
I don't often play new games in my free time, because if it doesn't have girls, gore, or dresses, I'm not touching it, and those special qualities are hard to find in our modern gaming landscape overpopulated by Crimson Desert-type guys. Tell me I'm missing out, that I'm crazy, but I won't budge. Goat-like stubbornness makes it more special when I have a revelation, like the one I experienced just now while realizing my coworker – who has 350 hours logged in Arc Raiders – and I both immediately wishlisted The Ashen OZ on Steam.
Indie developer Ashbone Games calls The Ashen OZ a "dark fantasy action roguelite" in its Steam description, but early screenshots and gameplay make me think that's underselling it. From what I can see, The Ashen OZ is a twisted dollhouse built with the same bones as cult hits like AstralShift's Little Goody Two Shoes or American McGee's Grimm.