This is an Utsuge.
That means its supposed to make you feel bad.
All Ashes is the story of tragedy, a reminder that the fantasies you form for yourself are inherently selfish and the reality of the situation is usually never as you want it to be. Its a story of a king who mistakes his obsession for love. The story of a caring, married mother and wife, being subjected to a kings whim.
It's quite well written, from the perspective of a prince in his youth, well into his adult years as he becomes a king. The bulk of the story is his relationship with his cousin, and more importantly, his nursemaid from youth. The story drags you in, with desire for romance and reuinion, only to crush your spirit in despair as a king is subject to the folly of pride and delusion. The writing does wonders to bring you into the world and character of the MC, and is a high point of the experience.
The art too, is amazing. A unique style with vibrant colors and bold lines. Character design is passionate as well, well invoking the old middle eastern style of the setting. The only caveat with the art, its one and only downside, is that the Artist cannot draw a vagina at all. It is hilariously cartoon and lackluster. You will see lavish scenes of intimacy, brilliantly brought to life through the medium, only for the depicted penetration itself to be wildly inaccurate and silly. This is only a minor grievance however, since the scenes are brought well enough to life through the writing, and are almost entirely unnecessary to the plot itself
If you feel like being punched in the gut, and made to feel sick halfway through the story, only to be forced to live with that sick feeling until the end of the story, then I highly recommend this game. Its not particularly long, and I don't think everyone would react the same way, but its message of 'Choosing your own desire over someone else's happiness doesn't end well for anyone' is particularly strong, and it was a fun enough ride to reach it. Just don't go in expecting a quick fap, or a feel good story. Don't be afraid of it's Utsuge status either, since it isn't the saddest story to exist, making for a good starting point into the genre.
That means its supposed to make you feel bad.
All Ashes is the story of tragedy, a reminder that the fantasies you form for yourself are inherently selfish and the reality of the situation is usually never as you want it to be. Its a story of a king who mistakes his obsession for love. The story of a caring, married mother and wife, being subjected to a kings whim.
It's quite well written, from the perspective of a prince in his youth, well into his adult years as he becomes a king. The bulk of the story is his relationship with his cousin, and more importantly, his nursemaid from youth. The story drags you in, with desire for romance and reuinion, only to crush your spirit in despair as a king is subject to the folly of pride and delusion. The writing does wonders to bring you into the world and character of the MC, and is a high point of the experience.
The art too, is amazing. A unique style with vibrant colors and bold lines. Character design is passionate as well, well invoking the old middle eastern style of the setting. The only caveat with the art, its one and only downside, is that the Artist cannot draw a vagina at all. It is hilariously cartoon and lackluster. You will see lavish scenes of intimacy, brilliantly brought to life through the medium, only for the depicted penetration itself to be wildly inaccurate and silly. This is only a minor grievance however, since the scenes are brought well enough to life through the writing, and are almost entirely unnecessary to the plot itself
If you feel like being punched in the gut, and made to feel sick halfway through the story, only to be forced to live with that sick feeling until the end of the story, then I highly recommend this game. Its not particularly long, and I don't think everyone would react the same way, but its message of 'Choosing your own desire over someone else's happiness doesn't end well for anyone' is particularly strong, and it was a fun enough ride to reach it. Just don't go in expecting a quick fap, or a feel good story. Don't be afraid of it's Utsuge status either, since it isn't the saddest story to exist, making for a good starting point into the genre.