Three words that always make me sit up and pay attention are twin stick shooter. Games like Helldivers, Renegade Ops, Dead Nation and Nex Machina are all very good reasons why I love this genre. The concept has always been a simple one, keep moving with left stick and fire in the direction of your right stick. This simplicity then affords the developers room to pour energy into other aspects of the game, such as how enemies are dispatched or other key mechanics specific to that game. 

With the catastrophe that was Cyberpunk 2077, I think a lot of people have been left in limbo with the theme. Cyberpunk is still an almost unlimited source of material and tapping into this shouldn’t be hampered because one game failed to cut the cheese. It was therefore a nice surprise to see The Ascent surface a few months, with some tantalising trailers showing off some jaw-dropping visuals. So does The Ascent finally scratch that Cyberpunk itch we’ve all had for the last five years? Let’s take a look.

Mega-City

The Ascent certainly makes a good first impression, as mentioned, once you clear the opening sequence the city enthrals you with vast chasms of urban sprawl and neon-infused streets. Films like Blade Runner have clearly been a massive inspiration here, even down to how the opening cinematic is shot. Noodle bars, shop windows make the concrete walls look like swiss cheese and holographic ladies strutting their stuff. I also love the transparent umbrellas people put up when it rains, Deckard would be very at home here. Even the metro hubs are called Interlink Startions which could be a reference to the Blade Runner sequel. Flickering signs, alien creatures, utility bots of all descriptions and so many other sights to take in: it is astounding. On this one metric alone, The Ascent is the most captivating game I have seen this year by a long stretch. 

In many other games that try to depict a busy city, you often get plenty of assets that while detailed enough just look like they don't belong there. NPCs will wander around aimlessly and this was one of the most immersion-breaking aspects of Cyberpunk 2077. Here in the Ascent, the city feels real, people mull around in crowds or get involved in a myriad of activities. If you shove past them people will reel in away which I wish more games would do because it grounds your character in the world. 

The city is also presented into multiple layers which all interact like this place really has been build and rebuilt over many centuries. You can also catch glimpses of the gargantuan city below your feet which emphasises just how big this place is. These are not static skyboxes either but have also been lavished with insane levels of detail and moving parts. Exposed energy cables, gas vents, water pipes all snake in and out of the concrete and steel. I honestly can’t do this games environments justice with words alone, so check out the screenshots below. Even better, drool at the release trailer I will link further down the review.

Duck and Cover

The meat and potatoes of any twin-stick shooter is the combat and the various systems that support it. In terms of the action, The Ascent nails it with explosive gunfights, challenging enemies and all dropped within some of the most impressive locations I’ve ever seen in a game. There is a very interesting cover system that adds a degree of tactics when approaching a fight. Low-level vermin will just run at you in numbers but when facing ranged enemies this cover system comes into its own. Once crouched safely you must use a ‘raise gun’ mechanic to fire over the cover. This not only works really well but feels very John Woo at times. I think it would also have been interesting to have your character be able to reach around corners and fire at oncoming assailants. There is also a dodge and roll mechanic to avoid incoming damage and. it works ok but can also get snagged on clutter. 

While many of the layers of the environment will crumble and smash under fire, its a shame that the functional bones of cover are unbreakable. For many attacks, especially with the bigger enemies, the game will use a telegraph on the floor to indicate where damage will land. This system works ok but I was often out of an area of effect and still received damage, which makes the mechanic a little more fuzzy than I’d like. That said, fighting in The Ascent is great, with the ability to set off explosive barrels or cars that turn weaker enemies inside out.

As you engage groups of enemies some will rush in, flank you and push you out of cover. Others with ranged weapons will try to pick you off from an impressive distance. The issues for me came from the games camera system, which often leaves enemies way off-screen and yet still able to attack. This is due, in part, to the camera orientation being completely out of the player’s control. There are some very impressive areas where the camera will adopt a totally new angle, like side on for example. This is similar to the way Nier Automata messed with the viewpoint but unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well here, despite the interesting ways you get to see the stunning city. 

Gears of War

As is common with games of this type, you can hold two weapons at once and flip between them as you fight. All the usual suspects are present and accounted for such as pistols, shotguns, heavy weapons and so on. My go-to set-up is a precision rifle to open, followed up by the Dominator (which is a meaty assault rifle) to mop up stragglers. Strangely enough, we don't get a melee attack which would come in handy when foes get within spitting distance. 

To back these weapons of war up you can also utilise augments which consume power and have a whole range of effects from power slams, spider bots and devastating energy beams. If that wasn't enough you can also use a tactical item which can be various grenades or maybe even a healing area of effect. All of these weapons, powers and items make for a broad range of options open to you and using these resources will be key to success in some of the bigger fights. 

My major issue with the Ascent is the lack of loot, or more the lack of incentive. When you pick up a new weapon you can take it to a vendor in the city hubs and get it upgraded to improve performance. This system works well enough but in my opinion, this game is crying out for exciting rare loot that drops off the bigger boss encounters. Most often than not, when you topple a massive flying weapons platform after a pulse-pounding fight, you get some credits and a few heath packs. Yes, the action is a reward in of itself but damn it man, for me exciting loot in these games is the lifeblood that keeps you coming back for more.

John Doe

So when you boot the game up for the first time you will dive straight into the character creator. This is a fairly simple setup offering the usual, gender, hair, tattoo options. Overall the character models look good, which is a shame as once you start getting gear you will hardly see them (those baggy pants would make MC Hammer proud). The backstory for The Ascent is that you are a slave (or indent as described in this world), tied to a life of servitude and probable early death. This idea serves the gameplay well as you won’t get dragged away from the games greatest strengths. Just don’t expect much of a personality from our silent protagonist, as you are essentially a gun with legs. Some of the characters you meet, such as your handlers, put in a good performance but most NPCs will waffle indecipherable grunts at you with subtitles. You can see conversation text happening all around you in the cities and while not Shakespeare it does add texture to the world.

There are light RPG elements such as applying upgrade skill points, unfortunately, this isn't easy to see what effect they have. Once you get a bead on the game’s systems it will become clearer how these improvements will affect gameplay.

Lost and Found

So while I love the action and visuals in The Ascent, the games progression and quest structure is a mess and bordering on broken. There is a main quest that takes you through the games many districts and this flows pretty well. As you start out in Cluster 13 you will also be encouraged to pick up side quests from various NPCs. One of the first of these I decided to do had a recommended level of three. As I was getting near the location I indicated on the map I was starting to come across enemies seven levels above me and so was getting one-shotted. With the lucky explosion of a car and finally managed to make it to the quest location, only to find the doorway wasn't accessible yet. This same issue happened to me throughout the game to the point I stopped doing side quests.

The game does have a visual tracker to show you the right way to go but this would also often lead me to dead ends or into areas way above my current level (and instant death). In one main story quest, I made my way past numerous locations with no enemies and I did think that it was strangely quiet. After a cut scene showing the boss I was about to face it didn't actually appear in the game world. After restarting the game the area before the boss was now teaming with enemies and I could now see and fight the boss. In another boss fight, I had eight spider tanks spawn and was killed in seconds. After loading back in just the one boss spawned and a great fight ensued. In my opinion, getting around the game world is way too much of a hassle, but thankfully the Interlink system and taxi option make this far less of a problem. The issue with pathing and spawning tell me the game was not ready for launch and now it is in the wild theses issue need fixing pronto.

The Great Divide

I often find myself ranting about things that have changed without my express permission, a sign I am getting on a bit. I miss going to the video shop to pick our Friday night film, I miss real book shops and I suspect I’m going to miss buying games. A strange statement you might think but just look at where we are with streaming services like Netflix etc. This is an article itself, but the long and short of it is our beloved gaming landscape is changing and with deals like Game Pass it’s hard to stand in the way of progress. Last month I paid one pound, for three months access to hundreds of games: including the day one release of The Ascent. This sounds great (and it is), but it does feed one of my greatest fears for PC gaming. 

As soon as subscription services started to appear for TV and film it wasn’t;t long before everyone wanted a piece of the pie. Now when we turn on our TV we have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now TV and Disney Plus; all gating their own catalogue of content to endure you keep up those payments.  The number of times I have commented on the exclusivity of Epic or the issues with subscription gaming models and irate people ask ‘why can’t you just download the launcher?’

A few weeks ago some friends started playing Deep Rock Galactic and I was happy to see it was included in the game pass. One snag, they were playing with copy’s they had bought on Steam. As the Game Pass version doesn’t have a way of linking with people on Steam, I also had to purchase a copy on Steam. My Game Pass subscription suddenly seemed like less of a good deal. As I didn't get a review copy of The Ascent I was planning to play the game on Game Pass as it was a day one title for the service, again, it doesn’t allow play between the Steam version. This is the problem because these divides that are now being carved into PC gaming cause the platform to be fractured and thus it ultimately damages open nature of this community. 

Is it PC?

With such a visually busy gameworld I was surprised how well my system ran it, 1440p with all settings on ultra. I was baffled as to where the reported DLSS options were, again, this seems to be turned off on the Game Pass version. I will say that while the game does run well overall, I did see some of the micro-stutters that other gamers have reported, especially when new assets load in or large explosions go off.

Ironically I have found the best way to play this latest twin-stick shooter is with a mouse and keyboard. This choice always depends on how the game is set up, but in this particular case mouse aiming gives the player a far higher degree of precision. Enemies will also surround you when they can, so moving your aim instantly is a huge boon.

The sound design is one area of the game that is up there with the awesome visuals. Weapons boom and sizzle as they pump hot lead into the bodies of your enemies. The shockwave of explosions also sends your eardrums running for cover and the whole thing comes together very nicely. Music is a range of low key pieces that match the moody cityscape perfectly and then in combat there are some utterly brilliant synth tracks with a thumping beat.                  

Conclusion 

So my rant about Game Pass and the more general issues with games moving to a Netflix style system shouldn’t pull down my opinion of The Ascent. While this game does illustrate those issues are real, this review shouldn’t carry the weight of that topic. However, there are issues with this game’s pacing and design that I do think could have been better. The way the game just throws the doors open is both a blessing and a curse, especially when side quests often lead the player on a merry dance. The loot system, a feature I would put up there with gameplay, is bland and lacks the excitement of games like Hades or Diablo. I also think the team at Neon Giant still need to fix the technical issues, but I also hope they can spend a little more time tidying up the quest structure as I fear this will have new players throwing the towel in. 

It is then to this small indie teams credit, that even with these areas lacking, The Ascent is an unmissable twin-stick shooter. A game that does the basics so well, the small issues I have mentioned evaporate in the blaze of combat. It is also hard to fathom how, with such a small team, they could make such a jaw-dropping spectacle that looks ten times more impressive when you see it moving. Honestly, this work alone deserves some kind of award.