Ashes: An Interactive Graphic Novel

So this is my first time previewing a game and writing about it! I’m very excited!

Firstly, I’d like to thank The IndiEXP for providing me with a key before early access opens soon over on Steam. I love receiving emails from Alex and the team and when this one came through about a visual novel/puzzle game set in Melbourne, Australia, I was immediately intrigued!

Ashes is an interactive graphic novel by Melbourne-based developer Plot Twist. It follows Azar Warren, a 16-year old skater hiding out at her estranged grandfather Stan’s place after witnessing a murder. However, Stan starts displaying some strange behaviour, leading Azar to believe that perhaps he’s hiding something even more dangerous than what she’s running from …

I found it interesting that the developers were calling this “an interactive graphic novel” rather than a straight up visual novel. There’s certainly visual novel elements, but it reminded me more of a comic as the dialogue was short and sweet whereas visual novels tend to have a lot more written words. There’s also some mini puzzles in the form of clues that you need to piece together as the story unfolds.

The demo is super short, but it’s enough to suck me into the story and world, both of which are well done. I love the comic book-esque art style. The sketchy lines and dark colour palette suit the narrative and tone of the world, while the story and characters (so far) are distinctive. I also think the music and sound design is excellent. The urgent, electronic beats and sound effects conjured just the right amount of anxiety.

Ashes launches on Steam Early Access in April! Don’t forget to add it to your wishlist if you’re interested as this helps developers greatly! If you’re a fan of visual or graphic novels, I think this is a great one to keep an eye on!

For more information and to keep up to date with the game’s progress, follow their social media - Instagram, Facebook.