The developer studio Neon Giant announced the action RPG The Ascent during the Inside-Xbox livestream on May 7. But how is “Cyberpunk-Diablo” received by players?
What is The Ascent? In the dystopian world of the action RPG The Ascent, the mega-corporation “The Ascent Group” has collapsed. Since you and all other creatures belonged to this corporation, chaos is now breaking out. The world is reminiscent of CD Project Red’s Cyberpunk 2077.
From a top-down perspective, you fight your way through the levels either alone or cooperatively with up to four players using futuristic weapons. You upgrade your hero based on loot and skills, similar to how you might know it from Diablo – only here in the form of cyber-technology.
This could be promising
How are the reactions to the game? What has been shown so far is being received very positively. Players are looking forward to the release of the game and have been discussing it since the first trailer was released.
- ichinii says on reddit: “Looks great. As long as they can keep the framerate at a solid 60 with so many explosions, I can only imagine that 4 players and lots of explosions could tax the engine, but that’s what next-gen systems are all about, right?”
- Doctordarkspawn is very excited on reddit: “A Cyberpunk Diablo? Where do I sign up???”
- Igor Kuv mentions on Steam: “This looks so similar to Ruiner from Devolver. Also a Cyberpunk setting, similar gameplay mechanics, an isometric camera… even the art style is similar. I hope it really comes close to Ruiner. At least in the co-op mode.”
- Salvatoris on reddit is not so thrilled: “That looked fantastic until they showed the gameplay. Isometric… I pass.”
Are we expecting a Cyberpunk Diablo?
Will it be like Diablo? Not much is known about The Ascent yet. However, it suggests that we might get a kind of Cyberpunk Diablo:
- The developers describe it as an action RPG.
- Like in Diablo, you fight hordes of enemies from an isometric perspective.
- Additionally, you improve your character like in an RPG, but based on implants.
- Loot plays an important role.
Where are the question marks? Diablo relies on many quests and replayability. This is not really visible in The Ascent yet. One can assume that there are quests, but how profound they are and whether they tell good stories cannot be said at this point.
Furthermore, nothing is known about the replay value and endgame, which are also important aspects in an action RPG.
When will The Ascent be released? The action RPG is set to be released in the fall for Xbox Series X and PC via Steam.
The Ascent is certainly a very interesting action RPG. However, 2020 is expected to bring more hack and slays that are quite exciting. The MeinMMO list of the 9 hack and slays coming in 2020 will reveal which ones are expected to bridge the wait for Diablo 4.
