Ascendant Hearts

About

In "Ascendant Hearts," a visual novel game, Hayato finds himself in a fantasy world similar to the video games he plays, after waking up with amnesia. He embarks on an RPG-style adventure with a mage named Shiori, completing quests and fighting monsters to uncover the truth behind deadly attacks on the town of Lightshire. Along the way, Hayato learns to navigate the strange new world, upgrade his skills, and manage his inventory. The game features humor, action, and a touch of romance.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

story31 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Ascendant Hearts features a charming story that parodies RPG tropes, providing humor and engaging character interactions.
The artwork is visually appealing, with well-designed characters and backgrounds that enhance the overall experience.
The game offers multiple endings and choices that impact the story, adding replayability and depth to the narrative.

The writing feels unpolished at times, with clunky dialogue and pacing issues that detract from the overall immersion.
Character development is lacking, making it difficult for players to form strong connections with the love interests.
The game is relatively short, with some players feeling that the endings are underwhelming and lack diversity.

story
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
64%
3%
The game's story is a humorous and engaging parody of classic RPG tropes, featuring a protagonist from the real world who navigates a fantasy realm filled with clichés and lovable characters. While the narrative offers multiple endings and some enjoyable moments, it suffers from pacing issues, one-dimensional characters, and a predictable plot, leaving some players feeling underwhelmed by the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the story is generally seen as entertaining and fun, particularly for fans of the genre.
- “With its lovable characters, engaging storyline, and beautiful artwork, it captivates players from start to finish.”
- “The story is a funny parody of anime and especially old-school JRPG tropes where the hero from our world is thrown into an RPG adventure and needs to party up to save everyone.”
- “The characters are interesting and likeable, the story is exciting until the end and the artwork is just outstanding.”
- “However, the main driving plot and the story dialogue and text in general has an unpolished feel, not surprising given the very small team that is behind the game.”
- “The story was okay but the characters were one-dimensional, romance seemed forced, and the story was brief and predictable.”
- “After humorously poking at clichés for a majority of the story, it quickly ends on a big cliché that just doesn't feel satisfying.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Ascendant Hearts" is widely praised for its clever parody of classic RPG and anime tropes, featuring a protagonist from the real world navigating a whimsical fairy tale setting filled with self-aware jokes and meta humor. While the game successfully blends serious and silly moments, some characters' comedic appeal can wear thin over time. Overall, players appreciate the charming and funny dialogue, though the conclusion may feel less satisfying due to its reliance on familiar clichés.
- “The premise of the story is good and funny - the protagonist is someone 'from the real world' who somehow ends up in an RPG fairy tale, with all the clichés and stereotypes associated with them to boot.”
- “This game has amazing characters, a good blend of serious and silly moments, and hilarious jokes that poke fun at classic RPG tropes and video game logic.”
- “The humor is pure gold; the fact that the story shows self-awareness at times about it being in a game world is really amusing.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The music in the game is generally described as pleasant and well-polished, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere. However, many reviewers note that it feels generic and lacks a strong connection to the fantasy medieval theme, with some calling it serviceable but not particularly memorable. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, it does not stand out as a defining feature of the game.
- “The art and music are great, and it is quite well-polished.”
- “Music is really nice and adds to the mood of the game.”
- “Music is generic outsourced music that, while nice enough to listen to, lacks oomph and does not exactly fit the fantasy medieval theme of the story.”
- “Art is high quality, music serviceable but not particularly noteworthy.”
- “The music and the storyline were pretty decent.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, featuring lovable characters and beautiful artwork that captivates players. While the character designs and backgrounds are praised, some reviewers note inconsistencies in art styles and suggest that the visuals could be improved compared to other free games in the genre. Overall, the artwork is considered good to average, with standout designs but limited scope.
- “With its lovable characters, engaging storyline, and beautiful artwork, it captivates players from start to finish.”
- “The characters are interesting and likeable, the story is exciting until the end and the artwork is just outstanding.”
- “Great art style and good background music; however, I really missed some voice acting.”
- “There are multiple free games with better characterization, better romance, better worldbuilding, and better graphics out there, though you won't find any of this genre for free.”
- “But the game suffers from noticeably different art styles between character sprites, game CG, and even the title screen picture.”
- “The artwork is limited in scope, but well drawn with some good monster designs that would fit right in with a real RPG.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Gameplay experiences vary significantly among users, with some praising "Crystalline" for its engaging 20+ hours of content and enjoyable mechanics, while others criticize a different game for its short, mediocre experience that fails to justify its price. Additionally, "Ascendant Hearts" offers a mix of humor and RPG mechanics, though it may not reach the charm of other titles, and the inclusion of a 'skip' mechanic is noted as a positive feature.
- “With Crystalline, you get what you pay for: a thoroughly enjoyable 20+ hours of gameplay, interaction, and development. I maintain that it is the best money I have ever spent.”
- “The 'skip' mechanic is very nice.”
- “This game isn't even worth the 10 dollars you have to pay for it for just under 5 hours of underwhelming and mediocre gameplay.”
- “While not as funny or charming, Ascendant Hearts will give you your fair share of chuckles with how ridiculous the RPG mechanics of the story get.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is primarily focused on the main protagonist, Shiori, leaving other characters underdeveloped and less engaging. While the setting and premise are appealing, the overall character growth is limited due to the short narrative length.
- “It was a simple 'in another world' story with good character designs.”
- “The character designs are appealing.”
- “The setting and overall premise are engaging, but I found it hard to care much about any of the other characters besides the main pink-haired heroine, Shiori, since she gets the lion's share of the content and character development.”
- “There is some character development, but it is not substantial since it is a fairly short story.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the visual novel is characterized by its charming blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure, creating an immersive and heartwarming experience. However, some users note that the story can feel short and shallow, typical of the isekai genre, while others find it funny and occasionally exciting.
- “This charming visual novel combines fantasy, romance, and adventure into an immersive and heartwarming experience.”
- “This is a funny read, and can be heartwarming and exciting in spots.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game offers strong replayability through meaningful choices that influence outcomes, along with likable characters and multiple endings. Its engaging narrative and appealing visuals encourage players to revisit the story for different experiences.
- “The choices you make throughout the game shape the outcome, adding a layer of interactivity and replayability.”
- “Characters are likable and different enough to encourage replayability; the main character is not overly dense, and you get some nice CGs.”
- “A cute visual novel with several different endings that enhance replayability.”
- “Characters are likable and different enough to provide some replayability, and the main character is not overly dense, plus you get some nice CGs.”
- “Cute visual novel with a few different endings that enhance replayability.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate that the game offers a rich narrative and dialogue without requiring extensive grinding, allowing them to engage with the story more readily than in many other RPGs.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find the grinding mechanics to be a major chore, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and feels like a waste of time.”