The Ascent

(+) Absolutely amazingly detailed world with great worldbuilding to boot (This is pretty much the main selling point of the game) (+) Gameplay is great and addicting (for the first couple of hours) (+) Quite a few customization options with the use of transmog (not a big game, so not expecting much) (+) Runs buttery smooth 90% of the time on my mid end laptop (+) Decent 25+ hours game for a relatively cheap price (+) Some absolutely fun to use augmentations (LASERS!) and abilities (POCKET MECHS!) (-) Story is pretty basic, characters are all forgettable (except for my boy noghead) (-) Very simplistic mission designs (-) Several crashes and bugs (like getting stuck under an enemy mech) (-) Gameplay starts to overstay its' welcome and becomes repetitive by the last third of the campaign (-) Checkpoints in this game are absolutely shit, died half of the way in this incredibly long section? Do it all over again. (-) Meant to be played with friends, you're going to die lots of times playing alone due to massive enemy density in later areas (-) Lots, and I mean lots, of walking around, which is basically 60% of the game, with enemies littered throughout the map, I personally wasn't too bothered by this, but this will be off putting for many (-) This game softlocks itself from time to time by giving you sidequests to places that is inaccessible until you've progressed far enough in the campaign (it also won't tell you that you don't have access to these places yet either) In the end, I still personally enjoyed it, will probably forget it in a couple of months, but it was still pretty fun. (6,5/10)

Average shooter with a shallow progression system. While the visuals and core gameplay are fine, the overall experience is boring. The worst part of it is the backtracking. Which takes about 70% of the playtime. The navigation is just bad. The quest marker sometimes points in the wrong direction. Also, the routes and missions are usually filled with a comically large number of enemies. Which makes this part of the gameplay even more irritating. Mission design isn't good either. Visuals just don't worth it.

I recommend this game because it has a solid story, great RPG character builds, decent combat, and a lush, detailed cyberpunk setting. The Ascent takes place in a cyberpunk city plunged into chaos after a mega-corporation mysteriously shuts down. As an indentured worker, you must fight for survival and uncover the truth. Power shifts, rival factions, and hidden agendas shape your path forward, making for a gritty and engaging experience. The character builds are especially satisfying, thanks to the wide variety of weapon types, armor sets, and stat allocations that let you tailor your playstyle. Combat is good but not great—it can swing from surprisingly easy to brutally difficult without warning, and some builds may struggle more than others in certain encounters. The setting and environment are beautifully rendered and deeply immersive, with rich visual detail that enhances every moment of exploration and combat. The biggest negative is that during my over 50 hours of play, the game crashed six times.

I cannot recommend the game for co-op. The host may not encounter any issues but otherwise you will encounter crashes and bugs quite often. Not to mention it felt like a walking simulator trying to finish quests.

TLDR: This one is imho, Criminally under-rated if you're into TDS. Only 6.7% of players Reset their talents and only 2.7% of players died 100 times. = Nobody really seemed to actually give this game the chance it deserved. The graphics are phenominal, the story isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it's not shakespear but ffs it's a TDS, we're here to shoot sh1t and look good while doing it. I think where this game sufferes isn't by any fault of it's own but merely as a consequence of the times. Yeah, you spend the entire game traveling afoot. So in a generation raised with COD style instant action shooters where combat is never ceasing, a game like this can feel "slow". Sometimes, you really are just traveling around, taking in the sights as you traverse the outstandingly well designed environments this game has to offer, occasionally encountering groups of mobs here and there. But see that's where "criminally underrated" comes to fruition here. I think so many who have "played" this game have just given up on it. Hell even I had a moment where I thought "Bruh, idk man, this is kind of slow". Because you can vendor purchase most every item in the game right out the gate. So you can transmog your character to look exactly how you want it, with the weapons you desire virtually immediately. Or so I thought. But once I trudged through the early/mid game and began to encounter mechs and suits and all the other awesome stuff, the gear quality started to improve and the sexiest of the armors began to drop. So if anything I think this game probably turns off folks that need more than a soiid gameplay loop, but demand and insist a "reward" system of some kind to keep them playing. I was perfectly content playing 80% of this game with the same gear I found pretty much early game. I upgraded my equipment, transmogged to look like a badass and then just enjoyed being a merc for hire. Because the combat just feels really good to me. The sound design is spot on (if you got solid headphones or surround sound it's a MUST), and once you start playing with all the gadgets you begin to realize that movement doesn't feel near as daunting as you'd once thought. Look. I'm not here to hold your hand and pat your back. FFS it's on sale right now for $7.49 (I paid full price, and I don't regret it). If you just want a game you can be a badass in, with some incredible visuals and sound design, just buy it. This is not a game that requires much brain power, just spend your points in a logically balanced manner and enjoy. I played on Normal and found it moderately difficult, and having just beat it after about 40 hours (twice as long as HLTB suggests it should take), honestly I'm already eager to play New Game + on hard..... and they tease that New Game + comes with new "tricks up their sleeve". The story ends on something of a cliff hanger that suggests a sequel, but based on the sales and reviews, it's hard telling if it'll happen or not. Though, personally, I surely hope to one day see a sequel.

So much potential. So much wasted. A beautiful art design with a souless game dynamic. Only ideal with friends. the universe is incomplete

Game keeps crashing and freezing, Task Manager doesnt even help to exit game. The game is somewhat fun, but only when it works!

Such a great game. A shame that the developers sold their souls and we will never get another DLC or a proper part 2.

A VAST, very well made, highly detailed game that should put many AAA titles to shame This game is an absolute blast one of the better twin stick shooters currently at level 20 (second boss) and the game has just now entered a new level of chaos If this game is on sale for <$20 it's a no brainer purchase -Remember to crouch/ use cover and upgrade your weapons, especially your cyberdeck/hacking computer and use it often

Fun game but the UE crashes make it an utter POS. Can't play for more than 2 hours at a time without it HARDLOCKING my PC forcing a reboot or log out and back in. This has been an issue since game launch and still never fixed it.

very shallow game. all the environmental details lost their luster immediately when you realized there's no world building, reason or story behind the assets except being cyberpunk vibe and that's it. story is laughable and non existent. combat is very shallow. don't be fooled by the pretty graphics, you will soon realize it's copy paste 3D assets with no purpose.

Buy this game and expected local co-op with my nephew, but can't play local co-op because it require something annoying to play as Xbox controller, it's not recognize 2P when you play as Xbox controller, both keyboard and controller still same 1P profile

Wasn't expecting much here but I was really surprised by this game. It turned out to be an interesting top-down shooter in well-designed cyberpunk world with a semi-intelligible plot. Needed more though. I don't play games co-op so I was worried if that would get me in trouble. Well it surely did on the very last fight and total ruined my fun for this game. Don't play solo.

Amazing graphics and atmosphere, fun gameplay. Thoroughly enjoyed the game. Also run great on SteamDeck.

An amazing game. Absolutely beautiful, good story and OK gameplay. Neon drenched ultra violence sums it up. Combat gets better after the main game has finished (enemies are pretty stupid and hiding behind stuff makes you pretty invincible while dealing death from cover). Not a difficult game, but rewarding to explore all of the locations and uncover the lore. On sale, this game is an absolute steal. Couple of crashes in my 25 odd hours. I did take one piece of advice from the comments on here: disable cloud saves. If you only play on one device like me. Apparently there's a bug that deletes your save file...fortunatley haven't encountred it. On Cyber Heist content now...waiting for the bugs to hit, but finished the main game which was worth the price anyway.

Great game if you like the movement/combat style. played for like 50 hours and my save got deleted for some reason... shit hurts, other than that GLARING ISSUE its a great game.

This is an excellent game. I particularly like the atmosphere and surrounsings displayed in the game's world. They are incredibly detailed and give a really great cyberpunk vibe.

If you enjoyed playing cyberpunk 2077 you should definitely give this game a go. This a top-down/twin stick shooter that's best played using a controller. The camera angle and controls will take getting use to but this make the gameplay snappy and there is a certain level of John Wick appeal within this genre. Visually the game is stunning and the camera angle allows you to better take in and enjoy the artwork of the game. If you enjoy playing using a handled this game runs well. If you have a higher end handled make sure to unlock the 30fps hard cap in the "Gameplay" settings. I'm able to run a solid 45-60fps. I enjoy playing this on the go.

Very fun and beautifully designed game, camera shifts while playing to focus on the background or buildings is a very interesting twist to these type of games. Story feels interactive and worth following.

Overall a great experience, graphics and atmosphere were awesome but the story kind of meh. Had some technical problems, but nothing gamebreaking. Wasn't quite fond of the severe difficulty spikes with the introduction of some "Mini-Bosses", really brought me into rage-quit territory... Try it!

Great Cyberpunk themed title! Fun missions and astonishing graphics with a soundtrack to accompany it. Only downside is the instability with Multiplayer and the lack of being able to join ones multiplayer game (invite from the other side is needed)

I bought this without watching any of the game play or trailer after beating the newer Shadowrun because, I had so much fun playing this style of a game and, it is exactly what I had hoped for it to be. I still haven't gotten very far into it yet but, so far, it's got everything I want; shooting, action, the combat is awesome. It has some difficulty but, it's built in such a great way that it's just fun even if you're getting shot up! XD Thanks for an awesome game!

This game is beautiful and cyberpunk. Not as much loot as I'd like in an ARPG, but the combat is fun and the game is good.

Its like Ruiner, except mainly its walking simulator, not action game.

dont listen to the reviews they are bias this game pretty darn good. I remember playing it back in the day with a group of friends and enjoying it but never truly recognizing how good it actually is. the game feels like cyberpunk before 2077 came out. the atmosphere , gameplay, and twin stick shooter nature of the game links together to create an rpg that feels really good . beat the game gonna play the dlc next woot woot

Qualquer jogo estilo Cyberpunk me faz amar logo de começo. Tem umas armas e combinações de habilidades muito legais. Na minha opinião R$ 100,00 é caro, se bater uns R$ 75,00 pra baixo é lucro demais já!

Game is buggy. I couldn't progress past a certain point and had to start a whole new game. Because it has an autosave feature I couldn't even load a previous save. Enemies come from all directions simultaneously giving you no real chance and you have no control over the camera, so enemies can shoot you when you can't even see them.

This is a really good game but not for the casual. Many of those who are leaving bad reviews are complaining that they can't solo the game. first off the entire game is able to be done solo and is well balanced, secondly, if you can't find a friend to play a game with that is literally free, then maybe you need to put the games down for a bit and make some friends.

Yet another one for the long list of game which fail to reach their potential due to poor design. Buying cosmetic DLC should give us access to it, either by putting it in our inventory (ideal) or allowing us to earn it via challenges (less ideal but sometimes appropriate). Maybe, if the devs are jerks, it might be in an in-game shop. Buying cosmetic DLC should not simply 'put it in the lootpool'. That's complete bullshit, and anyone that says otherwise is a simp. That right there, that's the level of time-wasting nonsense you'll find in this so-called 'game'. You don't 'play' this program, so I don't see how it's a game. Instead, you do endgame-level grinding out of the box, so really it's more like an unpaid job. I don't mind that the first enemy takes 5 shots from my crappy potato-shooter pistol the game gives me at the start. That's fine. I do mind that there's no sense of placement/location balance and they send too many of these enemies at you. I understand that games make you more powerful over time. I do not understand why the player starts SO damn weak. I've gamed for decades. Literally. I have never in my life died to so many low-level mobs so often. I say mobs, but they were just the same enemy over and over and over again. Not even so much as a palette swap. I played for at least an hour. I got sick of the games nonsense balance and decided to take a break. No worries, I'll just save where I am and give the game a break. But you can't save this piece of shit game, because *of course you fucking can't*. Yes, many other games do that. But these other games balance for that. This doesn't. The Skill List is just a way to improve your statistics. That's complete bullshit and anyone that says otherwise is a moron. You do get abilities but frankly who fucking cares - no doubt they're underwhelming as hell, just like the rest of this digital trash fire. This 'game' also punishes Mouse+Keyboard users, which is awesome because we aren't ignored enough by the gaming industry. Your dodge - a vital combat move - isn't reliable unless you're pointing directly up, down, left, or right. That's utter crap in a 3D iso game where the camera is set to a diagonal. The only way this game makes any sense is if it was designed by the Marquis De Sade and playtested by Helen Keller, This is the digital version of being punched in the face over and over again by a fist, a fist which somehow smells strongly of butt sweat and worn socks, oh and also the fist is holding a brick. This doesn't feel like a game. It feels like someone trying very hard to prove some kind of point, and failing to say anything meaningful before tripping over their own feet - but in super slow motion, so it's not even interesting to observe. You know how you have a 'Pile of Shame'? A bunch of games you regret never playing, stuff you wish you'd gotten around to? This piece of shit right here made me invent the 'Pile of Awesome': Stuff with design so anti-immersion that I'm genuinely happy to uninstall it so I can *actively enjoy not engaging with its nonsense*. I look forward to the moment when, in the far future, I remember that i owned this 'game' and haven't touched it for years. ======================================================== If a game launches and doesn't have abrasive gfx/sound, I'm usually happy to give it two stars out of ten. I won't be doing that here. We have now both reached the limits of the amount of time I'm prepared to spend thinking about this piece of shit.

"The Ascent" is a thrilling action RPG set in a stunning cyberpunk world, featuring vibrant visuals and detailed environments. The gameplay is smooth and engaging, with a mix of action and exploration. Players can customize skills and weapons, providing depth to fights. The game offers options for solo and co-op play, making it easy to join friends or tackle missions independently. The storytelling is well-written and interesting, keeping players invested in the plot. Although there are occasional bugs, they don't ruin the overall experience. If you enjoy action RPGs with unique settings and engaging gameplay, "The Ascent" is a must-try. It offers a blend of challenging combat and a rich world to explore.

horribly buggy really, how is it even possible they are allowed to sell this mess on a well-known platform as steam? it's an insult

This game is bad dint play it if you get it free from lenivo and lenivo is bad

Garbage game made by garbage people. It is truly sad that with all the layoffs and studio closures in the industry that this company still seems to be around.

beautiful game, I wish there was more DLCs for it though. i would've like to have more content

fun. cool graphics and vibe

It’s like finding a diamond in a pile of #### :) There’s some bugs like floating NPC in middle air, but nothing game breaking. Biggest downside is quick respawn of boxes(with loot) and enemy NPC :( I played on steam deck, had to switch to Proton 8.1 for better FPS, as in city with main district where you take missions FPS can critically drop to 10-12 fps. https://youtu.be/hJERVi9qhXY?si=AdZZ7nWx4YOJtwHE

If optimization is too bad, please don't make games! I wasted my money on this shit!

Game is very average, probably not worth the store price, but if you get it on sale it's alright. Gameplay's decent enough, not terribly difficult except for some of the bosses. A lot of running and backtracking, a lot of fast travel. Map feels simultaneously too big and empty to be fun exploring, but too small to fit the lore presented. Fights are fairly fun, and the augment system gives you a lot of options for cool combos. Story is decent if completely linear, the only real choices you get are if you want to do sidequests or ask questions of the mainline quest giver. Feels a bit like they're trying too hard to ape the cyberpunk style, every opportunity to swear or make a dirty joke is taken, and crude humor is injected into a lot of places it doesn't really make sense to put it. World is even more grimdark than cyberpunk, to an almost comical degree. it legitimately feels like a satire of cyberpunk in places, but not a lot of it is funny.

Fun game. Cool world/lore.

Genuinley a chore from start to finish, one of the worst games ive played.

Got it for cheap. Was worth the cost. Would recommend.

One of my favorite RPG games on Steam. Neon Giant we want a second one plssss!!

18.6hrs in and it just randomly wiped all of my save files..... Why?

Imo alot more fun than cyberpunk 2077 , don't know why I compare.

Diablo with guns.

really good game

one of my favorite games

Not fun.

Fix your game.

three hour in .... not bad