I'm a little over 5 hours into this game (The Ascent), as I'm back on Xbox for PC Game Pass for about a month or so. I do have some thoughts about this drop-dead gorgeous-looking cyberpunk-set twin-stick shooter/ARPG hybrid here, so let me dive a bit into this one.
In this game, you play a slave that is owned by a company called The Ascent Group - yes, just like pretty much almost everybody else in this metropolis, pretty much. The Ascent Group shuts down, so you're trying to find out why they shut down & what to do about it, as it also seems like there are gangs, crews, groups, etc. seems to be vying for power to possibly take over the city, since The Ascent Group disappeared.
This game is loaded w/ terms (yes, you should read the Codex), characters, personalities, really good voice-acting, immersion, and whatnot. So, you'll definitely want to follow the Codex, story, plot, characters, and characters here...even though it might be hard to sympathize or really feel for any of those crews you do jobs here, as they all seem...not morally sound; at least so far, anyways.
This game is just one drop-dead gorgeous cyberpunk-themed game, oozing with graphics quality and personality. This setting and its NPC's - especially ones you interact with and get into close-up with to talk to - all look fantastic. The game-world and the way it uses often fixed-camera, just to show-off its epic scale and size, often in its 3rd-person isometric camera viewpoint, is phenomenal. Running at 1080p with framerates ranging in the 40fps to 120fps+ range, maxed-out with RT (Ray-Tracing) turned on, this game just looks stellar.
This game...is just not easy. Keep in mind, I was soloing this, so I'm not sure how this is when doing co-op. Even on Normal, while playing solo - you are going to need to smartly use your weapons, skills, and abilities; equip the right weapons & armor (as some might be better for certain situations and fights); smartly level-up; etc etc - especially to fight mini-bosses and bosses. You are going to even need to strategize even in combat, as there even is a key to shoot higher & over walls, since you can also use those as cover and get behind them. Expect to die and respawn somewhere nearby a lot, as enemies and shootouts aren't easy. Even on Easy all by myself, I was having a tough time w/ some sections (especially when there's lots of enemies on-screen) and pretty much any Boss that I ran into. Again, I'm not sure if this game is easier say in co-op mode, since I often do prefer going solo and since I haven't tried co-op mode yet.
Also, this game isn't entirely like Diablo either. Don't expect tons of different weapons and items, dropping w/ say each kill of an enemy. Weapons, armor, and equipment here feel much more limited, even though you can upgrade them. Just...don't expect the amount of looter elements that you'd see in a Diablo ARPG, as The Ascent is more of a twin-stick shooter than a looter-ARPG. Though, it really does feel like every upgrade, every weapon, and every armor you get is different and does really matter, which you can run into. This feels...a lot more tightly contained, purposely.
On a side note: I really do wish there was officially a way to zoom the camera in and out on my own. I do wish there were optional different say 1st-person views or behind-the-shoulder 3rd person views to also switch b/t, just see how this all looks up close and personal at certain times, to see this game and its graphics in all of its glory - but sadly, those options aren't here.
Back to the main stuff now: now, onto combat. Combat zings, as different weapons have different feels, weights, and power to them; especially with your gamepad. Gamepad feels best here for me, in some ways, as. the controller feels like I can really move my character around easiest in all kinds of directions, even if the right analog stick isn't the greatest things to utilize for aiming; mice are just better at that kind of stuff, as the mouse does feel better for aiming. When playing with keyboard & mouse, the mouse feels great for aiming & shooting purposes - but trying to move around, often when things are angled, you often feel like you're constantly holding two cursors keys a lot (or if you use WSAD, you'd likely be holding two of those keys constantly) just to move in one desirable direction, so that isn't ideal either. Also, the old-school Xbox for Windows gamepad still feels best for movement here, for when utilizing the movement w/ the upper-left analog stick for character movement and also feeling the rumbling of the rumble-pad here on this gamepad.
Quests so far feel of the Diablo-sort or MMO-sort here often, no matter if they're say a main quest or side quest. So far, it's often going to an area and collecting numerous items; killing numerous enemies; and/or doing a few things in that area. Hopefully the story, characters, narrative, and everything else in that regard here stays really interesting; the game doesn't get too long for its own good; and/or this quest-style doesn't get that repetitive as I get further along to keep the game fresh & interesting - as the last 2 things could also possibly hurt the game, if nothing of those needles move and/or change here.
Regardless, after 5 hours or so here, it's so far pretty good and I hope it can keep me going and interested. So far, it's quite good. And hopefully, it stays that way and doesn't lose its steam.
More to come, once I play and experience more of this gorgeous cyberpunk-set twin-stick shooter/ARPG.
