Yup, it’s another cyberpunk-inspired dystopian RPG. Except this one is an isometric action RPG, has multiplayer right out of the box, and so far hasn’t pissed off any investors (but that’s mostly because it hasn’t tried to release yet). Welcome to The Ascent, a new solo or co-op ARPG from developer Neon Giant and publisher Curve Digital that sets players into a pretty interesting doomsday cyberpunk scenario:
“You play as a worker, enslaved by the company that owns you and everyone else in your district. You get things done, whatever menial task is given. One day, whilst sent on a routine assignment to make use of your skills with a cyberdeck, you are suddenly caught in a vortex of catastrophic events. The Ascent Group, the largest mega corporation on the planet, shuts down for unknown reasons, causing the automated security systems to go haywire. The survival of your district is threatened: rival corporations are trying to force appropriation and crime syndicates are looking to boost their black-market augmentation trade. You must take up arms to stop them from seizing control and embark on a new mission to find out what started it all.”
The Ascent allows for either solo play or multiplayer with up to three others, looting and shooting your way through the arcology where considering enemy height and weaknesses is key to combat. Players can tailor their character via augments, weapons, and equipment to make their avatar a precise and sleek fighter or a guns-blazing heavy hitter.
The game is set to release sometime in 2021 to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and will be included in the console’s Xbox Game Pass offering, and it’s coming to Steam as well of course. For now, you can get a taste of what to expect in a gameplay trailer from one of the devs below.
