Post-apocalyptic survival game Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey gets April release date

Nameless XIII, the studio headed by Life is Strange co-creator Hervé Bonin, has announced an April 15 release date for its upcoming narrative-driven survival game Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey. Check out the moody new trailer up top.

Previously known by its working title, Cendres, Ashwalkers: A Survival Journey tells a non-linear story set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic volcano. Like a lot of modern narrative-heavy games, the choices you make will affect the outcome of the story. Depending on your specific path, you'll end up with one of 34 endings for each roughly 2-hour playthrough, which means there should be plenty of replay value here.

Gameplay involves exploring the desolate wasteland that is now the Earth, 200 years after the aforementioned volcano erupted, and trying to keep your squad of four alive through deadly weather conditions including storms of ash, acid rain, and "the grey blizzard." Surviving in Ashwalkers will require strategic management and procurement of food, equipment, and medication.

Driving the story are the complex relationships between the main characters: the brave protagonist and group leader Petra, the pragmatic fighter Sing, the youthful and hopeful intellectual Kali, and the cautious scout Nadir. No doubt, the characters in your group will have different feelings and responses to the decisions you make and your dialogue choices throughout the game.

So far, Nameless XIII has only revealed plans for the PC release via Steam, but it's always possible the studio will port it to consoles at a later date, if and when it proves successful enough to warrant the legwork. 

Here are 20 new indie games to keep on your radar in 2021.