Ascent Of Ashes is an upcoming colony simulation game from the creators of the Combat Extended mod for RimWorld, and it will enter early access in November.
From developer Vivid Storm Interactive and publisher Camlann Games, the colony simulation draws inspiration from Dwarf Fortress, Jagged Alliance, RimWorld and XCOM to form a gruelling yet satisfyingly strategic apocalyptic experience.
Following the dissolution of society on a settled alien planet, the player must secure a safe base through the support of other survivors. “Farm crops, tame alien beasts, incorporate salvaged technology and fortify your home against hostile intruders,” read Ascent Of Ashes‘ description on Steam.
Combat will be immersive with a wide range of outcomes while in a firefight. For example, a non-lethal attack might take a soldier out and stop them from engaging with the rest of the battle.
Additionally, the enemy artificial intelligence will utilise similar strategies to the player for a greater challenge. “Taking on a disorganized band of raiders will play very differently from fighting a squad of well-trained Remnant soldiers,” explained the developer.
The game will support modding too for those inclined, and this was a very important addition for the team.
“With Ascent Of Ashes, we want to give something back to those communities,” said Vivid Storm Interactive. “We’re building the game’s engine from the ground up to be easily extendable, and thanks to our extensive experience in creating mods ourselves we know exactly what kind of support mod-makers need.”
Ascent Of Ashes will arrive in early access for PC on November 15. It will also appear in Steam Next Fest, held from October 9 to October 16, allowing fans a chance to get to grips with about an hour of content.
In other gaming news, Team17 is potentially staring down “tens of redundancies” in undisclosed divisions of its business, according to a report published this morning (September 2).