Ascension: Deckbuilding Game
- December 16, 2014
- Playdek, Inc.
- 116h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Ascension: Deckbuilding Game" is a mobile card game where players build their own decks to battle dark forces and save the Dreamscape. Co-designed by Magic: The Gathering champions, the game offers a challenging and strategic experience for both new and experienced players. The "Deliverance" expansion introduces new cards and mechanics to enhance gameplay.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game offers a lot of content with many expansions included, making it a great value for deck-building fans.
- The gameplay is engaging and addictive, with a good balance of strategy and luck.
- The digital adaptation is smooth and allows for easy play, especially with friends or AI.
- The online multiplayer has limitations, such as a fixed honor pool that can lead to shorter games and less strategic depth.
- There are occasional bugs and performance issues, particularly with AI turns taking too long or freezing.
- The user interface can be clunky and not as intuitive, making it difficult to navigate at times.
- gameplay146 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this deck-building game is highly praised for its engaging mechanics, immense replayability, and the variety introduced by numerous expansions, each adding unique elements that keep the experience fresh. While the learning curve can be moderately steep, players appreciate the balance of strategy and chance, as well as the accessibility for both casual and hardcore gamers. However, some users note issues with the user interface and occasional bugs, which can detract from the overall experience.
“Moderately steep learning curve and a certain amount of familiarity is required from the expansions (which are a lot and add a lot to the gameplay styles), but well worth the investment.”
“The game's mechanics are easy to learn but offer plenty of depth and complexity for experienced players, making it a great choice for both casual and hardcore gamers.”
“The gameplay is easy to learn and each game takes on a different life (i.e. you will never have the game play the same way twice).”
“However, my biggest gripe is with the gameplay itself.”
“Some expansions add new mechanics that give a different flow to the game, so if you play with all expansions active, the deck becomes too diluted and makes some of those mechanics lose their impact and synergies.”
“Gameplay doesn't always work the way you think it will, so be sure to check the rules if you are uncertain.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and stylish artwork that enhances the overall aesthetic experience. While some players appreciate the immersive visuals and intuitive interface, others criticize graphical glitches and scaling issues, particularly on PC. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, though opinions vary on its appeal and execution.
“The artwork is top-tier, and the game itself is fun.”
“The intuitive interface and stunning artwork create an immersive game world that draws players in and keeps them engaged.”
“The graphics and sounds are great, the strategy is amazingly complex, and with the addition of multiple sets you can set yourself up with a hell of a game night.”
“Terrible graphics, confusing gameplay, and simply not fun.”
“While I like the concept behind this game, the graphic design and the small font they used for each card makes the game pretty much unplayable.”
“There is absolutely no option to modify the resolution or graphics (besides fullscreen/windowed) and the online multiplayer implementation is a joke.”
- stability37 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it is somewhat buggy, experiencing occasional glitches and freezes, particularly in the AI and interface. While some users report significant improvements over previous versions, others still find it frustratingly unstable, especially compared to the mobile version. Overall, while the game can be enjoyable, potential buyers should be aware of its ongoing stability issues.
“Some people complain about the UI, but it does its job. It's not buggy, it plays well, and is great fun.”
“Initially the game was a port from iOS to PC, with all the UI design choices (read: limitations) that come with such a thing, and frequent bugs and glitches of all kinds.”
“After years, you think they fix the problem, still crashing and freezing.”
“However, this PC version is buggy, frustrating, and broken.”
- replayability29 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game offers extensive replayability due to its numerous expansions, which introduce a variety of cards, challenges, and mechanics that keep gameplay dynamic and engaging. Players appreciate the ability to mix and match different decks, enhancing strategic depth and replay value. However, some limitations in multiplayer settings, such as a fixed honor pool, can cap the overall replayability experience.
“A very good deckbuilder: engaging gameplay, bizarre art, fitting soundtrack, immense replayability, and a fine balance of chance and planning.”
“Base game is highly replayable and the expansions add even more cool cards and monsters.”
“The game now runs perfectly and with all the expansions included in the base game, it's fantastic value for money and endless replay value.”
“A fixed honor pool caps the game’s replayability, which would otherwise be quite extensive given its numerous expansions that yield different cards, challenges, and resource types.”
“So as a purely solo exercise, it's fun to see what's in the various card sets and test strategies, but the lack of challenge hurts replayability.”
“The game features many decks, therefore different approaches to the game with different possibilities. It's amazing how this game evolves with each set, which adds more to the replay value. If one is bored with certain cards, he/she can play around with different decks, either specific or by adding all of them at once, so I would also recommend buying them as the base game only has a limited amount.”
- music22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience with a variety of soundtracks that fit different themes. However, some players find the default volume too loud and note that the music can become repetitive during longer sessions. Additionally, the lack of a background music slider and issues with overlapping tracks have been pointed out as drawbacks.
“A very good deckbuilder: engaging gameplay, bizarre art, fitting soundtrack, immense replayability, and a fine balance of chance and planning.”
“I love the aesthetics of the game and the music is quite enjoyable as well.”
“The game itself is fun and the soundtrack is awesome.”
“Card art looks good, music is nice, although it can get repetitive in longer games.”
“There is a bit of background music, although I haven’t heard any particularly noticeable tracks.”
“- no background music slider, music is either on/off (same with all sound options)”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story in Ascension is minimal, primarily serving to enhance gameplay mechanics rather than provide a deep narrative experience. Players build armies to combat evil monsters, with expansions offering limited lore and flavor text, but the absence of a cohesive campaign or mission structure detracts from long-term engagement. While some players enjoy the social aspect of the game, the overall narrative lacks depth and purpose.
“Good system with a great story and art.”
“Each new expansion adds a few paragraphs about the lore in the rulebook section of the menu, and some cards have tidbits of story written on them.”
“The simplistic story is that the player is building an army to face the evil monsters of the Fallen One.”
“Ascension has a thin layer of lore and story, but those elements are primarily there to give the mechanics of the game some flavor.”
“The simplistic story is that the player is building an army to face the evil monsters of the fallen one.”
“I can get it fresh again by moving on to the next set of 2 expansions, but overall the lack of an overriding campaign or mission structure hurts long-term play.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has improved significantly, particularly on PC, where it runs smoothly with intuitive controls and enhanced graphical quality. While some users still report occasional performance issues, many have noted that bugs have been addressed over time, leading to a more playable experience across multiple devices.
“It's obvious the game was originally developed for mobile, but Ascension runs smoothly on Windows, and the controls are intuitive.”
“While I still think it's a wonderful game with some serious flaws, the performance issues at least seem to have diminished, and it feels a lot more playable across my several devices.”
“I've played lots of Ascension on mobile and can happily say that the PC experience is excellent in terms of graphical quality and performance.”
“It also has some performance issues sometimes.”
“While I still think it's a wonderful game with some serious flaws, the performance issues at least seem to have diminished and it feels a lot more playable across my several devices.”
“Do play it if you want a good game that I expect will be rock solid in time, as gameplay is optimized.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as genuinely hilarious, with players enjoying amusing moments and funny sounds that enhance the experience. While comparisons to other games like Dominion and Ascension are made, the humor remains a standout feature that adds to the overall enjoyment.
“Hilarious moments that keep you laughing throughout the game.”
“It has great mechanics, a really good working online mode, beautiful art, and funny sounds.”
“Funny enough, a friend and I started playing Dominion online, then found Ascension online... once again, a drastically better game.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as being overly aggressive, resembling a demo for an expensive physical board game rather than a standalone product. Players have noted the heavy reliance on microtransactions and DLC, which detracts from the overall experience and feels exploitative, especially in a multiplayer context that requires a separate account for additional marketing.
“Ascension offers a variety of microtransactions and DLC options, aiming to compete with heavyweights like Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone.”
“The monetization model in Ascension is extensive, providing players with numerous opportunities to enhance their experience through additional content.”
“While there are many microtransactions available, Ascension manages to maintain a balance that allows free-to-play users to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend.”
“This is MTG: Duel of the Planeswalkers all over again. This game is an advertisement/demo for their extremely overpriced physical board game that they are charging players for, and if you want to play the full game with friends, you'll need to pay tons of money.”
“Heavily laden with microtransactions and DLC, Ascension is trying to compete with heavyweights like MTG and Hearthstone.”
“While multiplayer only and using Steam, they require a separate account (presumably so they can market things at you based on your email, etc., and so they can spam you with microtransactions and advertising).”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that the game eliminates grinding and pay-to-win mechanics, allowing for a more balanced and enjoyable experience.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its fun and engaging qualities, complemented by impressive original artwork that enhances the overall experience.
“Fun, atmospheric, and features great original artwork.”
