Ash of the Depths

Mission briefing

The colony of Sorrow-IV has gone silent. The Ash Legion sends its last executor to the very bottom, where something ancient and hungry has awoken. ASH OF THE DEPTHS is a dark sci-fi shooter where every pixel of the world obeys physics. Rock collapses, sand pours, water flows, magma cools into stone and gas explodes from a single spark. WHAT IS INSIDE • 100 levels and a 6-chapter story campaign with two endings. • 7 biomes: flooded mines, frozen cisterns, a meat manufactory, toxic marshes, crystal veins, the forges of the abyss and the bottom. • 15 enemy types and bosses: the infected, gunners, snipers, shield bearers, borer worms, the Flesh Smith and the Womb Mother. • 5 weapons for different situations and a plasma cutter to carve your own path. • 10 pieces of ancient armor that turn the hero into an armored slayer. • The Arsenal: gear and upgrades for gold — a helper drone, a fireproof suit, an endless rebreather and more. • Daily Descent, ambushes, hidden caches, an endless mode and a matter sandbox. Fully translated into 15 languages. Progress is saved automatically; sign in to keep it in the cloud.

Field manual

Goal: descend as deep as you can, reach the exit of each level and survive the bosses. Phone: left stick — move and jump, right stick — aim and fire (auto-aim is on by default). Buttons on the right: grenade, cutter, weapon swap. PC: A/D — move, W — jump, Space — jetpack, mouse — aim and fire, right mouse button — grenade, 1–4 — weapons, F — cutter, Esc — pause. The level goal and the “rift hungers” counter are in the top-right corner; the arrow at the screen edge points to the goal. Spend gold in the Arsenal (pause → Arsenal, or after a level). The cutter slices any rock but barely hurts enemies.

Launch orders: press Launch mission above and the game loads on this page itself — nothing downloads and no form stands between you and the first move. It is designed for a flexible screen and takes its orders from mouse, keyboard or touch, depending on the mission. It adapts to both upright and wide screens, so phones, tablets and desktops all frame it sensibly. If it offers a fullscreen control, use it — a fight this size deserves the whole screen.

Field notes for first person shooter operations

• Keep the crosshair at head height while you move. Most lost duels are lost in the half-second spent dragging the aim up from the floor — carry it at the height the enemy will arrive at.
• Clear corners in slices. Edge into a doorway a few pixels at a time so you only ever face one angle of danger; walking straight through the middle is how highlight reels happen to other people.
• Your minimap is a second pair of eyes. Glance at it after every engagement — the fight you just had told your opponents exactly where you are, and the map tells you where they will come from.

Ash of the Depths — questions from the ranks

What does it cost to play Ash of the Depths?

Nothing at all. The mission is free from the first order to the last — no sign-up, no download, no paid tier guarding the good levels. The advertising around this page is what keeps the board free.

What sort of mission is Ash of the Depths?

Ash of the Depths is filed in our First Person Shooter theatre. Like every operation on this board, it is a browser game — read the briefing above for the publisher's own account of what you are deploying into.

Can I run Ash of the Depths on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It plays in the browser on phones and tablets exactly as it does on a computer. It adapts to both upright and wide screens, so phones, tablets and desktops all frame it sensibly.

Do I have to install anything before playing?

No installation of any kind. Ash of the Depths is an HTML5 game: press the launch button and it loads on this page, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind.

After-action

Mission complete, or still pinned down? The full First Person Shooter theatre is one click away — Down the barrel: 62 first-person operations where your view is the weapon's view and cover is a lifestyle choice. Corridors, arenas and open ground, all hostile.