@@cubeflinger Such as any game. All that would be necessary to get the game running, minus the actual media, which if it's a paid game would require separate purchasing. For instance, Doom 1,2,3 are open source, but all the files needed to play the games after the engines are compiled and runnable require separate purchase.
Fun fact: many of the enemies' nicknames in the lore were actually inspired by what Icarus decided to call them in his first playthrough. They had official names, but his sounded much better. This community rocks, I'll have to get back out there with more goodies soon.
man, can't wait for E3! The Ashes mods gave me some of the most atmospheric gaming experiences in my whole life. What you are doing is nothing short of amazing!
@@vostyok6030 Dude, you created an absolute gaming masterpiece with this total conversion. If you feel inspired to make some additions then that's just another great reason for us to replay the whole series. Otherwise I'm looking forward to your next creative effort!!
I love afterglow. The level design, the environmental storytelling, the wind-up radio that gives special dialogue when used, the unsettling nature of the "clean" areas. How the Gap is a semi-obvious reference to the Divide from Lonesome Road. Talking to Larry. (Larry's my favorite character.)
Btw the stadium level has actually two distinct routes you can take to progress through the level. One is the one icarus seems to have taken which is to shoot everybody in the face. The second is a stealth path that begins forking in the first larger docking area where you can optionally access a manhole to the tunnels. If you pay attention the mutant spawns down there are positioned specifically that you can pass all of them without alerting anybody, leading you into vents that eventually come out in the main lobby with the big napalm mutie. Only instead of fighting him and then going on a keycard hunt you can pass overhead, jump on some lamps and access a vent cover that leads you straight outside. No keycard required
Yea, there's the sneaky version of it amd it would make a lot of sense if you didn't get your whole kit back. But thrashing all the muties is also great, plus gives you some much needed practice against the Manslayers.
It pains me so, _so, _*_SO_* much that Ashes gets zero recognition outside of the Doom community. Literally the best and most substantial total conversion to have ever been made, even counting titans like Counter-Strike and The Nameless Mod.
@@Felsmukk even more sad after all that "most horrifying mod" around MyHouse. And it's when Afterglow pulled out some of the most scariest encounters in shooting game. If Ashes got bigger recognition there would been deaths from heart attack in Array. And don't get me started on Anomaly 210...
It doesn't have recognition because is just another Doom-clone, not even saying as a detriment or that is basically Doom (it really is not), but there's no real catch for it to thrive among other projects. Ashes, The Adventures of Square, REKKR, all of these are incredible, but still just under the stigma of Doom-clones/just Doom mods.
This looks so professionally made I spent ten minutes looking for the game on Steam and the other platforms before remembering it's "just" a free TC. Impressive stuff.
I played both Ashes Afterglow (wich is Ashes 2) and Hedon 2 one after another and was seriously impressed how both of the games impoved in scale and quality. 1st episodes was already pushing "doom mod" into "game on GZDoom enginge", but both second episodes are on another level.
Have just finished playing the standalone version of 2063\Afterglow and what can I say: for a thing that is free to the point it doesn't even require a copy of DooM to run, this game is RIDICULOUSLY good. No joke, such amount of genuine effort should be charged for. Definitely one of the best DooM mods \ GZDoom games ever made.
Spoilers for the Endgame stuff: No joke, the finale escape sequence where you're making a mad dash back to the missile bunker you say earlier while a distorted version of the Star Spangled Banner is playing as your count down timer is EASILY the most awesome and badass thing I have ever seen with GZDoom from both a gameplay and story perspective. Man I wish I payed money for this
I've played through Ashes 2063, Dead Man Walking, and Afterglow for many repeat playthroughs now, and I'm not even the kind of person to usually play a game again once I've beaten it. The Ashes series is quite simply some of the best gaming experiences of my life, and I've been playing games for 30 years now. Vostyok, and those helping him, have done amazing work. It's insane to think that one of the best games of recent times is both free and, for some bizarre reason, not wildly famous. I hope when / if he makes a commercial release, that it sells like crazy. He certainly deserves it. I know I'll be buying copies for myself and friends. If you haven't played it yet, do as Icarus says and go play it ASAP!
MY FAVORITE. I'm playing a ton of maps with the weapons addon from Ashes along with Project Malice Monsters and man... Is a whole new world I never experienced before. I highly recommend ASHES and his add-ons!
Ashes: 2063 is one of my favorite DOOM mods but Ashes: Afterglow is one of my favorite games. If I had bought it on Steam for $30 I would be very happy with my purchase, and I feel sort of bad that I can't actually pay money for it. I think it's in the top 10 boomer-shooters easily and it's probably the best free game I ever played with one of the best game soundtracks I ever heard. Oh, and as someone who has played both extensively: play on Apocalypse difficulty. Once you get used to it it's not THAT hard and the combat and gameplay truly shines on that setting.
I played Ashes + Afterglow twice, after you mentioned it on your channel like 3 years ago, what a little gem of a game it is, great times! Cant wait for more from the Vostyok team!
Honestly this game is the best post apocalyptic game ever. Why? Because modern games have too much grinding and crafting and waste your time with filler padding repetitive content and turn boring. Ashes does not waste your time with repetitive filler that turns boring. It respects your time and puts you through a ride an adventure and experience with top notch atmosphere music and combat...provided you dont play past medium, enemies get a bit bulletspongy at that point. Ashes is better than any AAA game in the last few years.
arcade is just weirdly bulletspongey. but I heartily recommend survival for a good challenge as it makes resource management a bit tighter. apocalypse is good if you enjoy glass cannon type combat, or if you found survival still a tad too easy
@@julian0451 I found apocalypse to be easier than survival because there are more enemies, therefore more guns dropped, I preferred survival because you really had to be tight with your ammo management
I feel compelled to write a review like never before. Ashes Afterglow is crazy awesome. I switched from playing Elden Ring mid game after giving this a thing a try. Couldn't stop until I beat all 3 episodes (2063, dead man walking and Afterglow) in a row, such a captivating experience. Ashes scratches a very special kind of itch no other post-apocalyptic game can. While the game borrows some ideas from Fallout 1/2, Metro, Stalker, and a bit of Half Life, the experience itself is surprisingly unique and really comes of as quite original. Pros: -Absolutely TOP tier level design and environmental story telling. Loved EVERY SINGLE map, a ton of memorable moments with heaps of stuff going on, from betting on pit fights to dog racing from lazer tag to exploring old soviet submarines. You are still collecting keys and pressing switches most of the time but the true art here is how it is contextualized in the story and it never stops being fun. -Greatly realized atmosphere and world setting. Heaps of interesting characters to meet and places to visit. It is properly spooky at times and you just get to feel what its like to be a Scav for a day. -Secrets are satisfying, got a ton of unique content. You get to talk to Larry the meat trader, find an atari cartrage and knock some sense in a to gang leader. All very amusing and consistent with the world of the game. Feels a bit like those random encounters in Fallout. -Legendary soundtrack, its so good you'd want to listen to it on its your own. -Addictive gameplay loop, very punchy combat and excellent arsenal. I used most of my guns (maybe not the lazer) throughout most of the game. And then there are upgrads that significantly change the balance in your favor. -The BEST damn Glock in gaming. -Great writing and surprisingly decent voice acting, even if it's only a few lines per level at times. -Solid enemy variety, cool enemy design and surprisingly detailed sprites. -The game somehow encourages you to want to 100% it. -Excellent sound design, from guns to monsters, from footsteps to the sound of the v twin chopper. -2063, Dead man walking and the fist half of Afterglow give an excellent challenge on max difficulty. You have to count each shot and avoid getting hit entirely. The balance is just right, and it makes getting through very satisfying. -There are multiple endings in the Afterglow, where we get to see what happens in the areas after we pass through them. -Mad respect for mind bending tricks and black magic that was used against Doom's engine limitations to pull of these levels. There is a moving train here, yes in Doom engine. -Despite running on the doom engine the game looks much better than one would expect. Very strong artstyle. -Extremely good lighting even by todays standards, I wonder what this would look like with RayTracing with all those explosions and particle effects. Now there are a few small suggestions I could make after 30+hours with Ashes: -That one song at The Wall gets a bit tedious once you hear it loop around a few times. -The second half of Ashes Afterglow could use more enemies placed at the map. I mean the maps surrounding the bad lands, the outcast side, biodome, pipeworks and badlands itself. This is where we start getting some excellent enemy variety yet there are not many instances spawned on the map. Please add a bunch more Marangos, Gasbag Nurseries, Laughing Toms and a ton more Overlods, Hunts, Anomalies and Destroyers. I feel like the missle gap and the stadium get enemy saturation just right. -Not enough radiation hotspots. The gap gets this right, but the outcast side, biodome, and a few other maps could use a lot more radiation spots. -A few to many bugdogs. It makes sence that both raiders and mutants get along with dogs, but maybe we could have another special dog variety or something. I just felt that I fought the dog pack a bit too much. -On max difficulty I ended the game with ~1800 unused scrap, maybe ++upgrades for rifles and heavy weapons should be increased to 300 to prevent the player from going a bit OP towards the end. -Too many health items are available in the last few levels. Had to leave 10+ medkits behind. -I feel like we could use more dialog with the Water Baron, feels like there is an opportunity to get more out if this character given his place in the story. -If more enemies would be added to the later stages, an ability to make ammunition would be handy late in the game. -Does buying food from vendors change anything? Opportunity for a buff? -Add ray tracing??? I'd give this a 10/10. Cant imagine what Vostyok and his team would be capable of if they were given a modern game engine. Can't wait for the next episode.
20:13 Oh my god! They put you in the game! That's so awesome, my dude! You and Civvie11 being put into these new boomer shooter games are definitely a nice touch.
Firstly congratulations Icarus, on the twins. May the doomer babies rise! As for Ashes, as i once previously stated. Ashes was a piece of the pie that only made me hungrier... Almost ravenous for more. I played 2063 to death only realising some time after that DMW existed. Then I went ahead and played that. Locating every secret and playing through both on the hardest difficulties. I loved these TCM's and really lost my self in them. Then Afterglow was teased and I was Elated. I barely raise a eyebrow at anything triple A these days. But the knowledge that Afterglow was on the horizon kept me glued to the ModDb page and Vostyoks YT channel. The hype was real. The demo released and I probably played it like 5 times. Then afterglow full release v1 dropped and I immediately downloaded it. I had to pace my self for real world obligations that got in the way but all i could Think about was Ashes, Afterglow... Finally I played it and... well all my hype, energy, patience had been worth it. I truly loved it. Exploring the ruins of the city, The goosebumps of re visiting the Spire, The arena and escaping it. Getting to prosperity and exploring. Was just... Blowing me away at each turn! And the dome... The. Fucking. Dome. Holy shit. Just... Wow man. I remember hearing the ominous music... The alien foreboding tune and coming out and seeing that roof... I paused and just looked out into the level. I was awestruck. An now looking back at it, it was barely a drop in the ocean to how expansive the level was. The following secret level also shook me to my core and the final level was just... Wow. I wont bore anyone any longer with my prattling praise but if you have not played it, please go do so now. Afterglow was a filling meal, to bring this comment full circle. A experience I for one am fully satisfied with. But when I tell you... That the desire for more... That itch for another bite. A taste of chapter 3. Well the hunger Is real. Tysm if you got this far and thank you Vostyok and crew for creating these masterpieces. it is almost criminal that this is completely free and as such i would like to do my part in supporting those behind it: Here is John S. Weekleys Bandcamp. where you can purchase both episodes of Ashes soundtracks: johnsweekley.bandcamp.com/album/ashes-afterglow-original-game-soundtrack Here is Vostyok's YT: www.youtube.com/@vostyok6030
In case there won't be an episode 3 I wonder is the story so that at the end of the content released so far it doesn't leave you in the air or even on a cliff hanger?
Glad you finally gave you time to make a video for this one! It must be one if not the greatest doom mod ever. Ashes 2063 was perfectly grounded already and I didn't think it could be any better. Then Afterglow came out and it was 1000x better. It expands so much on the foundations of the previous entry that it's just mindblowing. The entire series is totally worth to check out.
Dude I literally just woke up from a dream I had about Ashes and now I see this video!! Could this be a sign or something maybe?? Anyways, Im really excited for the upcoming DLC and inevitable Ep.3
Ashes is not one of the best Doom mods of 2021, no. It was flat out game of the year over everything else. EVERYTHING ELSE Also congrats on the twins! Also, long in advance, commiserations for when they become teenagers (This commiseration comes from someone who had twins in their family).
Ashes Afterglow has the most metal speedrun tech I've found, using a pipe bomb and the motorcycle to skip the gate in the 2nd hub to skip to the last area
I tend to prefer the original episode 1 Open world style games usually don't add much to a setting and i feel somewhat similar for afterglow.. That being said, afterglow is otherwise excellent in every way. I use both pistols and never use the SMG at all. I typically use the double barrel shotgun for the heavy damage. The flooded district and the pit are both highlights and are some of the most memorable places I adore going through.
The upgraded Glock is the most efficient ways ammo-wise to take out a bugdog. More so than the SMG. It rapid fires three shots with pinpoint accuracy. Takes down a bugdog with one click of the right mouse button.
It's not Deus Ex "find a new thing even after a hundred playthroughs" levels of content density but it's close. This is still one of the biggest Total Conversions that's come out of the Doom community, and if I ever have a hard time while replaying it the microwave upgrade for the Junker Rifle lets me drop the challenge by a few skill levels.
Neat thing about the Flooded District is its clearly based off of Underground Atlanta, as Michonne is named after a character from the Walking Dead and there are plenty of signs for Atlanta all over the first hub.
Yea, they did a great job adapting "The City" to be Atlanta. (It was originally gonna be New York according to Vostyok's commentary on a scrapped weapon.)
I love this game to death! I first heard about it from your demo disk video a year or two ago, and I've since played the game something like 5 or 6 different times through. Quick tip: if you manage to save your medkits, you can sell them to the doctors in the first and second hub, and if you manage to salvage just about everything from the first levels it's possible to get all your weapons fully upgraded before you even leave.
I knew about the pregnancy, did not know there will be two more Lost Souls for Pappa Cacodemon and Mamma Pain Elemental. (fan theory about Cacodemon being the father and Pain Elemental being the mother to the Lost Souls)
I don't like old Dooms but this mod was so good I've bought the game for it. When you buy games for mods - that means they're really good. And it's one of the few mods that I can play more than once. Oh and good luck with secret level...
Having played this right after Ashes 2063, i was so burned out from those sprawling, complex and GIANT maps, i just stopped somewhere in the first chapter, not finding any keys and exits and mission objectives at all and getting annoyed by this more and more. You really need time and peace to play this. Rushing through will do you no good. I really have to find the time to try it again.
Good take on the game, shit take on the glock. The 3-round burst second upgrade for the glock is the best bang for the buck and also the highest DPS you can get in afterglow. I'd recommend everyone to get the thing fully upgraded as quick as possible. The Ingram SMG doesn't give much of a damage boost even if you upgrade it, it takes 9 shots just to kill a mutant but in the same situation the fully upgraded glock only needs 2 burst and 6 rounds in total to kill one(That's 3 shots in half a second). It gives you more time and space to calmly deal with other mobs when you can kill efficiently. Also, saving a lot of much needed ammo for future fights or scraps if you wish trade em in. The SMG fully upgraded is only good for when you need to pick off some mobs silently, it uses way too much ammo and time to kill stuff.
I played it a few weeks ago. Best game I played in years. The Flooded District was a perfect map IMO. I played Ion Fury afterward and appreciated how much better this game is vs a commercial release, and how solid GZDoom is vs EDuke32 Build engine that was relatively glitchy. I hope to see another Ashes game, perhaps an Afterglow prequel.
thank you so much for the recomendations, i'm probably going to do this series after i'm done with golden souls and space cat saga cant wait though this looks amazing!
@@SZakiabba Yes to both. The sequel is still under wraps but a spin off to ashes afterglow is actively being worked on and you will play as another character.
@@SZakiabba Well what hazzmati said, there is a sequel and at least one spin off in the works. I can't tell you what the progress on the spin off is though as I am not involved in it.
When I played this, I got the seed but the guard wouldn't let me into to uptown so I couldn't give it to the water baron, so I gave away the extra spores just to spite them, or at least that's how I RP it in my head :D, I think I might re-visit both this and the preceding game as well. Also I just straight up snuck in and Murdered every single raider in the Junkyard because I didn't know you could just talk to them XD
Honestly, calling Afterglow a Doom total conversion is making it a huge disservice, imho. Like Hedon before it, Afterglow is a whole fully-fledged game on it's own and the fact that Vostyok and Reformed Joe don't get any money from it is criminal. I personally count it as a part of the general Boomer Shooter revival, and one of the best at that too!
If you play this, make sure to play it on the highest difficulty. Ammo and other pickups are much scarcer and really add to the post-apocalyptic scrounger vibe.
ashes Afterglow is my favorite game of 2022. and I played a lot. and I'm calling a game instead of a mod cuz that's really what it is. if you haven't played this game you still have a chance to redeem yourself. all you need to do is download it and play it now. like RIGHT now
Ashes is excellent. The best praise I can give is I didn't want it to end. Edit: Hey...far as I'm concerned, _Escape From LA_ is lovable cheese. The nuclear sub propelled by green magic? 😂
Bit late video :) but still Ashes are great mod that made me buy Doom on GoG and learn how to use gzdoom. For me Ashes is best total conversion on same quality as AAA games and when it comes to Doom You must remember that there is competition of other great mods, maps, tc's everyone will have something good depending on person taste.
Hi there, welcome to the comments!
Feel free to check out my original bideo on Ashes 2063 - czcams.com/video/tdEcF-E1-L8/video.html
Not sure if "bideo" is a typo but now I can't help reading this sentence in a spanish accent... 😆
Everyone, remember: Nothing of all of this would have been possible without John Carmack releasing the source code 30 years ago...
If only every game dev would release source code.
@@anon_y_mousse That would be a dream come true...
@@anon_y_mousse such as the ashes afterglow code?
@@cubeflinger Such as any game. All that would be necessary to get the game running, minus the actual media, which if it's a paid game would require separate purchasing. For instance, Doom 1,2,3 are open source, but all the files needed to play the games after the engines are compiled and runnable require separate purchase.
Mack Johncar
Fun fact: many of the enemies' nicknames in the lore were actually inspired by what Icarus decided to call them in his first playthrough. They had official names, but his sounded much better.
This community rocks, I'll have to get back out there with more goodies soon.
man, can't wait for E3! The Ashes mods gave me some of the most atmospheric gaming experiences in my whole life. What you are doing is nothing short of amazing!
Trash Hags and Bug Dogs 4 Lyf!
@@ICARUSLIV3S while I'm here, congratulations on the new additions to the fold. May your bloodline prevail o7
@@vostyok6030 Dude, you created an absolute gaming masterpiece with this total conversion. If you feel inspired to make some additions then that's just another great reason for us to replay the whole series. Otherwise I'm looking forward to your next creative effort!!
You already know how excited *I* am to see where this series goes! :D
I love afterglow. The level design, the environmental storytelling, the wind-up radio that gives special dialogue when used, the unsettling nature of the "clean" areas.
How the Gap is a semi-obvious reference to the Divide from Lonesome Road.
Talking to Larry. (Larry's my favorite character.)
Confession: I never played New Vegas or saw The Divide before. The Gap still managed to utterly _floor_ me in awe.
Btw the stadium level has actually two distinct routes you can take to progress through the level. One is the one icarus seems to have taken which is to shoot everybody in the face. The second is a stealth path that begins forking in the first larger docking area where you can optionally access a manhole to the tunnels. If you pay attention the mutant spawns down there are positioned specifically that you can pass all of them without alerting anybody, leading you into vents that eventually come out in the main lobby with the big napalm mutie. Only instead of fighting him and then going on a keycard hunt you can pass overhead, jump on some lamps and access a vent cover that leads you straight outside. No keycard required
Yea, there's the sneaky version of it amd it would make a lot of sense if you didn't get your whole kit back. But thrashing all the muties is also great, plus gives you some much needed practice against the Manslayers.
The Dome might be the most technically impressive map in Afterglow, for sure. But to me the Stadium is the most fun. It's so brilliantly designed!
@@wallyhackenslackerThe Dome has a noticeable FPS drop, and it makes running it on lower end computers a pain.
It pains me so, _so, _*_SO_* much that Ashes gets zero recognition outside of the Doom community. Literally the best and most substantial total conversion to have ever been made, even counting titans like Counter-Strike and The Nameless Mod.
Weird how MyHouse got an article on PC Gamer but Ashes didn't.
@@Felsmukk even more sad after all that "most horrifying mod" around MyHouse. And it's when Afterglow pulled out some of the most scariest encounters in shooting game. If Ashes got bigger recognition there would been deaths from heart attack in Array. And don't get me started on Anomaly 210...
The Nameless Mod is extremely underated
It doesn't have recognition because is just another Doom-clone, not even saying as a detriment or that is basically Doom (it really is not), but there's no real catch for it to thrive among other projects.
Ashes, The Adventures of Square, REKKR, all of these are incredible, but still just under the stigma of Doom-clones/just Doom mods.
@@CoracaoAcidental98 Do people even use the moniker "Doom clone" anymore except as a historical reference?
This looks so professionally made I spent ten minutes looking for the game on Steam and the other platforms before remembering it's "just" a free TC. Impressive stuff.
I played both Ashes Afterglow (wich is Ashes 2) and Hedon 2 one after another and was seriously impressed how both of the games impoved in scale and quality. 1st episodes was already pushing "doom mod" into "game on GZDoom enginge", but both second episodes are on another level.
The love that has gone into this still blows me away. It's not a TC, it's a unique game and one of the greatest projects to come out of the community.
your mod is awesome too.
I can't wait for your mod as well! Really unique and cool.
Senpai noticed me 😮
No spoilers here, but Afterglow's story is fantastic when you piece together everything at the end.
And it offers so many possibilities. I've got four different outcomes so far.
No kidding. I first completed it more than a year ago and I STILL think of the ending and the backstory in it.
Have just finished playing the standalone version of 2063\Afterglow and what can I say: for a thing that is free to the point it doesn't even require a copy of DooM to run, this game is RIDICULOUSLY good. No joke, such amount of genuine effort should be charged for. Definitely one of the best DooM mods \ GZDoom games ever made.
best doom total conversion of all time. scientific fact.
Objective truth.
Man, it's the kind of mod that make me wish i could erase parts of my memory so i could discover it again. Such a masterpiece.
The quality of this and the original are insane, give the man a serious budget for crying outloud
Literally my favorite Doom mod ever! Glad to see this covered.
Yes, there it is. My favorite game. No joking.
Not favourite mod. Not favourite TC. Favourite _game._ Now that's high praise.
Spoilers for the Endgame stuff:
No joke, the finale escape sequence where you're making a mad dash back to the missile bunker you say earlier while a distorted version of the Star Spangled Banner is playing as your count down timer is EASILY the most awesome and badass thing I have ever seen with GZDoom from both a gameplay and story perspective.
Man I wish I payed money for this
This game is brilliant. The first part was good, but this one expands on it fantastically well.
I'd happily buy this as a full release.
This is 2021's GOTY
I've played through Ashes 2063, Dead Man Walking, and Afterglow for many repeat playthroughs now, and I'm not even the kind of person to usually play a game again once I've beaten it. The Ashes series is quite simply some of the best gaming experiences of my life, and I've been playing games for 30 years now. Vostyok, and those helping him, have done amazing work. It's insane to think that one of the best games of recent times is both free and, for some bizarre reason, not wildly famous. I hope when / if he makes a commercial release, that it sells like crazy. He certainly deserves it. I know I'll be buying copies for myself and friends. If you haven't played it yet, do as Icarus says and go play it ASAP!
BTW Vostyok put an easteregg / reference to my game in the gallery at 10:54 because he's awesome.
@@gennoveus What game? The one in your videos?
it really makes you feel as if you're playing a Carpenter movie, simply amazing :)
MY FAVORITE. I'm playing a ton of maps with the weapons addon from Ashes along with Project Malice Monsters and man... Is a whole new world I never experienced before. I highly recommend ASHES and his add-ons!
It's like if John carpenter made a fallout movie and then some modders made a doom mod about it
With a flair of STALKER and Metro.
@@DinnerForkTongueand a dash of Postal Redux
Ashes: 2063 is one of my favorite DOOM mods but Ashes: Afterglow is one of my favorite games. If I had bought it on Steam for $30 I would be very happy with my purchase, and I feel sort of bad that I can't actually pay money for it. I think it's in the top 10 boomer-shooters easily and it's probably the best free game I ever played with one of the best game soundtracks I ever heard. Oh, and as someone who has played both extensively: play on Apocalypse difficulty. Once you get used to it it's not THAT hard and the combat and gameplay truly shines on that setting.
I've had twelve playthroughs on Apocalypse now. Never looked back.
I want Ashes to be hosted on a digital storefront somewhere. I WILL pay full price.
To me it's the best doom mod..Possibly ever. So much work and passion went it in. I've played and enjoyed both of the ashes series.
16:45 - ah fresh victims for the ever growing army of the undead
I played Ashes + Afterglow twice, after you mentioned it on your channel like 3 years ago, what a little gem of a game it is, great times! Cant wait for more from the Vostyok team!
More than a TC to me. I lapped up every minute of this game, and it stands atop its' own high ground in my books.
Honestly this game is the best post apocalyptic game ever. Why? Because modern games have too much grinding and crafting and waste your time with filler padding repetitive content and turn boring. Ashes does not waste your time with repetitive filler that turns boring. It respects your time and puts you through a ride an adventure and experience with top notch atmosphere music and combat...provided you dont play past medium, enemies get a bit bulletspongy at that point. Ashes is better than any AAA game in the last few years.
👏👏👏
arcade is just weirdly bulletspongey. but I heartily recommend survival for a good challenge as it makes resource management a bit tighter. apocalypse is good if you enjoy glass cannon type combat, or if you found survival still a tad too easy
@@julian0451 I found apocalypse to be easier than survival because there are more enemies, therefore more guns dropped, I preferred survival because you really had to be tight with your ammo management
Fallout New Vegas?
I feel compelled to write a review like never before.
Ashes Afterglow is crazy awesome. I switched from playing Elden Ring mid game after giving this a thing a try. Couldn't stop until I beat all 3 episodes (2063, dead man walking and Afterglow) in a row, such a captivating experience. Ashes scratches a very special kind of itch no other post-apocalyptic game can. While the game borrows some ideas from Fallout 1/2, Metro, Stalker, and a bit of Half Life, the experience itself is surprisingly unique and really comes of as quite original.
Pros:
-Absolutely TOP tier level design and environmental story telling. Loved EVERY SINGLE map, a ton of memorable moments with heaps of stuff going on, from betting on pit fights to dog racing from lazer tag to exploring old soviet submarines. You are still collecting keys and pressing switches most of the time but the true art here is how it is contextualized in the story and it never stops being fun.
-Greatly realized atmosphere and world setting. Heaps of interesting characters to meet and places to visit. It is properly spooky at times and you just get to feel what its like to be a Scav for a day.
-Secrets are satisfying, got a ton of unique content. You get to talk to Larry the meat trader, find an atari cartrage and knock some sense in a to gang leader. All very amusing and consistent with the world of the game. Feels a bit like those random encounters in Fallout.
-Legendary soundtrack, its so good you'd want to listen to it on its your own.
-Addictive gameplay loop, very punchy combat and excellent arsenal. I used most of my guns (maybe not the lazer) throughout most of the game. And then there are upgrads that significantly change the balance in your favor.
-The BEST damn Glock in gaming.
-Great writing and surprisingly decent voice acting, even if it's only a few lines per level at times.
-Solid enemy variety, cool enemy design and surprisingly detailed sprites.
-The game somehow encourages you to want to 100% it.
-Excellent sound design, from guns to monsters, from footsteps to the sound of the v twin chopper.
-2063, Dead man walking and the fist half of Afterglow give an excellent challenge on max difficulty. You have to count each shot and avoid getting hit entirely. The balance is just right, and it makes getting through very satisfying.
-There are multiple endings in the Afterglow, where we get to see what happens in the areas after we pass through them.
-Mad respect for mind bending tricks and black magic that was used against Doom's engine limitations to pull of these levels. There is a moving train here, yes in Doom engine.
-Despite running on the doom engine the game looks much better than one would expect. Very strong artstyle.
-Extremely good lighting even by todays standards, I wonder what this would look like with RayTracing with all those explosions and particle effects.
Now there are a few small suggestions I could make after 30+hours with Ashes:
-That one song at The Wall gets a bit tedious once you hear it loop around a few times.
-The second half of Ashes Afterglow could use more enemies placed at the map.
I mean the maps surrounding the bad lands, the outcast side, biodome, pipeworks and badlands itself. This is where we start getting some excellent enemy variety yet there are not many instances spawned on the map. Please add a bunch more Marangos, Gasbag Nurseries, Laughing Toms and a ton more Overlods, Hunts, Anomalies and Destroyers. I feel like the missle gap and the stadium get enemy saturation just right.
-Not enough radiation hotspots. The gap gets this right, but the outcast side, biodome, and a few other maps could use a lot more radiation spots.
-A few to many bugdogs. It makes sence that both raiders and mutants get along with dogs, but maybe we could have another special dog variety or something. I just felt that I fought the dog pack a bit too much.
-On max difficulty I ended the game with ~1800 unused scrap, maybe ++upgrades for rifles and heavy weapons should be increased to 300 to prevent the player from going a bit OP towards the end.
-Too many health items are available in the last few levels. Had to leave 10+ medkits behind.
-I feel like we could use more dialog with the Water Baron, feels like there is an opportunity to get more out if this character given his place in the story.
-If more enemies would be added to the later stages, an ability to make ammunition would be handy late in the game.
-Does buying food from vendors change anything? Opportunity for a buff?
-Add ray tracing???
I'd give this a 10/10. Cant imagine what Vostyok and his team would be capable of if they were given a modern game engine.
Can't wait for the next episode.
20:13 Oh my god! They put you in the game! That's so awesome, my dude! You and Civvie11 being put into these new boomer shooter games are definitely a nice touch.
Firstly congratulations Icarus, on the twins. May the doomer babies rise!
As for Ashes, as i once previously stated. Ashes was a piece of the pie that only made me hungrier... Almost ravenous for more. I played 2063 to death only realising some time after that DMW existed. Then I went ahead and played that. Locating every secret and playing through both on the hardest difficulties. I loved these TCM's and really lost my self in them.
Then Afterglow was teased and I was Elated. I barely raise a eyebrow at anything triple A these days. But the knowledge that Afterglow was on the horizon kept me glued to the ModDb page and Vostyoks YT channel. The hype was real. The demo released and I probably played it like 5 times.
Then afterglow full release v1 dropped and I immediately downloaded it. I had to pace my self for real world obligations that got in the way but all i could Think about was Ashes, Afterglow...
Finally I played it and... well all my hype, energy, patience had been worth it. I truly loved it. Exploring the ruins of the city, The goosebumps of re visiting the Spire, The arena and escaping it. Getting to prosperity and exploring. Was just... Blowing me away at each turn! And the dome... The. Fucking. Dome. Holy shit. Just... Wow man. I remember hearing the ominous music... The alien foreboding tune and coming out and seeing that roof... I paused and just looked out into the level. I was awestruck. An now looking back at it, it was barely a drop in the ocean to how expansive the level was. The following secret level also shook me to my core and the final level was just... Wow.
I wont bore anyone any longer with my prattling praise but if you have not played it, please go do so now. Afterglow was a filling meal, to bring this comment full circle. A experience I for one am fully satisfied with. But when I tell you... That the desire for more... That itch for another bite. A taste of chapter 3. Well the hunger Is real. Tysm if you got this far and thank you Vostyok and crew for creating these masterpieces.
it is almost criminal that this is completely free and as such i would like to do my part in supporting those behind it:
Here is John S. Weekleys Bandcamp. where you can purchase both episodes of Ashes soundtracks:
johnsweekley.bandcamp.com/album/ashes-afterglow-original-game-soundtrack
Here is Vostyok's YT:
www.youtube.com/@vostyok6030
In case there won't be an episode 3 I wonder is the story so that at the end of the content released so far it doesn't leave you in the air or even on a cliff hanger?
Ashes was ten times more fun, and a more engaging story, than any of the current so-called triple A games. Can't wait for the conclusion.
Still the best Doom channel online!! Amazing review as always. 🤟🔥🤟
Glad you finally gave you time to make a video for this one! It must be one if not the greatest doom mod ever. Ashes 2063 was perfectly grounded already and I didn't think it could be any better. Then Afterglow came out and it was 1000x better. It expands so much on the foundations of the previous entry that it's just mindblowing. The entire series is totally worth to check out.
On my second playthrough and taking my time. An absolute masterpiece of Doom goodness.
Dude I literally just woke up from a dream I had about Ashes and now I see this video!!
Could this be a sign or something maybe??
Anyways, Im really excited for the upcoming DLC and inevitable Ep.3
Yes! Finally! Been waiting ages for this one.
Absolutely loved Afterglow, and can't wait to see the sequel!
Ashes is not one of the best Doom mods of 2021, no.
It was flat out game of the year over everything else.
EVERYTHING
ELSE
Also congrats on the twins! Also, long in advance, commiserations for when they become teenagers (This commiseration comes from someone who had twins in their family).
Note, if you have the RF Receiver, going to some districts first lets you pick up incoming comms from other scavs/military spooks.
Jarrad is my first stop when I have around 50-60 scrap. I never go without that radio.
Best game I've played for years! Waiting for Episode 3.
Congrats on the good news!
Well, it works on in my favor that you're releasing this now. Finally got a device that'll this series will work on. Thanks for the videos!
TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH, this wad is goated
Ashes Afterglow has the most metal speedrun tech I've found, using a pipe bomb and the motorcycle to skip the gate in the 2nd hub to skip to the last area
I still don't understand how that works
@@vostyok6030 I don't either but it's cool af
Finally a review for probably the best Doom total conversion.
I really loved the non-linear gameplay in the first metro hub. don't know what happens after you lose your bike but I'm loving it
Probably my favorite game I played last year. Really cannot overstate how friggin good it is
Okay, the use of the Ashes 2063 theme for area names is fan-fuckin-tastic xD
Awesome vid for an awesome, yeah, as you said, proper game at this point. And all of a sudden I feel like giving Rage another go, too.
Oh and, as an aside, the level designer of Ashes is collaborating with Zan of Hedon to do something... magical.
Tactical Goblin Squad FPS.
Zan could use a golden crowbar... or a Junker Musket. 😉
A new video from Civvie and Icarus? Good day.
I tend to prefer the original episode 1
Open world style games usually don't add much to a setting and i feel somewhat similar for afterglow..
That being said, afterglow is otherwise excellent in every way. I use both pistols and never use the SMG at all. I typically use the double barrel shotgun for the heavy damage. The flooded district and the pit are both highlights and are some of the most memorable places I adore going through.
The upgraded Glock is the most efficient ways ammo-wise to take out a bugdog. More so than the SMG. It rapid fires three shots with pinpoint accuracy. Takes down a bugdog with one click of the right mouse button.
It's not Deus Ex "find a new thing even after a hundred playthroughs" levels of content density but it's close. This is still one of the biggest Total Conversions that's come out of the Doom community, and if I ever have a hard time while replaying it the microwave upgrade for the Junker Rifle lets me drop the challenge by a few skill levels.
That final mod for the Junker Musket makes hunting Cannibal Manslayers an absolute *_blast_*
@@Chozo_Ghost hunter became hunted. Welcome to the Wasteland
@@Chozo_Ghost
**bzzzZZZZZT**
*KER-BLAST!*
Funfact: the mutant snipers are called "laughting Toms", basicaly scravengers who was overtaken with radiation
Laughing Joes or Laughing Toms?
@@Chozo_Ghost i forgor
Not radiation. It's worse.
Neat thing about the Flooded District is its clearly based off of Underground Atlanta, as Michonne is named after a character from the Walking Dead and there are plenty of signs for Atlanta all over the first hub.
Yea, they did a great job adapting "The City" to be Atlanta. (It was originally gonna be New York according to Vostyok's commentary on a scrapped weapon.)
I love this game to death! I first heard about it from your demo disk video a year or two ago, and I've since played the game something like 5 or 6 different times through. Quick tip: if you manage to save your medkits, you can sell them to the doctors in the first and second hub, and if you manage to salvage just about everything from the first levels it's possible to get all your weapons fully upgraded before you even leave.
Dude I’ve been waiting for this for a while man!
yeah wtf has he been doing? Also amc tc episode 3 and 4.
I just found out about this mod 2 days ago like holy shit, where was this mod in my life this whole time
Good news is: The Team behind Ashes is working on a prequel from a Side charachter and is working on a episode 3
I knew about the pregnancy, did not know there will be two more Lost Souls for Pappa Cacodemon and Mamma Pain Elemental.
(fan theory about Cacodemon being the father and Pain Elemental being the mother to the Lost Souls)
Yes . I waited so long for this video !
You'll NEVER get 'em back. Those ashes are ours forever onwards limey
I love how the title cards kept getting shorter and shorter! It's a nice comedy effect.
Wow I just recently watched the streams xD ... really insane this is "just" a doom mod, this is better than most AAA games ..
I don't like old Dooms but this mod was so good I've bought the game for it. When you buy games for mods - that means they're really good.
And it's one of the few mods that I can play more than once. Oh and good luck with secret level...
Having played this right after Ashes 2063, i was so burned out from those sprawling, complex and GIANT maps, i just stopped somewhere in the first chapter, not finding any keys and exits and mission objectives at all and getting annoyed by this more and more.
You really need time and peace to play this. Rushing through will do you no good. I really have to find the time to try it again.
Downloaded, Played first 5min... got addicted. Thanks :)
Good take on the game, shit take on the glock.
The 3-round burst second upgrade for the glock is the best bang for the buck and also the highest DPS you can get in afterglow. I'd recommend everyone to get the thing fully upgraded as quick as possible.
The Ingram SMG doesn't give much of a damage boost even if you upgrade it, it takes 9 shots just to kill a mutant but in the same situation the fully upgraded glock only needs 2 burst and 6 rounds in total to kill one(That's 3 shots in half a second). It gives you more time and space to calmly deal with other mobs when you can kill efficiently. Also, saving a lot of much needed ammo for future fights or scraps if you wish trade em in.
The SMG fully upgraded is only good for when you need to pick off some mobs silently, it uses way too much ammo and time to kill stuff.
I just finished Afterglow thanks to you Mr Icarus... and damn... I.. want MOREEE! That itch it left me when i finished.. damn
I played it a few weeks ago. Best game I played in years. The Flooded District was a perfect map IMO. I played Ion Fury afterward and appreciated how much better this game is vs a commercial release, and how solid GZDoom is vs EDuke32 Build engine that was relatively glitchy. I hope to see another Ashes game, perhaps an Afterglow prequel.
Ion Fury is glitchy? Elaborate
You think Ion Fury will work better in Raze?
I'm not into all that Eduke and Raze stuff but I'm pretty sure that Ion Fury can't work in Raze due to it being on modified Eduke.
thank you so much for the recomendations, i'm probably going to do this series after i'm done with golden souls and space cat saga cant wait though this looks amazing!
i seriously think it's one of the best games i've ever played. it's up there with Halo CE for satisfying shooting and exploration.
You want the poop Glock to be useful? Upgrade it to tier 3. The alt-fire outdamages the machine pistol and is generally a great use of light bullets.
ngl when i first saw the thumbnail and a preview i thought it was hl opposing force in doom. looks great!
All the best IcarusLIVES! PS. Babies are survivable, don't worry too much :-)
2:09 **chuckles in meteorology enthusiast**
Congrats on those twins!
Made sure to play this mod myself, prequel and sidequel too.
Watching you neglect the musket hurts me. That gun was my favorite in Afterglow.
The junker musket is savagery in gun format. If you play the weapons pack, _even Arch-viles_ fear it.
One of my most fav games ever, will there be a sequel/ spin-off ?
Yes
@@TheDutchGhost Can you elaborate?
@@SZakiabba Yes to both. The sequel is still under wraps but a spin off to ashes afterglow is actively being worked on and you will play as another character.
@@hazzmati gotcha, thank you !
@@SZakiabba Well what hazzmati said, there is a sequel and at least one spin off in the works.
I can't tell you what the progress on the spin off is though as I am not involved in it.
When I played this, I got the seed but the guard wouldn't let me into to uptown so I couldn't give it to the water baron, so I gave away the extra spores just to spite them, or at least that's how I RP it in my head :D, I think I might re-visit both this and the preceding game as well.
Also I just straight up snuck in and Murdered every single raider in the Junkyard because I didn't know you could just talk to them XD
Love icarus and his vids
Ashes > Fallout
I rest my case
34:00 Rusa Post office on Costner Street? Nice.
Honestly, calling Afterglow a Doom total conversion is making it a huge disservice, imho. Like Hedon before it, Afterglow is a whole fully-fledged game on it's own and the fact that Vostyok and Reformed Joe don't get any money from it is criminal. I personally count it as a part of the general Boomer Shooter revival, and one of the best at that too!
Hit the nail on the head. Ashes has evolved far part mod status, it's its own game now.
If you play this, make sure to play it on the highest difficulty. Ammo and other pickups are much scarcer and really add to the post-apocalyptic scrounger vibe.
I agree, but I say play on at least Arcade first.
arent enemies super bulletsponges in that setting?
@@arkgaharandan5881
No. Their HP modifier never goes past x1.
They give you frenades? To hell with a little help they go. Yay 😂
It sounds like this is what Rage was trying to be.
This is the best mod I have ever played im my life
ashes Afterglow is my favorite game of 2022. and I played a lot. and I'm calling a game instead of a mod cuz that's really what it is.
if you haven't played this game you still have a chance to redeem yourself. all you need to do is download it and play it now.
like RIGHT now
Ashes is excellent. The best praise I can give is I didn't want it to end.
Edit: Hey...far as I'm concerned, _Escape From LA_ is lovable cheese. The nuclear sub propelled by green magic? 😂
1:11 I notice that the soundtrack is a rocked up version of the *Phantasm* theme.
33:59 a post office has the address of Costner Street?
Woo, more DDM! Also, you sound exhausted; please don't kill yourself (literally or metaphorically) over making these.
Bit late video :) but still Ashes are great mod that made me buy Doom on GoG and learn how to use gzdoom. For me Ashes is best total conversion on same quality as AAA games and when it comes to Doom You must remember that there is competition of other great mods, maps, tc's everyone will have something good depending on person taste.
3:46 the music REALLY reminds me of Foreverhood here.
The soundtrack carries many references, yet always remains unique. A true masterpiece within a masterpiece.
I am currently playing this, it's so fun (fuck the garden zone)
Huzzah! The man returns!
"Hey, buddyyyyyy~......weeeeeeere baaaaaaack~....."