The Ascent was absolutely built for me. I love cyberpunk dystopian settings in my RPGs and does this game deliver. Developed out of Sweden by Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital, the grimy and addicting adventure has made its way to the PlayStation 5. Originally launching in July 2021 on Microsoft and Xbox platforms via GamePass, the marketing struggled to differentiate itself from the behemoth that was Cyberpunk 2077. While launching mere weeks before the faux pas of the decade that was Cyberpunk 2077, it both bolstered excitement and stymied The Ascent’s first impression on players. With middling to high scores, I always felt that the small 12-man team at Neon Giant didn’t get their due credit for creating such an outstanding universe, and tight gameplay.
The game wastes no time throwing you into this world of corporate overlords and executive A.I. that has run amuck in creating a city based on profitable returns and climbing the literal and figurative latter. When the dominant mega-corporation, The Ascent Group, files for bankruptcy the stability of the world collapses. Power vacuum is made, and hungry competitors are eager to take control of the sprawl that is the multi-layered city. You play as an enslaved employee of the recently dismembered Ascent Group, who must survive the chaos and uncover the mystery of what caused this demise.
The gameplay is a top-down shooter where you’ll be upgrading your character with modifications, better guns, additional equipment, and stat increases. The game opens up very early on and even allows you to go up against enemies that are considerably above your weight class. I really enjoy then RPGs allow me to get my ass kicked as it raises the stakes and makes me feel like I could potentially get one over on the game should I grind out killing a tough enemy. Quests are doled out from a variety of characters each with different agendas and rewards. However, they do not deviate from your standard, “go here and shoot this” format.
It’s a bit more dynamic than typical twin-stick shooters in that the mods and equipment you choose can change your play style. I always went for a high firing rate and shotgun combo to pair with my grenades and “stasis” punch. While you can opt to duck behind cover and try to pick off enemies as they come towards you from range, I enjoyed the frenetic gunplay of managing cooldowns and dispatching enemies up close. As the story progresses, there’s little need to change up your tactics, but the world is so fun to run around in, that it never felt stale.
You’ll earn experience points and currency to upgrade and augment your character to your liking. Also, clothing and equipment are represented visually on your character, so you can run around with a Robocop arm, M.C. Hammer Pants, and a VR headset all you like. The extreme styles of equipment feel right at home in the eccentric city of tubes and neon lights.
The fidelity of the world and set pieces are a sight to behold. I loved walking around the city and reaching a new floor to uncover a whole new architectural style. There are shops and civilians milling about all with conversations about the happenings and news. It makes the world feel very real and lived in. It added so much flavor to the gameplay to hear an alien drone reassure his colleague to trust the corporations because they always know what’s best. It made me feel like a rebel, who could maybe buck the system if I just get the right shot.
With such a high fidelity of world and customization, the soundtrack and sound design compliments the visual presentation nicely. The soundtrack is composed by Paweł Błaszczak, who you no doubt have heard in The Witcher and Dying Light. The synth and bass heavy soundtrack gave off Bladerunner vibes and does a great job of sucking you into a fight as well as allowing you to drift off looking at some interesting smokestack.
This port of the game runs much better and has been visually smoothed out compared to the launch edition. With online and local multiplayer, it’s easy to drip into other players’ games and run around together. I personally played it on easy as the game is more on the difficult side. I am still blown away at what this small team was able to produce. While the exclusivity window is now shut and the game is on the PlayStation platform, the team has had a chance to smooth out the rough edges. They’ve updated things like color schemes in the HUD to be clearer and made the game run better.
I would say that if the idea of mixing up Bladerunner with Robocop sounds like mixing peanut butter and chocolate, then jump right in. At the time of writing the game is on sale for $29.99 in the PlayStation shop and on Amazon. This is absolutely creds well spent.
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