorbing challenge, and the combination of VR archery mechanics with a roguelike wave shooter is a great match. Like many other popular roguelikes, I found myself getting invested in creating a ludicrously overpowered build and then going absolutely ham on the enemies. Though the Gods are sometimes laughing at you when you cannot find that one upgrade you really want.
Ashen Arrows Review – Final Verdict
Ashen Arrows delivers a welcome blend of roguelike mechanics that adds replay value often missing from many VR shooters, offering a fresh and pleasing visual style with some great voice acting. If it could just ramp up the storyline and add in extra minigames, it could very well become a game I’d regularly come back to. It isn’t that Ashen Arrows feels incomplete, more that it needs a few extra bits to round it out and turn an enjoyable experience into a truly amazing one.
UploadVR uses a 5-Star rating system for our game reviews – you can read a breakdown of each star rating in our review guidelines.
