Galerians: Ash

A groovy game surround by a "so what?" story. Here's hoping the inevitable sequel will see both aspects "get it right" at the same time.

Ash does a wonderful job of establishing an eerie, dystopian world where Dorothy's evil still slingers. [Mar 2003, p.71]

The game's reliance on padding is its biggest sin. Since there are very few environments, the designers force you to explore every nook and cranny of each one repeatedly, from every direction.

The ominous industrial-soundtracked wanderings change from tense to boring and finally kind of infuriating, as you find yourself being forced to visit and visit and re-visit again areas you've already cleaned out.

The game makes you suffer the stress of not knowing what to do or where to go and that makes for very uninteresting and uncomfortable gameplay.

The repetition of the exploration, the game world, and the unsatisfying combat leaves Galerians: Ash failing to engage at any point.

What it has gained in control it has lost in style and pacing.