ＡＳＨ . ＳＮＯＷ acts as a hub that branches off into two other games, “ＳＮＯＷ .” and “ＡＳＨ ”. All of these games take place after Idielao went on the search for the answer to their question, “Is this ash, or is this snow?” Their path includes a volcano or a snow-filled land depending on the choice the player makes.
Overview[]
The game “ＡＳＨ . ＳＮＯＷ'' is a hub, but it only acts as a hub to two other games, “ＳＮＯＷ .” and “ＡＳＨ .”. When the player spawns into each game, there is a monologue that appears in the center of the player’s screen that showcases Idielao talking in both “SNOW” and “ASH”, but in “ASH.SNOW”, it appears that a friend from Idielao’s past is talking directly to the player as if they were Idielao. This friend talks about how Idielao wanted to know the answer to the question “is this ash, or is this snow?”. This friend then says that they always told them that they “should never know.”. As a result of this, Idielao traveled to both of the lands “SNOW” and “ASH” in search of this question.
In “SNOW”, it appeared that previously Idielao asked the apparent Snow King this question, but it was never said if Idielao obtained the answer. When Idielao went to “ASH”, it appeared that some sort of experiment was conducted on the snow people in search of this question; it is unknown if it was Idielao that enacted these experiments. In Idielao’s monologue in “SNOW”, they talk about an unknown “they” that caused the bone-chilling cold in “SNOW”. This unknown “they” was also mentioned in Idielao’s monologue in “ASH”. Idielao stated that the “they'' could not get to “ASH”; it is unknown exactly why this is, but one could infer that it is due to the scorching nature of “ASH”.
Walkthrough[]
- Main Game -[]
As the player spawns in game, the following text appears across the screen: “pray tell, you ask, is this ASH, or is this SNOW? oh dearest vinur, we would say, ‘do not be so brash. yes, that question’s answer… … you should never know.’” The world is greyscale and foggy with snow falling gently onto the circular platforms that make up the terrain. These platforms are situated into steps with the center of the world having a giant hole exposing a brick wall. Jumping into the hole, the player will eventually fall into a circular room with a geometric pattern on the wall. A single doorway in the room leads the player through a narrow hallway into another room, this one cubical in shape. On the floor in the center of this room is an “X” mark and there are also two other doors. The one on the left is labeled “ASH?” and has a design that resembles that of sprinkles of ash falling into a pile while the one on the right is labeled “SNOW?” and has three snowflakes engraved on it. These represent answers to the question asked when the player first joins the game; touching the ash door teleports the player to A S H. while touching the snow door teleports the player to S N O W.
- A S H. -[]
The following text appears across the screen when the player joins the game: “... it’s so warm… the embers and ash float through the air… they cannot get to this place… this heat is unbearable… the tender touch of a flame burns through thin skin…” The player spawns on a platform with a snowflake-like pattern protruding from the ground in a greyscale world. The entire area is surrounded by mountains with ash floating in the air, and there is a cave behind the player. Straight ahead is a row of small columns with a pattern resembling that of the spawn point that leads to a staircase built into a volcano. At the top of the staircase is a round door decorated with three snowflake shapes.
Walking through the door leads the player into a large circular room made up of a staircase leading to a bottom floor and a taller platform around the room that surrounds this inner area. Continuing down the staircase into the bottom floor, which has a snowflake pattern on it, the player will come across four buildings that are unique in size and pattern, each decorated with geometric shapes and lines and containing a door with a glowing snowflake symbol engraved onto it. A large round door stands at the back of the area and it also has three snowflake symbols on it (the top one being the biggest and the bottom one being the smallest), though touching it doesn’t lead the player anywhere.
Going back up the staircase and walking around the top platform that surrounds the room, the player will come across more houses that line up across this floor along with several columns and beams that support the ceiling. Starting from the staircase and moving counterclockwise, the door of the second house is open. This is the only house that can be accessed.
Inside the house is a main floor and a ladder leading up to a second floor. The main floor is divided into two sections by a wall at the center with the first section being empty besides a floor with snowflake designs. In the second section behind the wall are glass containers, many of which have snowman heads inside. A shelf at the back of the room holds more containers along with piles of scrolls, and a ladder leans against the shelf. A few scrolls are sprawled out across the floor and long, torn papers with writing or snowman cutouts hang on 3 of the walls. There is also a desk standing against the dividing wall holding a small pile of scrolls, lead, and one open scroll with writing on it.
Going up the ladder from the first section of the room takes the player to the second floor, this room also holding many containers and scrolls. Some containers hold more snowman heads and the pattern of the walls resembles that of blocked off window panes. There is also a cot on one side of the room with an empty container sitting on it.
- S N O W. -[]
The following text appears across the screen when the player joins the game: “… this feeling of coldness is so familiar to us now… The snow’s frozen touch on our skin is nothing new… they watch, and they see all… they are the cause of this frozen state of ours…” The player spawns in a snow-covered world, snowflakes floating through the sky. Snowmen are scattered throughout the area in a variety of sizes and footsteps lead the player straight ahead. If they follow the footsteps, they will be able to see a white doorway on the right wall near the center and another on the left wall near the back of the area. While the doorway on the right wall doesn’t seem to lead anywhere, touching the doorway on the left wall to a new area.
This area contains a few igloos with cracks in their walls and bright light spread throughout their interiors. The igloos are situated in a circle and a path from the doorway made up of circles leads the player to the largest igloo. They can go inside of it though it is empty.
Going back out the doorway and continuing onto the footstep path in the first area, the player will reach a mouth in the wall that teleports them to another new area, this one a forest with a clearing split down the middle that reveals more footsteps. Tall street lights line the path on either side and following the footsteps straight ahead takes the player to another white doorway.
Touching the doorway teleports the player inside a large cave, massive piles of snow lining the perimeter. More footsteps lead straight ahead to the middle of the cave where a circular structure made up of columns stands. At the center of the building a snowman sits on a throne which is elevated by a small set of stairs. Climbing up the stairs, the player will see the following text written out on the floor in front of the snowman: “so you wish to know as well? are you as torn as that lost auga? oh, he did wonder, is this ash, or is this snow?”
History[]
ＡＳＨ . ＳＮＯＷ was created on 12/5/2018, and the SNOW teleport was created on 12/13/2018. ASH was introduced as another teleport on 12/16/2018. ASH.SNOW received its final update on June 3rd, 2019, and the two teleports got theirs around the end of March 2020. No updates followed after this because of idielao's retirement. There are not many events or large updates recorded unfortunately, possibly due to there never being any worth noting.
Trivia[]
- Players are able to climb outside of the map in ASH, to where they can explore the outside of the volcano.
Theories[]
- The snowmen seen in “A S H” are experiments that Idielao themself conducted.
- The question “is this ASH, or is this SNOW?” could be looked at as a hypothesis that needs to be tested, this process being the player (representing Idielao) going through the two doors presented in the first game.
- The phrase “so you wish to know as well? are you as torn as that lost auga?” said in “S N O W” implies a sense of urgency in answering the question, further reinforcing the need for an experiment
- Snowman heads are seen in containers in the house in “A S H”, these resembling that of the snowmen in “S N O W”. The room that the containers are in is also set up as some sort of lab evident by other items such as a cot and writing scrolls that depict images of snowmen.
- The question “is this ASH, or is this SNOW?” could be looked at as a hypothesis that needs to be tested, this process being the player (representing Idielao) going through the two doors presented in the first game.
Gallery[]
