There's so much I can say about this game, but after experiencing that ending, I'm simply speechless...

First, the combat system is really unique and engaging! Despite it being a 2D world, I genuinely found myself sweating and struggling with the bosses. I loved it!!!

I could honestly play a whole game based on the combat system alone, but what makes ASOS stand out even more, is the enthralling visual novel. The world, the characters, and the pacing of the plot and their cumulative character development is what gave the combat, and dungeon crawling, meaning and purpose.

I can't wait for more! I highly recommend this game to anyone who cares about story rich games and engaging combat!

Once I'm done writing this, I'm going to buy the OST to get the devs SOME kind of appreciation. This game shouldn't exist! A free game that kept me up until sunrise for two solid nights (mornings?) in a row? The art seems rudimentary and yet it just works. The music is incredibly immersive. And the atmosphere contrast between the two parts of the world you spend your time in is an visceral experience.

I found myself immensely surprised by the feelings and emotions that each new biome invoked. Your first contact with the antagonists of the world will disturb you and rip the entire feeling of the game in a different direction than you're expecting. Combat is action-turn-based, and engaging. It's a seamless transition from exploring to combat, since combat occurs entirely in the area you're already in.

Be warned though, as the game progresses, and you begin learning the characters' origin stories, it novelizes topics such as mental illness, familial trauma, self-harm/self-exit, regret, loss, grief, and more. But it does it in a way that feels important to the story rather than just using it as an aesthetic or accessory.

I need to figure out how to follow the developers so I can get in line for the next chapters.

I played with a keyboard, but the game recommends using a controller and I can imagine my combat would have gone better had I been using one. So if you have a controller, start out with it.

How can this be free?!