The Spectacular Writing of 3DS eshop rpg Ash

Looking for a game with a spectacular story, dialogue, and even better descriptions of things? Then you should check out Ash, a new rpg for 3DS. Let me tell you why!

A role playing game should always have an interesting story. You would hope it would have good dialogue too, but thats not always the case. More often than note, rpgs will have a good story and fall short when it comes to interesting dialogue and characters. Even more rare is the rpg that has playful descriptions for items/chests/magic that you check in the game. There is one recent rpg released for the 3DS that has a good story, good dialogue, and the perhaps the best playful descriptions I’ve ever seen in a video game. I’m talking about Ash (3DS), from publisher Circle Entertainment.

I wasn’t prepared for the writing in Ash. I thought the game looked like a fun rpg in the trailer, so I downloaded it. Right away, you could tell that the characters were full of personality and history. The two main characters, Nicholas and Damien, have a fun back and forth to their dialogue. I particularly love whenever Nicholas gives Damien a hard time or vice versa. There is a really great conversation early on that has something to do with Nicholas not spending time with Damien anymore (you’ll know it when you find it!). It might seem a little corny, but it was so much fun and had me laughing a lot. The dialogue in this game is a real treat. Though, don’t underestimate Ash’s story. Its full of twists and turns; it has a big mystery to its story. I haven’t finished the game yet and I’m just dying to know whats truly going on. That all said, the biggest surprise of the writing in Ash will come when you start checking cupboards and other things in the game!

I’m a big fan of rock’n’roll. I really like Billy Joel too. And I was shocked when I checked a piano and got a reference to one of Billy Joel’s songs. I won’t spoil the reference or where you find this cool easter egg though, you’ll have to find it yourself! And thats just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to easter eggs in Ash. Check a window and you might read a description telling you that a guy in a pink suit ran by. Just you try to open a cupboard or check a stove for a left over item and see what you get! Ash’s playful descriptions of things will have you wanting to check things constantly. Oh and the descriptions are good on other things, like spells, too. There’s another Billy Joel reference with one of the magical spells. Whoever wrote this game is a big Billy Joel fan. The writer is also very talented.

Ash is a pretty good rpg gameplay wise, but its nothing we really haven’t seen before. However, its the game’s writing that lifts it up and beyond many of the rpgs I’ve played in the past. Like I said, its not just the story thats written well. The dialogue and descriptions are playful, perhaps corny at times, but also funny. Ash is a real treat to read and you’d be crazy to scan through any of its dialogue or even more so its descriptions. Whenever I go into a new town, the first thing I do is start to raid houses for the descriptions. Yes, I’m looking for items to loot too, but I’m wanting to find that next easter egg even more!

I highly recommend Ash if you’re an rpg fan. This is a turn-based rpg with random battles and that might not appeal to everyone, but I think true role playing game fans will really love this game. I won’t tell you that the game is perfect, it has some flaws, but I will tell you that the game’s writing is more than worth the price of the game. I hope there’s an Ash 2 in our future and the same writer comes back and does the story. I’d buy that in a second!

Have you played Ash? Let us know what you think of its story!