Content notice
From Ashes tells a hard story. Here's what's in it, so you can decide if it's right for you.
The short version
- We recommend From Ashes for players aged 16 and over.
- The opening shows an armed raid on a village: gunfire, people being killed, an explosion and a town burning.
- The story deals with losing family, being forced from your home, and corruption.
- Nkaro, its towns, people and armed groups are invented. The villains are a foreign armed force and corrupt officials, never any ethnic group or people.
- The opening cutscene can be skipped, and the game has subtitles and separate volume controls.
This is our own guidance. The game has not been rated by an official age rating board.
Recommended age
We recommend From Ashes for players aged 16 and over, because of its realistic violence and serious themes. This is our own assessment; the game has not yet been classified by an official age rating organisation. If you're a parent, the details below should help you decide what's right for your child. The minimum age for an account is set out in our Terms of use.
Violence
- A military raid. In the prologue, soldiers arrive in a village, an older man who speaks up is struck down, and the soldiers open fire on the people in the street.
- Gunfire and deaths. Characters are shot and killed on screen. There is no close-up gore, but the deaths are not softened, and you hear screams and panic.
- An explosion and fire. Buildings burn and the town is destroyed.
The violence is there to tell the story of what the main character survives. You don't play as the attackers, and the game never rewards cruelty.
Themes
- Loss and separation. The main character, Kayo, is separated from his sister, Imani, during the raid and sets out to find her.
- Displacement. People are driven from their homes and land and have to start again with nothing.
- Corruption and exploitation. Officials sell out their own people to a mining company and the armed force that protects it.
- Poverty and hard work. Kayo earns a living collecting and selling scrap copper.
There is no sexual content. The game has an in-game currency that you can buy, but no gambling, loot boxes or random paid rewards.
A fictional world
Nkaro is a fictional country. Odara, Port Sable, the Kestrel mine, Iron Kestrel and every character in the game are invented. Any resemblance to real people, organisations or events is coincidental.
The story draws on real-world issues, such as land being seized for mining and communities being forced out, and we try to treat them with care and respect.
Who the villains are. The antagonists are a foreign armed force and the corrupt officials who work with it. They are not, and are not meant to represent, any ethnic group, nationality, religion or people. The people of Nkaro are shown in all their variety: traders, families, workers, neighbours.
Flashing lights
Some scenes include muzzle flashes, an explosion and flickering fire. A small number of people may experience seizures when exposed to flashing lights or patterns. If you or anyone in your family has epilepsy or has had seizures, talk to a doctor before playing. Stop playing straight away if you feel dizzy, have blurred vision, twitching or any unusual sensation.
Ways to make it easier
- Skip the opening. Press Esc, Enter or Space, or tap Skip, during the prologue cutscene.
- Subtitles can be turned on or off in the pause menu settings.
- Separate volumes for music, sound effects and voices, so you can turn the gunfire down without losing the story.
- Take a break whenever you need to. The game saves at checkpoints, and you can pause at any time with Esc.
If the themes in this story bring up difficult feelings for you, please talk to someone you trust, or a local support service.
Feedback
If something in the game worries you, or you think we've got something wrong, we want to hear it: [contact email].