Ascendant

Ascendant
N/A
Metacritic
77
Steam
64.095
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
free
Release date
13 May 2014
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
77 (209 votes)

Ascendant is the unforgiving beat 'em up in which you are a demigod invading a world controlled by your rivals. Choose your fate by discovering Blessings, equipping mighty weapons and spells, and learning to survive in this brutal realm. Only the most impressive warriors have a chance of victory.

Show detailed description

Ascendant system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/XP/Vista (32 or 64 bit)
  • Processor: 2.4ghz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia 260 GTS or Radeon HD 4850 - 512 MB of VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 2 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
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Anyone
Anyone

Rogue like, same type of rogue legacy but this game sucks.

Once you die, you lost all (your new power, your new items, everything) + you must start again since the beginning (must kill again all the boss...)

Frankly, go to Rogue Like and stay away from this game.

Venn
Venn

We enjoyed the Linux port but ran into control issues.

Double thanks for the devels sending us the keys (we already purchased the game) and now we have extra for a giveaway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehfma9DO4-o&list=PLwhv5SJrPUnpL2FkNs1spJ…

NeedlaPudge
NeedlaPudge

A really fun and stylized Rougelike Brawler where you can launch minions into spikes, fight bosses, and collect a multitude of items. It's also pretty challenging, as any Rougelike game should be.

Want to know more? Check out a first impressions video of the game I recorded for Geekenstein.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKtSBe_SDTM&list=PLGZzj3oUhxhsCNa9eEbyc…

Full Disclosure: Geekenstein.com covered the development of this game and are friendly with the developers. They're cool dudes.

yac
yac

Exceptional roguelike beat'em in a charming world!

You will die. Again and again. But with each death, you learn and become stronger demigod, relentlessly pushing farther and farther... Although you do improve your demigod as you play, it is the improvement of your skills and knowledge that persists between runs.

This game is brutal yet fair, rewarding and fun.

If you like Rogue Legacy, grab this immediately.
If you haven't played this kind of game before, give it a shot and feel the power of fair permadeath!

si
si

This game has a beauty about it that makes it really quite unique, it doesn't sacrifice fun mechanics for difficulty, instead it uses fun brawler mechanics, and designs the rest of the game around that, with enemies that are very reminiscent of halo 1 this game just makes my inner child happy

NoSeKe
NoSeKe

My favourite game this year so far. It's like Rogue Legacy but without the stupid permanent progression system and much more random which makes it very very fun and replayable.
It's challenging as balls too, it took me 34 hours to beat it for the first time and i've been still playing since then for about 30 more hours.

An absolutely 'hidden' gem, buy it, play it and enjoy it!

PS: Get ready to experience some bugs though.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Very good game, I really enjoy it. The only thing is that sometimes the platforms spawn too high and without a double jump blessing or jump height enchantment it's impossible to continue the game, I've been forced to restart several times because of this.

Keizgon
Keizgon

Not much of a Rogue-like or Rogue-lite gamer, but I do remember playing difficult games around the NES / DOS era and Ascendant has that feel with a beautiful art design. It might actually turn me into a Rogue-lite fan if a game can keep up with this level of quality.

- Every playthrough is unique and different. I didn't realize random procedural type maps could be fun along with the vast unlockable content to discover.

- Graphics / Audio are beautiful and unique. As soon as I heard the music at the title screen, I immediately felt intrigued in the discovery that awaited me.

- This game is difficult (depending on the boss) for newcomers in the Rogue-lite genre, but it still feels simple enough to pick up and learn due to the beat-em up style of play. If you are a gamer looking for challenge (ie: Dark Souls / Shovel Knight) in a platform environment, do check it out.

- Customizable key controls almost made or broke the game for me, due to my gamepad driver support in Linux being quite lacking. I would request from the developer to allow double key tap for directional dashing. Currently the way I have my keys setup is using my left hand for actions and right hand on the num pad for movement / misc keys. Feels a bit difficult without a controller but it isn't unplayable.

brickey.8
brickey.8

Ascendant isn't a terrible game... it's just not a very good one. The combat system is fun at its core, and I like the way it gives you slightly more control over your items than some games, but repetition kills it. You're forced to kill the same enemies so many times that it becomes hollow--especially since you can almost always pick them off a few at a time, and 75% of enemies in every room are either flies or normal grunts. And you're forced to replay the same levels over because the difficulty is very high. And there's not enough bosses either, so you'll face the same ones almost every run; nor are the bosses remotely balanced against each other (one of the early bosses you can kill unscratched on your first try, another one is ludicrously difficult even with great items and a full health bar).

Production values don't help it--the soundtrack and graphics are both totally forgettable, and you will get bored of the appearance of the early levels very quickly.

It's plainly, painfully obvious that this game is trying to be The Binding Of Isaac as a sidescroller. But ultimately, you're better off just replaying Isaac again.

Frostemation
Frostemation

I would love to recommend this game, I really would! The art style is gorgeous, the environments are amazing, the music is lovely, and the enemies are unique!
But the difficulty is just too damn difficult to make it last more than two levels. I made it to Fall and died on the second Fall boss (The Hermit).

To explain the difficulty best; think classic Castlevania on steroids.

Lost Pause
Lost Pause

Ascendant is a 2D rogue-like brawler, and pretty dang good one at that. No run will ever be same, and there is quite a bit of variation in the layouts every time. This game offers consistent challenge, but with variation every run. And that is the mark of a good rogue-like.

Here's a quick look video of the game if you want to see it in action and what it has to offer. Or if you'd rather read something more concise, just read the review below.

http://youtu.be/pb_gYupS07s

I'll first begin by explaining the basic mechanics of this game. You play as your selected magic swordsman that's able to slash down foes, launch them with a hard swing Guacamelee style, or fire magic at them. You continue doing this until you reach the boss of the randomly generated dungeon, who can also change every run. If you manage to beat them, then you progress to the next part of the season, or to the next season if you already did so. Each new progression brings a harder challenge than the last with enemies that behave differently and are generally tougher.

But what makes that so good? It's the way each run feels like something new and the way the game still makes you feel like you're making progression. There's always some new weapon, spell, item, blessing or spirit that you'll come across and want to experiment with, the blessing being the most unique of the bunch. You'll only get them by defeating a boss, and where you equip them (body, sword, or magic) will offer you different boons that change the way way you play. And when you start progressing farther into the game, you'll probably be combining several together to make something that's really interesting and fun to do. I once found blessings that allowed me to slowly fall while casting and that enabled projectiles to bounce off walls. I then stumbled upon a spell that consistently fired off random projectiles every .1 seconds. Needless to say, the mayhem that ensued was a blast.

But let's break down a few negatives this game comes with.
*A lot of people may be turned off by the fact it looks like a flash game. A lot of games don't get the chance they deserve because of this.
*While there is a decent number of enemies that fight differently, a lot of them are simple reskins of others. I would've liked to see different mobs. And it would've also made it less confusing how to handle something when I found melee mobs that that now shot projectiles.
*Sometimes the random nature can be a bit too harsh. I once had a run where I found 3 keys to enter a shop, but I coudn't for the life of me find money to spend in them. Another time was when I consistently found hearts when I didn't need them, but when I actually did, I hovered on half of one for the longest time until I finally died. There should be some sort of mechanic that favors a certain outcome based on your current state.
*There's no story at all. While I personally don't mind, some people like a reason behind what they're doing, even if it is something simple like saving the world or your girlfriend.

Now if you can look past those negatives, you'll find a game that's challenging, fun, and even comes with local co-op if you want to bring a bud along. Even when you die, which will probably be often, you'll keep coming back for more and gradually get better. Why is that? Because the game feels fair for the most part. If you got hit, it's because you messed up and didn't dodge or parry in time. There's a high skill-ceiling in this game, and it's satisfying when you're beginning to breeze past the early levels that once gave you once heck of a challenge.

So to sum up, I recommend this game to all who like challenge. You're going to get exactly that here, and it'll feel like a fresh experience every time.

Dante
Dante

Its a great game with lots of replay value, i love the combat, and finding out the new abilities after beating a boss is a lot of fun, an addicting game well worth the price.

loglog
loglog

I highly recommend this game if you enjoy challenging rogue-like side scrollers. The game is artistically beautifully, the characters are unique and offer variation to the gameplay, and the bosses are fun and rewarding. If you like risk of rain or rogue legacy, you will enjoy this game and if you arent a fan, you should become one because this game is great. The game also has an excellent coop (local only) mode and youll likely get more fun out of the two player experience. I've only played it briefly so far, but I think this game is a top contender in its genre. Thanks for reading.

Edit: I've now beaten the game with every character and I can still say that the game is extremely enjoyable. Each run has been very unique and it feels great to stomp the last boss a couple of times. I highly recommend this game.

Edit 2: Check out the wiki for help with bosses or anything else. I recently added a bnuch of stuff and looked at the rest to make sure they were correct or useful. http://ascendantgame.wikia.com/wiki/Ascendant_Wiki

Andros
Andros

This game is great, its a platforming roguelike with strong influences from Okami and Shadow of the Collossus. It has a good difficulty curve with tons of replay value. I can't recommend this game enough! 5/5 well worth your 10$

ʕ •̀ᴥ•́ʔ
ʕ •̀ᴥ•́ʔ

This game is freekin' beautiful 10/10

Jimernerney
Jimernerney

This game reminds me in a lot of ways of The Binding of Issac... which is my all time favourite rouge-like game, and Ascendant is VERY simillar in many ways, but one of the biggest (and obvious) differences is the art style, i absolutely LOVE the gorgeous colour pallet in this game, really simple but oh so pretty! as well as the soundtrack...

Just like Issac, its laid out as rooms connected together... up, down, left, right... which is perfect for the format, with some chest rooms that may sometimes need keys to unlock, and shops as well (influence being the currancy)... all these basic mechanics from Issac are here, and for a good reason... THEY WORK!

As for the gameplay itself, its very simple combat, nothing too complicated, the only thing ive had a slight struggle with is being precise in smacking enemies into other enemies that arnt right next to you... and timing the block/parry attack (which is VERY freakin usefull if you can perfect it).

On my first run, id honestly felt a bit dissapointed because all the enemies were very easy to kill.... that is untill i got up to the first boss.... DAMN YOU THE MAW!!!!........... freakin jerk.... but like alot of games once u figure out the pattern its not THAT hard... which is probably the only thing im not 100% on with Ascendant, its not quite as brutally sack crushing like The Binding of Issac, but that being said it doesnt make it any less enjoyable, just a bit more relaxed.

All in all, i really like this game... most definitely recommended for anyone who like the genre, and actually worth the price.

9/10.... only thing stopping me from giving a full score is the difficulty... but seeing as ive not played a HUGE amount yet... i could very well change my mind later.........

EDIT........

Having now played over 20 hours i do indeed change my mind... 10/10... hands down one of my favourite rouge-likes... the more you play the more you unlock to be able to pick up in runs, which just makes it so much more fun... and it does indeed get considerably harder the further you go. love it... just freakin love it!

Lynx
Lynx

The art style uses 3D models and environments but looks completey 2D because of how well implimented it is. The gameplay is good, the music is good, The fact that it's on Linux is what finalized my decision to buy it.

Pos 6 Main
Pos 6 Main

Hard as tits and easier to look at than bindings of issac. 8/10 would buy again.

Pirrikop
Pirrikop

This game is awesome.

Ascendant is a roguelike with brawler execution. For me, is a mix between Binding of isaac and Dust: An Elysian Tail, two of my favourite indie games.

I didn't have this feeling of descovering items, seeing cool combos and customizing randomly your character since the first time I played Isaac.

Ascendant is a hard game and I really liked this. You can have an unbelievable start, go to the 3rd world with overpowered stats and powers and you will die if you don't play good. You can go to single stages called events with random stuff happening. For example, you will have to pass a test of skill, with particular skills like double dashing or double jump. Or you will have a free weapon to pick but when you do it, tough enemies will appear. So even if you are strong you can die if you do mistakes.

Bosses are hard too. You will need to memorize their attacks and skills, and even if you are overpowered as hell, their shields, environment or their particular mechanics will kill you. So this is a game in which you have to play perfectly and don't be over-confident because you got incredible stats.

The items system is really fun too. It's random with some choices. When you kill a boss, or sometimes on events or randomly, you will get something called blessings. Blessings are like runes that you put on your armor, weapon or magic. Every character (there are 2 to start and you can unlock 5 more) has a different number of slots. For example 2 weapon slots, 2 armor slots and 1 magic slot. So a single blessing can be a burning effect if you put it on the weapon, an explosion when hit on armor and spell explosion on magic. This way you can have totally different characters every time you start a new game depending on the blessings that you get on game and the choices you make. I only saw like 10 blessings and I could do really cool combos.

So with all the blessings you can unlock, the 1-use items, magics, weapons with their own skills and stats, and the 57 spirits (passive skills like money = damage, low player gravity, low shop prices...) you will play a different game every time you start again. The possibilities are huge.

Recommended 100%

Captain Sillybollocks
Captain Sillyb…

The combat mechanics are great. Everything else is pretty bad. Averages out as an okay game.

Majones117
Majones117

Well... This game is pretty bad ass. With a huge variety of weapons, spells, upgrades, and passives, replay ability is massive. Learning just unlocking everything in the game at least once will take 20+ hours to complete (depending on skill level). The combat in this game is simplistic but feels nice; being able to dodge attacks, parry, use spells, and with the added ability to send weak enemies flying as projectiles for massive damage, pulling off massive battles become very challenging but never unbeatable. Bosses in the game are fun to fight and require many different ways of killing them, With the launching mechanic being a mainstay in many fights.

I highly recommend this game to anyone that likes a challenge, Rogue-lite, or Beat-em-ups. Well worth the asking price!

Cobalt
Cobalt

The game loads to a black screen while playing the sound in the background. It worked the first time I started it up, and then now, no matter what I try, loads to a black screen.

Trolez
Trolez

Nice little game that mixes brawling with rogue-like elements and offers a nice challenge.

FallenFool
FallenFool

Beautiful, exciting, frustrating, addictive and utterly replayable. This is worth every penny of the tiny amount of money Hapa are asking for.

Harvey Birdman Att. At Law
Harvey Birdman…

A thouroughly enjoyable Rogue-like with responsive, fun combat. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys rogue-likes as this one can be a very challenging game.

TheGZeus
TheGZeus

I can't play this.
It launches. It runs. I can technically interact with it.

The controls are borked beyond belief.
It took hundreds of people complaining to get them to even realise that the method of selecting input device (hitting start on the menu screen with that device) is opaque and stupid.
They didn't even realise that gamers like to rebind keys.

I recently decided that since I was no longer enraged at the thought of this game that I should try it with a controller. One I've used with many other games. A 360-compatible one.

Character runs full-tilt into a wall non-stop unless I press and hold left, and will not turn left no matter what.

Perhaps this will be usable someday, but if their dev team is as stupid as the one member I spoke with, I have my doubts.

KaR0X.pD
KaR0X.pD

this game is suprisingly good! and quite addictive :D every time you die, you will want to do better.

Shirpa boy
Shirpa boy

The launching enemys is amazing and can cause holarious things to happen. its similar to quacimele if you have played that.

Solomonaefredichen
Solomonaefredichen

A rogue-lite game that perfects the balance between difficulty and addiction. Great art style, great music, great combat and unique bonuses that make each run feel different. definitley worth the price even more so if you are a fan of the genre!

Excubalibre
Excubalibre

I first saw a video about Ascendant and thought: "Hey that looks great...I have to try it!" After playing it I thought to myself :"This game looks great, feels great, sounds nice...but why does it beat me so hard!?" Ascendant is hard, but its also rewarding and fair. I feel that every death came from my mistakes and not from anything else. Also there are a lot of things that you can customize your character with on your journey. Every run is different. But the ending is the same for me. Death. Hmm...but maybe after this run it will change? *accidentaly stabs himself in spikes* Or maybe the next one...

VoidInsanity
VoidInsanity

#Intro
I am not much of a rewiwer, more of an analyst. This review is based on experience both with the game and the genre, at the time of writing sunk 40-50 hours into this game. I will not play a bad game for 40 minutes let alone 40 hours. If you are a fan of the genre buy it, game is excellent. If you would like a more detailed reasoning behind why keep reading, there wil be very very minor gameplay/story spoilers as it is impossible to talk about certain mechanics of the game without referencing them.

#Plot
The plot of the game is simple. You are a Demi-god, There is a God, Overthrow the God, Become the new god. Each Demi-god has its own story and reasons for wanting to be God. The level structure is similar to Binding of Issac, there are multiple floors in groups of two with semi randomly generated rooms between you and the boss of each floor. Every odd numbered floor has a random boss from a select pool of possible bosses for that floor, and every even numbered floor has that levels guardian which is the same every time but there are two possible variations of it. Each boss is a challenge in its own right and each has its own set of attacks, attack paterns, weaknesses to exploit and most have multiple phases. Some are more challenging than others and some can end up being trivial if RNGesus loves you but personally that is half the fun.

#Combat
Before I begin I will say the game has an excellent Tutorial that covers pretty much everything I am about to cover. If you buy this game play the tutorial, it is not boring and gets straight to the point.

Combat boiled down is - Attacks, launch attacks, Magic Attacks, Parry and evasion. You may also occassionally find a 1 use items called Breaths which offer numberous effects for the room you are in. Most are combat focused but for the most part you'll be depending on either your weapons or magic to clear the path between you and the next room. Attacking an enemy with either magic of spells will also do stagger damage. Stagger damage is a separate health bar of sorts. Once an enemy has taken enough stagger damage they will glow yellow allowing you to use a launch attack to send them flying across the screen taking massive damage and doing massive damage to anything they collide with. Its a very simple mechanic and very satisfying. Feels very meaty especially if you are able to stagger and ping a larger foe across the room. For survival you can dash left or right through enemy attacks and flank them or parry the attack sending them flying (or in the case of projectiles reflects them). Timing is key, you'll have to be rather skilled at the game to successfully pull it off especially in the late game or against certain bosses but using the room to your advantage is also a viable tactic, You don't have to parry or dash through attacks, you can always jump over, run away, lure foes out of position among other things. It is very well done.

As for what you'll encounter there is quite a bit of enemy variety but you will not notice it at first since each season is tiered. The first season will always have a mix of melee flies, Grunts, mage grunts, worm brawlers, worm hitters and suicide grunts, The next season will expand this roster adding elite versions ontop of new enemy types with their own elite versions. Many enimes especially later ones are a challenge in their own right and their mere presence can change the whole way you tackle the room. You may also encounter one of many many possible event rooms which range from being ambushed, blessing themed obstacle courses, mini games, gambling and straight up "Here is a awersome free thing, have fun". You won't know until you enter what it is and it took me around 20-25 hours of playing until I was finally able to experience all of them. Adds a lot of depth to each floor if you decide to explore them especially if they are locked costing you a valuable key.

#Progession
Every playable Deity in this game (7 in total) has its own strengths/weaknesses which cater to certain playstyles which you'll disvoered as you unlock them. Every floor has at least 1 item room and a shop. Items rooms contain 1 gold chest either locked or unlocked which can provide you with high level stat boosts, breaths, weapons, a chunk of influence (the shop currency) or something else that I won't spoil. Shops on each floor are always locked and always have 4 items for sale and are one of the few ways to get a new spell. Each spell replaces your magic attack with a new one which can range from tripple shots to spread fire or mines.

There are two levels of passives in this game. First are spirits which are straight up passives, you pick them up and you get a bonus. There are 57 to collect in all and most have a chance of appearing on weapons you'll find to. There is no limit to the amount of passives you can get and they pretty much all stack flawlessly naby offering very cool interactions with each other. Bklessings are the second teir of passive in the game and each Deity can only hold a limited number at a time but they are very powerful. Blessings are rewards for beating the levels boss and can be placed into 1 of 3 body slots augmenting your attacks, magic or passively. Each blessing has its own unique effect depending on where you socket and they all interact with each other. 21 blessings with 63 passives in total to discover and many many combinations and synergies to experiment with. Because of how potent blessings are they will shape your run meaning no two runs end up the same but that should go without saying, its the whole point of the genre.

#Conclusion
Overall the game is fantasic and a must have if you are a fan of the genre. There is a lot of depth to be had but it will require a little investment since you will have to learn encounters and most likely need to unlock new items before you are able to get a successful completion. It does have a few balance niggles mainly when you encounter a room with multiple shielded enemies which will be very intimidating at first but apart from that the game is paced very well and is very rewarding to play and much more than a simple 1 button combat system that is the fault of many other games in this genre.

#Verdict= Highly Recommended
Thanks to Totalbiscuit for his WTF is...? coverage of this game. If not for him this game would have completely flown under my radar as I am sure it flew under yours. If you need any more convincing check out his first impressions of the game.

FireDragon216
FireDragon216

A fantastic rougelike that combines close combat with the option of ranged magic to create an experience that is worth your time.

Lep
Lep

It reminded me a lot of the kinda-story-mode in Super Smash Bros Brawl except it was fun. You run around, beat the shit outta stuff, get upgrades and have a good time. Some of the controls and mechanics are REALLY awkward but it could just take some getting used to it. If you want to change any of the controls though, you better believe it's a huge pain in the ass. You have to set EVERY SINGLE BUTTON if you want to change one so that was pretty awful. But focusing on the game, the items are all really cool and fun to mess around with, there's a pretty good amount of customization (3 choices for every "blessing"). If you like running around with no actual aim and beating stuff up just to get to the next level, you've found your game.

Jakaru
Jakaru

the Co-op in this game is the most fun in a game i have had in years, the music and art syle is great. and all of the random elements in this game like random items, power ups, and levels makes this game have infinite replayablity. Definitly give this game a shot.

EyyyRamy
EyyyRamy

Great little game for what it is, binding of isaac kind of genre but with interesting graphics and artwork! :D

Raxvar
Raxvar

The whole Roguelikelike / Roguelite / Procedural Death Labyrinth / whatever you want to call it thing is possibly my favorite trend to ever happen to gaming. I've played near all of them, but Ascendant has very quickly shot up to the top of my list of favorites. If you are a fan of the genre like I am, you need to play this game.

Hammerhead
Hammerhead

I have really enjoyed my time with Ascendant. If you enjoy brawlers, platformers and rogue-likes, you should find plenty to love here. The art style is crisp and refreshing. If you're looking for character developement or some great story, look elsewhere. I hope if you've made it far enough to be scouring reviews, you'll eventually bend and support these devs for making a really quality product with such a small team.

Kaelchips
Kaelchips

10/10 Good game. Reminds me of how I felt playing games as a kid.

iStealDrelyn4Fun
iStealDrelyn4Fun

at first glance it looks like a nice easy 2d platformer with a combat system thrown in there for good measure but you would be oh so wrong this is a extremely unforgiving rouge like beatemup platformer it is very hard there is no save system and death is permanent it is extremly fun but rage inducing i recommend this game to anyone looking for a challenging rouge like platformer with a great combat and stat system
also just to give you an idea as to how much rage this made me go through i start flailing my fists at my monitor

da dawg
da dawg

Handles and plays like a mediocre flash game. Do nt buy this.

Eriktion
Eriktion

a must-have for roguelike fans
hard as !$&%
and fun

Litro
Litro

-what i do in dis game-
first pick a charecter
then get a boss weopon
3rd GET KILLLED BY THE MAW BECAUSE I DIDNT PARY

so 10/10

why I crushes turtles?
why I crushes …

It's just a brilliant game. Just buy it!

𝕭𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖑
𝕭𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖑

This game is a roguelike with fighting-game style mechanics. it's excecuted absolutely fantastically unlike a lot of other games in its category. However, it's lower indie budget tells. The art style is fairly unique and is rather pleasant, though it doesn't exactly scream AAA quality. The sound effects really ride the line of being kind of stupid, but it gets away with it mostly because of its art style. The music is good, but, y'know, it's not Mass Effect or anything.

Currently the game only has singleplayer and LOCAL multiplayer, but it's a hell of a fun time to play with your friends, or even on your own.

Kaktuspirat
Kaktuspirat

I generally love Roguelite/Roguelike games and especially this one because it does a major thing better than every other game in that genre that I ever played: It's the combat. It is fast, fair but challenging and it feels great and very fluid. There is nothing like dashing towards an opponent hitting him two times knocking him away dashing after him and continue hitting him.

On top of that there is a huge amount of diffrent weapons, spells, spirits (passive effects) and blessings that you can put on your weapon armor or spells. These blessing also allow many diffrent character builds because depending where on your body you put them you get diffrent effects.

It has a great soundtrack, a huge amount of replayabilty and very well executed game mechanics.

I really recommend this game to everyone that likes roguelites because this one is the best there is.

FlygonJin
FlygonJin

It's so fun and it's so hard and it's so fun and fuck automaton.

Kalado
Kalado

Brawler meets The Binding of Isaac in this rogue-light sidescroller. You fight your way through a limited but nicely animated group of enemies while trying to get as perfect through the levels as possible and upgrading your character.
Play through the four seasons, which a represented in eight worlds (early/late spring etc.) with a randomly selected boss at the end of each world.
The combat itself is fun, you slice yourself in a responsive and fast way while launching enemies against walls, spikes or more enemies after doing enough damage to one, trying to get them into a staggering status.
Dodge and reflecting projectiles are further elements that make the combat varied and challenging.
With every run you will discover new items, spells and weapons that you can combine in hundreds of ways.
If you are into brawlers that and rogue-light games this game is a must have.

shrike
shrike

There is a seed of a brilliant game here, but it's not as much fun as it should be.

The good first, I guess: The stylization of the graphics is unique, and the visual design is terrific. The BGM is gorgeous, no two ways about it. Vibrant without being twee, atmospheric without devolving into sonic punctuation, Ascendant is an aboslute delight to listen to.

It's a shame it's not such a delight to play. The combat is well-executed, if with a somewhat steep learning curve. In fact, in my first hour or two of play, I found myself wondering why there are so few action-platformers with such fun and engaging combat. Then you start to notice that the power-ups you're unlocking don't really appear very much, that most of the pots you're smashing (yes, I know) are empty, and that using that cool combat engine in an engaging way is just going to end up with you doing sooner and having to start the whole process over again. There is very little variety in enemy or level-chunk design on a level by level basis, and it all soon starts to feel less like a game and more like a chore.

I feel like someone of my near-OCD-levels-of-completionism should absolutely love this, but I just don't. Perhaps if there was more actual platforming (where, at the risk of sounding conceited, I do have the skills) I would find it more engaging, but the platforming is simply window dressing for the fighting, which is a shame, because the fighting is very, very good. The platforming however, is not even at the level of Rogue Legacy, and certainly nowhere near Strider, Guacamelee or any of the 2D Castlevania games. I'm not going to say I don't enjoy it at all, because I do, but only in short spurts. It doesn't have the ability to keep me pinned to my chair for hours the way, to pick an example of a 2D action-platformer on Steam, Valdis Story: Abyssal City did. I believe Hapa Games should be rewarded and encouraged for the stunning art, beautiful soundtrack and inspired fighting mechanics of this game, and reservedly recommend it on those grounds. But caveat emptor; this game might not be for you.

TonyTheTGR
TonyTheTGR

1. Do you like Dust or Valdis Story?
2. Do you like The Binding of Isaac?

If you can answer yes to at least one of these, you should check this out.
If you can answer yes to them both, you should already be owning this.

Tetsuo9999
Tetsuo9999

This is a fun little roguelike with both huge strengths and glaring flaws. This game sets itself apart from other games in the genre with action/beat-em-up combat, but the moveset is quite small. Almost all the customization comes from spells and passive abilities, so don't buy this game expecting tons of synergies like Isaac. The combat takes some time to master despite how simple it is, and clearing rooms usually doesn't feel like it all depends on luck. Be warned that this game is difficult; barely anyone who bought it has finished it, and that's not due to the usual Steam mentality of buying games and never playing them.

Sadly, the boss battles are where most of the aforementioned things occur. Many of them are much too difficult to beat without a good build, and they are heavily scripted with frequent use of invincibility shields between phases. This essentially means that the player will be stuck dodging difficult attacks for several cycles if the game didn't give them a damaging build. They are frustrating to fight at best and annoying enough to make you not want to do repeated playthroughs at the worst.

The recent addition of an easier mode makes things more tolerable, but the bosses will still grate on the player's nerves. The unlocking system is standard for the genre, but the way the game is structured means that they don't keep you motivated to keep playing. Most of the unlockable items are in shops, which is rough since the player is pitted against the RNG of both getting enough money to buy the item, and actually having it appear in the shop. Still, this is a decent game for people who want a cheap roguelike that's not afraid to step out of the genre limitations. The developers have hinted at the possibility of more combat, so perhaps these issues will be ironed out eventually. Just don't come into this game expecting to finish it regardless of your experience of the genre, and things should be okay.

Overall, this is an ambitious game for this genre that suffers due to that. Still, it's fun enough to warrant a purchase.

neji
neji

I somewhat recommend this game because there is fun to be had and it looks really great.
I enjoy platformers and recently I have been enjoying rogue-likes. That having been said, I'm going to delve into the negatives. I honestly feel pretty mixed about it.

Unlike Rogue Legacy, there are no real permanent passives that make you stronger as you do runs. The main thing unlocked throughout runs are descriptions of certain buffs/passive slots that are unknown until equipped/picked up. The problem with that is that you may reach a point where you are capped by skill and can no longer advance and the game won't do anything to assist you unless you get lucky.

The biggest problem with this model is... the game is too difficult to support it. This game either needs to be toned down in difficulty, or introduce permanent bonuses that will help you if you find yourself stuck.

I wouldn't normally feel this way if I thought that you could beat it using skill, but honestly I feel pretty skill capped. I ended up beating Baby Mode and while it was rewarding, it was also pretty frustrating to a fault. To beat Baby Mode, I had to choose Ghat, get fairly lucky with drops, and play extremely scared. It's not a good sign when you have to resort to using primarily long range skills to snipe baddies that are off screen in order to maintain your health just to possibly beat Baby Mode.
Often times when I need hearts I'll get keys and when I need keys I'll get hearts. It's an issue that is exacerbated by the difficulty, the lack of drops, and the inability to gain hearts back easily.

The combat is nice, but it is overshadowed by the difficulty. I want to fight close, but it's a lot riskier and attacking is somewhat clunky. During an attack animation you will not be able to move, essentially locking you into place. If you swing and miss, there will likely be a follow up attack since you are spamming the attack button, and you probably will be punished for it. The melee swing requires you to be pretty precise too, so it's not very forgiving.

I had fun with this game but it's too frustrating an experience to continue further with no real progression.
Suggestions for the dev:
Implement positive progression in the form of stat buffs that persists through death.
Reduce the difficulty of the game's 3 modes. (More drops, lower boss's damage/hp)

ferret POOP
ferret POOP

Bad control scheme outweighs pretty visuals game and fun mechanics.

The controls are not well thought through, and the developer should have reworked concepts like dash and parry to be easier to execute while performing other manuevers. I felt not that I was ill-prepared for the baddies, or that I was thrown at too much, but that I was incapable of twisting my fingers around quickly and accurately enough.

RandomSanity
RandomSanity

I'm a big fan of roguelikes, but unfortunately this one falls short. More of an action platformer, this game has a great atmosphere but the combat was a huge let-down. Your moveset is limited to swing sword up or swing sword down and there are essentially no combos or strategy involved at all, only button mashing. The combat also doesn't have a weighty feel to it, you never actually feel like you're doing any damage, just swinging a feather around until the enemy gets tired and goes to sleep.

Palu Raul
Palu Raul

Ascendant is a rogue-like dungeon crawler which is best played in short bursts rather than over an extended period time. It has fun gameplay mechanics, where you're able to blink to attack enemies from afar, parry attacks, dash, etc., and I've never felt that at any point in time the mechanics in the game weren't important, since certain enemies move faster than your character making the blink important, parrying projectiles one-shots most enemies, and you can avoid enemy fire to get behind them with your dash. The unique positive and negative attributes separate this game from others in the same category, with one positive being a character heals upon boss kills, and a negative attribute for a character is upon picking up health, it has a low chance to fizzle to dust and do nothing. While this game is fun, it's only playable in short bursts due to the soundtrack. Although it fits the theme of the game, the music can detract some from wanting to play it, and because to that I give a warning to those who are easily bothered by repetition to not purchase this game.

I also give a warning to those who are bothered by difficulty, as I personally have only been able to reach the ending credits on baby mode with only a half heart remaining, out of my very extensive health pool of at least 10 heart containers. The game is not a breeze, and should not be taken lightly at first glance.

For a quick list of all the pros and cons I can think of for people who enjoy those as well:

Pros:
~Quick, exciting gameplay which always keeps you on your toes
~Fun mechanics which always feel important to the flow of the game
~Chests spawn after literally every room clear
~Challenge rooms are generally challenging, but extremely rewarding
~Unique character attributes
~Many opportunities for improved weaponry and spells
~Blessings give game-changing passive benefits, and almost never feel useless
~Enemy patterns are easy to learn
~Enemies are NOT immune to spikes

Cons:
-Repetitive sountrack
-Shields can make certain enemies extremely difficult to attack
-Bosses have very few attack patterns
-Certain bosses are extremely easy to dodge, while others are nearly impossible to
-Specific spells feel unimportant and don't feel as though they work as intended
-That god damn zypherus challenge room...

A big bag of ducks
A big bag of ducks

I'd call this Indiegamers Dark Souls.

Akey
Akey

This game is amazing:
Beautifully stylized graphics,
Quick, tight, responsive controls,
Steep (STEEP!!!) difficulty curve,
Replayability.
Only downside is that I've played 30-some hours of the game and haven't even unlocked half of the characters, or beaten the game more than once, and considering how there are at least 2 level of new game plus, I might not be able to ever finish it.
Pick it up on HumbleBundle while you can.

TheRNGenius
TheRNGenius

I'm a sucker for games of the rogue-like genre and this is one of the better one s in my opinion.
Its brawler elements and the unforgiving attack patterns of numerous enemies make for a very punishing but also fun experience.
I'd go as far as to say it's one of my all time favorite game!
It did take me 30 hours to get my first victory on normal mode though...one thing you should consider when thinking about buying into this beauty! ;)

Son T49
Son T49

I let my youngest brother play this game on my account sometimes. He's presently five. When Baby Mode was added he just scoffed at (once I'd read it aloud), clicked on normal mode and went on to clear an entire room or two before the peril of spikes proved too great for him. I'm working on beating the game on Baby Mode, and I have to hide my actions from him as I am sure he would see my shameful behavior as beneath men of our standing. Next time I secure The Masher I will be letting him take control, with the volume turned as loud as possible.

This has been a fantastic thing to share with my brother, something I'll value always. Thanks so much for making this game!

Jester
Jester

I very much enjoy this game, there are so many positives to it; such as the sound track, graphics and general mechanics of the game. Unlike some who have played the game, I genuinely enjoy the great difficulty that this game poses (to be fair I have come very close to throwing my controller at the screen).

Where the game falls short is the player. They need to be setup just right otherwise it is next to impossible to get to the higher levels. Sure there is a way but it is extremely hard to get the right equipment preparing you for the inevitable boss fight (not always a boss, sometimes it's those stupid little pots that throw out the glowing orb) that destroys your enjoyment in the game. I would recommend this game, but only if they fully read the reviews and understand it is not easy.

TrisKeLion
TrisKeLion

Dont take me wrong. This game is a must buy if you like platformer & rogue-like!!!

BUT!

No thumbs up untill they put a save on exit system. It wouldnt change a thing for the game itself but would be really pleasant for ppl like me that play between 2 projects.

Einirr
Einirr

This game kicks my butt all day, but somehow it's enjoyable. I've yet to put in serious time into it, but you can consume "bite" size portions of it quite easily. Especially if you fail, I mean, it'll be all over in 15 minutes haha.

[LUE] TormakSaber
[LUE] TormakSaber

"Roguelike" 2d platformer with pseudo-random levels and a reflex based combat system.

The story is nonexistent for the most part, the music is nothing but about 15 second loops. The artstyle is cool enough. Not a lot of enemy types. Or weapon types. Spells are mostly just projectiles.

I spent a lot of hours in it and had fun with it at the time, but now that I've mellowed on the game a bit, I don't think I'd ever go back to it. Some of the bosses feel grossly unfair compared to others, and magic and a few specific uniques make the game a cakewalk.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you can ge tit on the cheap and you're really hard up for 2d brawler action. It IS fun to run around and dash and fling enemies around into spikes and walls, but the rest of the game just feels a bit bare. The nods of various mythos and deities and mythologies form a cool framework for the game, and the combat is passably fun for what it tries to do and has a decent skill ceiling, but... I don't know. It's just not "all there". The music being the same loops over and over forever is rough. RNG determines a lot of your run, like any roguelike.

HawkeyeBFP
HawkeyeBFP

Highly recommend this game to everyone. The replay value is incredible, and the mechanics always work perfectly with just the right amount of challenge to them. Been playing it comfortably for a few weeks and still don't have all the characters, and still haven't beaten it, which in my opinion is a good thing.

LordAziki
LordAziki

Mythology has always been an interest of mine. This game gives you simple skill-based combat, platforming which is mostly easy, and the power of gods from around the world. It has a unique vibrant art style and amazing soundtrack to support the theme of a demigod fighting to become a god. There are 21 different gods and 3 ways to use each of their powers. There are also 7 different characters to choose from which all require different play styles. You unlock the ability to find more blessings, spirits, weapons, and spells as you discover more and defeat more bosses.

The only problem I have with this game is a lack of indication as to how to progress in the fight against a certain boss. I actually had to search the forums for how to make it come out of its shell so I could hit it.

Overall, Ascendant is a pretty solid game with a lot of replayability through the blessings and character variety. I would highly recommend this game to fans of rogue-lites, mythology, and challenging games.

Artemus
Artemus

A rebel lite activity platformer with a striking workmanship style. Exceptionally fascinating weapon assortment and pleasant brawler battle. Likewise bleeding hard

EddieTheNoob
EddieTheNoob

A enjoyably difficult game. Ascendent is absolutely beautiful in its artstyle and the combat is solid and enjoyable. I do enjoy the game, but need breaks to keep myself from becoming overly frustrated at the difficulty of the game.

It's a must buy for anyone who enjoys the rogue-lite action platformer games.

P.S. You die...you start over. There is no second chance.

FlySC
FlySC

Rogue like (randomly generated levels, items, permadeath) with a really cool art style. The best part is the very skillbased combat system, you can do combos, air juggles, magic, throw enemies against the wall or into other enemies... As mpst of these types of games, it's quite hard, but it does have three difficulty levels. Go ahead and give it a try, it offers many hours of fun for cheap!

broc;le bris
broc;le bris

It is fairly uninteresting slow and just not fun I did not enjoy the time playing it. I also did not like the art style

Bunkus Boy
Bunkus Boy

It's a beautiful combination of so many games, I love it already!

Shmup
Shmup

Great rouge-lite game that is a challenge. This game is hard and will take time to complete. Some runs can take up to 2 hours.

The only issue I have is that there is no save option. you must complete it in one go.

PlainJuno
PlainJuno

"I'll def play this more than once" -Me

HotshotX86
HotshotX86

I'm not able to play multiplayer,
can anyone help here

Lostcaws
Lostcaws

An all round good game that is hard but fair. there are only three types of enemy (flies, worms and grunts) but each come in a veriety of flavors (baby flies,spitter flies, suicide grunts Alchimist grunts) . I very much liked the art style and general look of the charecters was appeling to me. there is a large veriety power ups and upgrades to find and unlock that alter your abilities and can finer tune your play style, though the random nature of what powers you get won`t always help asmuch as you may need, but thats just the chips fall. Any way I highly recomend Ascendant and don`t think it will disapoint.

Cartof
Cartof

Extremely bad controlled with keyboard. Very sluggish.. If you play with keyboard.. just avoid this title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7qwpIuZwA

andrewb
andrewb

I like rogue-lites, not this one. After 5 hours with the game, all I experienced was frustration. What I especially love about rogue-lites is how powerful you can get, in some of these games you can become an absolute monster killing machine god of destruction etc. In Ascendant, all the runs felt the same, upgrades are weak and meaningless, enemies outscale you QUICK and I found it impossible to progress any further than late summer. Maybe I just suck but that doesn't make me hate the game any less.

Paranoid42
Paranoid42

Roguelike smash-em up- pretty good, fun progression mechanic. The player seems to have a fun arsenal of melee/launching enemies into one another/dashing/perfect counters/spells.

"Baby" difficulty is still fun. Rage is insane- tactics won't make up for the twitch reflexes needed.

sdrawkcabton
sdrawkcabton

Ascendant is a well crafted 2-d action roguelike, which, at less than 10 bucks, is an excellent purchase. It is fairly difficult, but has enough variety to keep it fun for quite a long while. Once you reach the end game, the unlocking of new content dries up a bit, but that's a long journey. I also enjoyed the fact that the character you used in your most recent complete victory modifies the game in a somewhat fundamental way, though the difficulty (for a mediocre player like me) made actually winning and seeing the different game modifiers a bit of a drag. Still, there's way more than enough fun to be worth the asking price on this game.

battletanx
battletanx

Awesome game made by awesome people

AbsoluteZer0
AbsoluteZer0

- Dreadful Animation
- Boring Combat system with no combo just button mashing that just auto-locks
- Music loops and is boring
- Enemy hit Audio is (oo - ee) on repeat
- Visuals are average
- Camera is terrible in coop mode
- I love beat-em ups but this just doesn't pass the test

krzrct
krzrct

Honestly this game is a coin flip for whether or not people like it, but if you want to get achievements, good luck with that.

Jessymphony
Jessymphony

I feel like I'm the only person who knows about this game...

That's fine, I enjoyed it.

Blanc
Blanc

Guess it's Free now? it's better with friends in my opinion grab yourself a buddy and have at it

Herbivorous Cyborg
Herbivorous Cyborg

Pros:
Nice looking graphics
High replayability
Couch co-op
Linux support

Cons:
Lacks sufficient variety of enemy types.
No steam cloud support

This game is best played with a friend, but is still plenty of fun single-player. It is a moderately difficult rogue-lite platformer in which you explore procedurally generated levels, collect upgrades, and fight bosses. There are a lot of combinations of upgrades you can get, as well as some unlockable content, which lends to the game's replayability. I still would have recommended the game back when it costed money, but now that it's free-to-play, there's no excuse not to try it.