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Among Ashes Review: Strong Horror Atmosphere, Uneven Gameplay

Among Ashes builds horror around a haunted videogame and events in the protagonist’s apartment. Its atmosphere drew praise from one reviewer, alongside criticism of combat, mazes, and some puzzles.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Among Ashes has a memorable horror premise: you play a person in the early 2000s who receives a link to a haunted game called Night Call, then faces unsettling events both inside the game and in their apartment. One user reviewer praised its atmosphere and story but found combat, navigation, and some puzzles frustrating. That makes it a more appealing prospect for players drawn to layered horror and retro presentation than for those who want consistently smooth action.

What is Among Ashes?

Rat Cliff Games describes Among Ashes as a first-person horror game about a haunted videogame and the disturbing story behind its creation. It is single-player, and its central hook is the contrast between two spaces: the fictional game Night Call and the protagonist’s apartment, where strange events unfold as the mystery develops. Steam’s listing identifies Rat Cliff Games as both developer and publisher for the PC version.

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Inside Night Call, the player explores an old manor, solves puzzles, and fights monsters. Outside it, apartment-based story events build the mystery around the game and its creator. The dual structure gives the horror a useful change of scale: the manor supplies familiar exploration and threats, while the apartment makes the game’s influence feel closer to home.

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How well do the horror and atmosphere work?

Atmosphere is the clearest strength in the available user-review evidence, but that judgment should be read as one player’s response rather than a critic consensus. In an August 24, 2025 review on GameFAQs, user reviewer ivory_soul praised the tension, monster design, and coherence of the story. The reviewer’s headline was “Nails the atmosphere, but gameplay is lacking.”

#1 Best Overall
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  • Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (LATAM), and Spanish (Spain) in game text.

That assessment points to the game’s central trade-off: its premise and mood can hold appeal even when the moment-to-moment play frustrates. Players who enjoy deliberately retro presentation may be more receptive to its style; those who expect contemporary combat and clear navigation may be less forgiving. The available information does not establish how the game performs technically on different platforms.

Are the puzzles, exploration, and combat enjoyable?

The GameFAQs reviewer found the manor’s mazes confusing, criticized some puzzles, and objected to combat and respawning enemies. Those are specific criticisms from a single review, not proof that every player will have the same experience. They are still useful cautions if you prefer readable level layouts, tightly controlled encounters, or puzzles that make their logic clear.

Rank #2
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The game asks players to move between exploration, puzzle-solving, and fighting as they investigate Night Call. If atmosphere and an unfolding mystery are your priorities, those systems may be acceptable scaffolding. If combat feel and navigation are the main reasons you play first-person horror, the reported frustrations deserve more weight in your decision.

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How long is Among Ashes?

Ivory_soul estimated a 3–4 hour completion time in the same GameFAQs review. That is one reviewer’s estimate, not an official duration or independently verified average; time will depend on how quickly you solve puzzles and navigate the manor.

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Which platforms is Among Ashes on?

The documented platform lineup is PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. Steam lists the PC release as December 9, 2024. Gematsu lists PC and PS5 worldwide on December 9, 2024, and Xbox Series worldwide on June 6, 2025. Metacritic’s details page also lists PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, with Rat Cliff Games as developer and Dojo System as publisher in its metadata. Publisher credits differ across platform listings: Steam names Rat Cliff Games for PC, while Gematsu identifies Dojo System as publisher of the PS5 version.

The available sources do not compare resolution, frame rate, or platform performance, so there is no evidence here to recommend one version on technical grounds.

Rank #4
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What do players think of Among Ashes?

Steam’s storefront snapshot accessed October 7, 2026 showed 95% positive from 425 all-time user reviews and 100% positive from 11 recent reviews. These are changing user-review figures, not critic scores or a lasting measure of consensus; the recent sample is especially small. The more mixed GameFAQs review illustrates why a high storefront rating alone may not tell you whether the gameplay suits your preferences.

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What are the PC requirements?

Steam’s minimum requirements list Windows 10 or 11, 8 GB of RAM, DirectX 10, and 8 GB of available storage. The listed minimum processors and graphics cards are:

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  • A stellar voice cast, starring Valerie Rose Lohman (What Remains of Edith Finch, Wolfenstein: Youngblood), Jonah Scott (Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Date Everything), and Aleks Le (Persona 3: Reload, Marvel Rivals, Ghost of Yotei).
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  • The puzzles you encounter are more than your standard key hunt. Project Songbird rewards those with an eye for detail, making each puzzle a challenge of creativity and wits.
  • The combat of Project Songbird offers a variety of approaches inspired by the classics of the survival horror genre. Melee and gunplay is slow and weighty, and ammo is incredibly scarce. However, combat isn't your only option, as you have a multitude of tools at your disposal to aid in sneaking past any creatures that wish to do you harm.
Component Steam minimum requirement
Processor Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Memory 8 GB RAM
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 550
DirectX Version 10
Storage 8 GB available space
Operating system Windows 10 or 11

Check the current Steam listing before buying, since system requirements can change.

What content should players know about?

The developer’s Steam content description warns of frequent violence or gore, themes of abuse and suicide, and general mature content. Players sensitive to those subjects may want to review the listing before playing.

Is there a PS5 physical edition?

Gematsu reported an announcement of a Selecta Play PS5 physical edition. That announcement does not establish current retail stock, regional availability, or an active Amazon listing. Check a retailer’s live listing for the edition and region you want before placing an order.

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Quick Recap

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Bestseller No. 5

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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