The Ascent Reviews

The Ascent is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.1 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

A decent enough action-shooter RPG that comes with its own sets of problems, The Ascent is a flawed debut for Neon Giant and a missed opportunity.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

At $30 US it is a steal, but it’s also available day one on Game Pass. Stunning graphics, excellent music, innovative gameplay, and so many other factors come together to not only make one of the best releases of the year but one of my favorite games of all time. (score updated after launch, console version is far behind/buggier than the Steam version)

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9 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021
The Ascent Review PC 4K Single-Player video thumbnail
7 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

The Ascent’s setting is remarkably striking, and it’s quite fun to play to boot. But the aspects that are either lacking, or entirely non-existent in the game’s design, have a large, detrimental affect on the overall quality of the experience.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

There’s just a lot of technical restraints that drag The Ascent down, and I do praise Neon Giant’s hard work they’ve put into the game, but it’s difficult for me to recommend a title that’s so unpolished when you want to play the game on couch co-op. However, if you’re up for instant, fluid twin-stick shooting gunplay with easy-to-grasp mechanics and a massive arsenal of weapons, and a game that accurately evokes the cyberpunk theme then The Ascent is undoubtedly a game that may be worth your time regardless of the technical issues it has.

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Jul 29, 2021

Neon Giant has some minor performance issues to iron out with RTX and DX12. The developers have made a game that’s as complex as you want, but doesn’t overcomplicate anything. Every system has a purpose, and is a weapon of opportunity for you to overcome obstacles. I love when the game isn’t having me fight everything in sight, and allowing me to take in the world. No game has made me want DLC or more content than The Ascent has. Simply put, The Ascent is a brilliant game, that absolutely lives up to the hype.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

The Ascent is a bloody good time that combines addictive twin-stick shooting, a spectacular cyberpunk world, and a rocking synth soundtrack that elevates every moment to the next level. I never wanted to put the game down, despite some shortcomings.

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85%
Jul 29, 2021

Whether you will explore it alone or with friends, Veles is incredibly immersive. The Ascent is an incredible audiovisual achievement that is not without issues, but they are not as big as to be unforgivable.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

9.3 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

The Ascent is a love letter to dark, gritty sci-fi that feels like a marriage between Dredd and Syndicate. Dripping with atmosphere and Sweet Justice’s Carptenter-esque score, all backed by intense tactical shootouts and next gen visuals. The Ascent is easily one of this years best games.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2021

Overall, The Ascent is a great addition to the cyberpunk genre. The graphics are stunning, the characters and story entertaining, and it’s available right now on Gamepass!

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Aug 2, 2021

The Ascent feels like two very different games. One of those games is an enjoyable aRPG in an over-the-top cyberpunk world where you find new equipment, upgrade your weapons and abilities, and take on odd jobs in an attempt to better your character’s situation. In many ways, this feels like a combination of the canceled Prey 2 and what a lot of people mistakenly expected Cyberpunk 2077 to be like, all filtered through a world that combines the alien-rich population of Mass Effect with Blade Runner‘s rainy dystopia. The other game is the one that undermines that first one.

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70 / 100
Aug 3, 2021

For [US$20] or so, you’ll have a jolly neon-filled dystopian-blasting old time with The Ascent. Just don’t expect a grandeur tale ala Cyberpunk 2077, though you’ll have a meatier action RPG experience.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2021

The Ascent offers a surprisingly decent amount of depth and is best suited for fans of looter shooters.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2021

The Ascent is a solid and fun action-RPG, capable of providing many hours of fun thanks to well-paced gameplay and powerful and inspired graphics. Too bad for some flaws such as the poorly executed cooperative mode, annoying bugs and the lack of Italian localization, which prevent the first job of Neon Giant to shine as it deserves.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Buy
Aug 3, 2021

The Ascent is not perfect, but it is fun as hell. The frenetic gunplay is only supported by its engaging aesthetic. If you don’t mind not having a fully immersive experience that has a shallow narrative, what you will get is a massive arcology to explore, along with taking on hordes of foes with your hard-earned loot. Its deceptively simplistic gameplay only allows for better exploration and engagement with its many sidequests.

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Noisy Pixel
Henry Yu
5.5 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2021

In theory, a co-op, loot-based isometric RPG like The Ascent has the potential of being a great cyberpunk-themed experience to play with a group of friends. The world-building is appealing visually and aurally, but it’s ultimately unsatisfying and often unrewarding during exploration. The lack of replayability, broken cooperative play, bugs, and unbalanced artificial enemy difficulty make it tough to appreciate its positive elements. It’s sad to say that The Ascent is another over-hyped cyberpunk game that is all fluff and no substance.

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INVEN
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Aug 6, 2021

It's a shame "The Ascent" could be more fun game. Its structure was not interesting compared to the attractive cyberpunk world in it.

Review in Korean | Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Aug 12, 2021

The Ascent is a technically impressive and rather gorgeous cyberpunk twin stick shooter held back by a number of issues. This includes the basically broken coop, the mind boggling checkpoints and the insane difficulty spikes.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 13, 2021

it is only one step away from becoming one of those games that mark a generation.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Aug 19, 2021

The Ascent gives off an impeccable first impression. The game is one of the most atmospheric titles I have experienced this year. Graphically, the game has some of the best environmental art styles of 2021. It’s a testament to the small developer team to be able to pull off these kinds of feats. However, where The Ascent does fall is in its uninspired RPG mechanics that felt like an afterthought. That, coupled with disastrous UI, difficulty spikes, and quest-scaling issues, hampered that amazing first impression. Though a later patch remedied some of these technical issues. All in all, The Ascent is definitely worth your time. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and will leave you a lasting impression of the dystopic nature that is the Arcology.

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