![]() Some areas, especially narrower ones on bridges and the like, can feel like you’re shuffling forwards, taking on a big group of enemies, shuffling forwards again, taking on another group and so on until you reach your next objective.Īs entertaining as its gunplay is, it can sometimes feel like these countless battles are constantly thrown in your way to slow you down and artificially extend the game’s length. Again, none of this is truly revolutionary, but the true success of this game doesn’t lie in its innovation, but its execution (in more ways than one).Īs you progress through the game there will occasionally be moments where a feeling of repetition sets in. As level up, you gain skill points which can be used to boost specific attributes, such as your maximum health or the likelihood of enemies being able to stun you. Most games of this nature have some sort of character progression system and The Ascent is no different. The B button lets you duck down behind various pieces of scenery while holding the LT button lets you raise your gun above your head and aim over it, meaning you can take cover and fire from behind it, which is deeply satisfying to pull off (though it should be noted that enemies can do the same). The environments also come into play during combat. But if you can get in close and avoid its slow but extremely powerful attacks, you can blow chunks out of its health bar with a more powerful weapon. Gunning down the giant mech boss with a machine gun is all well and good if you’ve got an eternity to spare slowly whittling his armour down. This by itself is no great innovation but the weapons are so satisfying to use and enemy strengths are diverse enough that some situations really do require you to stop and consider which gun to take into battle. Machine guns let you take on large groups of enemies from a distance but their accuracy and power leave something to be desired, whereas more powerful shotgun-type weapons like the Riot Gun do enormous damage up close, as a reward for the obvious risks involved. There are a few different types of weapon available to you, each with their own different feel. Combat is handled with a twin stick setup, with the left stick handling player movement and the right stick controlling your aim (accompanied by a handy red laser pointer). ![]() Rest assured, there are plenty of opportunities to do so.Īs you explore new areas, groups of enemies will approach you on a regular basis, turning every seemingly innocuous street into a potential gunfight. Sightseeing is all well and good but the main task at hand here is obviously shooting at as many things as possible until your trigger finger goes numb. ![]() This is all accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack that at times shows its clear Vangelis / Blade Runner influence and at others provides a pumping, pulsing soundtrack to accompany moments of action. This is a world we’d love to explore in more detail in a future sequel. The cyberpunk aesthetic has been done to death in recent years, but rarely has it been handled so well, and rarely has it had us slowly wandering the streets, taking in all the different buildings and signs. When you then add the gorgeous lighting effects on top of this – with some sections bathed in reds, oranges, yellows and greens – the result is one of the most visually appealing game worlds we’ve probably ever seen. While many games with similar zoomed out, top-down viewpoints can occasionally be graphically underwhelming because it can lead to environments lacking in detail, The Ascent instead uses this viewpoint to its advantage by creating vast cityscapes that stretch miles into the distance, while using a cinematic camera to swipe around and ensure that the player almost always has something cool to look at. “The sheer level of detail that has gone into each area is breathtaking, not least when you consider that developer Neon Giant consists of only 12 people.” The sheer level of detail that has gone into each area is breathtaking, not least when you consider that developer Neon Giant consists of only 12 people. While the world of Veles has more than its fair share of weird and wonderful inhabitants, it’s the environment itself, which is undoubtedly the game’s most endearing character. Set in a futuristic cyberpunk world, the game puts you in the role of a worker for The Ascent Group, a huge megacorporation that suddenly collapses without warning, leading to anarchy.Īs other organisations and syndicates fight each other to try and take control of the city, it’s up to your character to make sure nobody manages to pull it off, while at the same time trying to find out what caused The Ascent Group to go belly-up. Notice: To display this embed please allow the use of Functional Cookies in Cookie Preferences.
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