Yeah, this one is a bit belated, but as Ashen from A44 Games dropped just before the Holiday period, we'll chalk up our tardiness to that, and nothing more (like me being too lost in the game to get up off the couch and actually write about it).

You may have already seen that Ashen made our Top 10 Best Games of 2018 list, but for the purpose of critical analysis, we've also finally put together an in-depth review. Here's a snippet:

Much of that probably sounds negative, and if you’re not the sort of person who can deal with grinding in games, Ashen might be a large ask. But its upsides are huge. As mentioned before, it’s gorgeous. The pacing is very good and combat, while relatively simple is built around a combination of stamina, timing and frame-data management. So if you’re a Souls player, this game is definitely up your alley. Moreover, progression here isn’t tracked by XP, rather successful completion of missions helps your village grow. Growing your village and helping people brings them into the camp and as crafting and items gradually unlock, you’ll be able to manage most of that from your home base. It’s also just awesome to see the village slowly build and eventually come alive. More games would do well to look at this system of reward.

Click here for our in-depth Ashen review.