ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat
Encyclopedia
ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat is a tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...

 developed by Mistwalker
Mistwalker
is a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...

 and Racjin
Racjin
Racjin, formerly known as , is a Japanese video game developer established in 1995. Its name was changed in 2000 to make it more easily pronounced to the Japanese.-Games developed:*ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat...

 and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

 for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

. It was released on October 4, 2007 in Japan. It was the first DS game released on a 2 gigabit
Gigabit
The gigabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix giga is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 109 , and therefore...

 game card.

Gameplay

Gameplay is displayed on the bottom screen, while the top screen contains a full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...

 depicting the battle.

ASH features pre-rendered videos and backgrounds.

Playable characters

The crown princess of Milinear, and the main character. After her parents were killed 12 years ago, she was raised by Bullnequ. She was to be crowned the Queen of Milinear when she turned 17, but the ceremony was interrupted when the capital was attacked and burned by the Flame Snake, at the start of the game. She is trusting and naïve, but can be decisive. She has the ability to take other people's hatred, sorrow, and regret into her heart and carry them with her. She is the only hero of the game to survive to the end without being turned into ash.
The leader of Milinear's military, and Aisya's bodyguard and father-figure. When the Flame Snake attacked the city, he, along with the rest of Milinear's population, was burned into ashes. However, he came back to life, albeit with a body made of ashes, due to his dedication to protecting Aisya. Besides his military prowess and bravery, he is surprisingly well-informed about other topics, such as archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

. In combat, he fights with a sword, specializing in melee combat. He can also heal himself and his allies.
The captain of the 4th Sealing Squad in Sumnelthia's army, he was ordered to chase the Flame Snake that attacked and burned Milinear and seal it, as well as to take on of the Forest People from the Hidden Moor, and bring both the sealed snake and the child back to the capital. He succeeded in sealing the snake and securing the child, but he was attacked by soldiers from the Iron Legion, and the Flame Snake escaped from his Sealing Box. He was saved from the Iron Legion by Aisya and Bullnequ, and decided to join them. He is rash and has a quick temper, but is fiercely loyal to both his friends and his country. He fights with a claymore, and specializes in attacks that lower his target's stats and raise his own.
A child from the Hidden Moor, he is one of the few Forest People who possess very powerful magic. He is quiet and shy at first, but acts like a normal child among company that he feels comfortable with. He is very good friends with Cootrolan. In combat, he has no physical attacks, but uses very powerful earth-element magic.
The "latest model" of the Iron Legion, he was a minor officer in the Iron Legion of the future until he was infected with the Logic Bomb, which changed his reasoning and personality, so that he realized that the Iron Legion had to be stopped, or the world would be destroyed. He claims to be unable to attack humans, but shows no qualms about killing Sumnelthian soldiers. In combat, he fights with a pole, like all of the Iron Legion.
The princess of Aceshin, she was captured by Sumnelthian soldiers shortly after the war began, and kept in the dungeon of Sumnelthia Castle. It is implied that she was raped by the Sumnelthian emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

. She is rather cold at first, and speaks offensively of the Sumnelthia Emperor, accusing him of creating the Iron Legion and the Flame Snake, which prompted Dan to nearly kill her and then leave the party, but when it became clear to him that these accusations are true, he forgives her and rejoins. Soon afterwords, it is revealed that the two of them are in love. For unclear reasons, she dislikes Jeekawen, and objected vehemently when he decided to join the party. She fights with a katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

and a spear.
A quiet and mysterious man, apparently with no loyalties, he initially serves the Sumnelthia Emperor, but leaves him when he decides that it no longer fits in with his interests. His only guiding influence seems to be a hatred for the Iron Legion, but it is later revealed that he is one of the Forest People, and was raised by Gaga. He still looks up to her as a master, as well as feeling that he owes her, as he accused her of abandoning everything and running away when she left the Hidden Moor to live with the Legendary Creatures. When he discovers that Gaga's spirit is inside Emu, he decides to stop hindering the player, even if it means going against his orders. He fights with eight knives, five of which combine to create a sword. He also has a certain amount of control over the air, and uses it to control his knives as he throws them, allowing him to guide them towards his target.
Maritie's mother. She cares deeply about both her daughter and her country. In combat, she wields all the magic from both the Black and White magic schools.

Reception

ASH received a review score of 33/40 from Famitsu. The game sold 67,000 copies in Japan as of October 22, 2007.

External links

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