An ambitious upcoming Eurojank RPG is holding a closed playtest on Steam and it

Of Ash and Steel is a third-person open world RPG that sets players off on a once-prosperous island to explore, fight, and “shape the fate of the world,” or at least the fate of the island. It’s still early in development (which presumably explains the lack of detail on what the game is actually about) but developer Fire and Frost has kicked off a playtest on Steam, so you can get an early look at what it’s all about.

I’ve horsed around with the Ash and Steel playtest a bit myself, and look: It is very janky. Some of the systems don’t appear to be fully implemented, some narrative elements don’t line up, and sometimes it’s just weird. In one case I retrieved an item belonging to the camp doctor that a drunken sailor had thrown away; the doctor seemingly knew the sailor had stolen the item (he was pissed off at the guy about it, which was a central part of the whole mini-quest) but when I handed it over and told him what happened, he was all, “That bastard!” and then jumped the sailor from behind, beating him with a cudgel.

The sailor went down and everyone standing nearby gasped in horror. “You killed him!” they cried. “You killed him!” Nobody seemed to mind too much though—the doctor just walked away, and the guy the apparently-murdered sailor was drinking with was still standing in the same spot, sucking on his bottle—but a few seconds later the “dead” sailor sprung up and immediately returned to his drink and conversation, as though none of it had happened.

There are a few instances like that, and they’re pretty jarring: If this was an open beta a few weeks ahead of launch, I’d have serious concerns. But it’s an early closed playtest for a game with no announced release date, so I’m inclined to be forgiving because Of Ash and Steel does look like it could be quite a good Eurojank RPG if it’s given enough time and resources to properly cook.

To get into the Of Ash and Steel playtest, just hop around to Steam and click the appropriate button. Fire and Frost said players will be admitted in waves, which is admittedly not very specific—notifications of admission will be sent out via email, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.