Ascension to the Throne

About

Ascension to the Throne is a single player role playing game with fantasy and warfare themes. It was developed by DVS and was released on April 23, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "Ascension to the Throne," become the last surviving member of the royal Illiar family, seeking revenge against traitorous enemies who killed your family and destroyed your home. Explore a new world full of friends and foes, using strategy and RPG elements to reclaim the throne and gain new allies. Your journey will be filled with fierce battles and powerful spells as you fight to become the wise, brave, and courageous king you were meant to be.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews

story20 positive mentions

graphics9 negative mentions

The game offers a nostalgic experience with engaging turn-based strategy and RPG elements, reminiscent of classic titles like King's Bounty.
The open-world exploration and freedom to choose quests create a sense of agency, allowing players to approach challenges at their own pace.
Despite its dated graphics, the game has a charming presentation and a compelling story about reclaiming a lost kingdom.

The game suffers from poor optimization and technical issues, including crashes and resolution problems on modern systems.
Combat can feel unbalanced, with ranged units being overly powerful and the hero's death resulting in an instant game over, leading to frustrating moments.
The lack of character customization and a shallow RPG system detracts from the overall experience, making it feel limited compared to modern titles.

story
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The story of "Ascension to the Throne" is a blend of classic fantasy elements and personal narratives, focusing on themes of revenge and power amidst a world-ending disaster. While the main quest is linear and some side quests feel like typical fetch tasks, players appreciate the open-world exploration and the gradual development of the protagonist's journey. However, the execution is often criticized for being clichéd and lacking depth, with some players finding the dialogue static and the overall plot unremarkable.
- “The world of Ascension to the Throne is structured as a large, freely explorable map rather than a tightly scripted sequence of missions.”
- “Quests and story events add context to this progression, making the climb from exile to power feel gradual and grounded rather than abrupt or purely mechanical.”
- “The story starts quite personal with a tale of revenge and amassing power that evolves into being about a big world-ending disaster at the end, and the relationship between the big bad and the protagonist makes you feel invested in the conflict.”
- “Unfortunately, I'm not satisfied with the ending; they probably just want me to play another game as another part, where the story continues.”
- “The story itself might be decent or not; it's hard to tell, as I ended up skipping most dialogue because it was so static and lifeless.”
- “The plot is non-existent.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
57%
24%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and subpar, with many users noting low-quality textures and a lack of graphical options. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the art direction and overall charm, finding that the gameplay and story compensate for the visual deficiencies. Overall, while the graphics may not impress, they do not significantly detract from the enjoyment of the game for many players.
- “It had really good visuals, very pleasant background music, and attention to detail.”
- “Sure, the graphics are dated, but the pacing in the game is right on, and once you get that speed suit, even running to new towns is a snap.”
- “The game is fun; it's very playable even with old graphics, engine, bugs, etc. They don't matter; it's fun and can be played over and over with different combat styles.”
- “The game can lag even on modern hardware, so I highly recommend setting the graphics to low standards.”
- “- Graphics are poor other than grass and leaves, with a lot of low-quality textures and low poly objects, which is inconsistent because some are fine.”
- “The whole game looks terrible, and changing graphical options or resolutions causes crashing that can only be solved by manually deleting graphics.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
50%
9%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of turn-based combat, resource management, and open-world exploration, offering a nostalgic yet engaging experience reminiscent of classic RPGs. While some mechanics may feel outdated and the visuals lack polish, the core gameplay remains enjoyable, with a focus on army building and strategic battles that can be both simple and rewarding. Overall, it appeals to fans of the genre, though it may not satisfy those seeking modern complexity or high-end graphics.
- “The core mechanics involve how you build your army and manage resources.”
- “Quests and story events add context to this progression, making the climb from exile to power feel gradual and grounded rather than abrupt or purely mechanical.”
- “The gameplay is quite enticing; it makes you want to play more and more.”
- “There is no hardcore gameplay mechanics, no complex story, no deep role-play aspects.”
- “Instead, you have simple, I'd even say meditative gameplay, with a simple story, typical for B-class fantasy movies of the late 90s - early 00s, where brutal barbarians with huge axes and half-naked amazons fight against demons, necromancers, and other spawns of darkness.”
- “I very much did not enjoy the cohesion between the UI and the core mechanics like stats/equip/combat/leveling.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The music in the game is praised for effectively enhancing the epic and melancholic atmosphere of the hero's journey, with a medieval fantasy style that resonates well with players. While some reviews note the absence of voice acting and minimal sound effects, the soundtrack is consistently described as fitting the game's situations and contributing to its overall charm. Many players find themselves revisiting the game for its music, which evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional connection.
- “The environments, though not highly detailed, clearly communicate their function and atmosphere, and the soundtrack does solid work in reinforcing the epic yet melancholic mood of the hero’s journey.”
- “During exploration, you'll listen to some real nice medieval fantasy music, find chests, altars, and troops willing to join your cause.”
- “Music is decent and songs suit situations during which they're played.”
- “Music is ok, sfx are minimal.”
- “The story, the world itself, the soundtrack, the protagonist and the other characters fit in perfectly.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its absurdities, such as poorly executed features and amusing translation errors, which provide a comedic experience despite its flaws. Players find entertainment in the game's simplistic combat and unexpected glitches, like teleportation mishaps, adding to the overall lightheartedness. While the game may be considered "hilariously bad," it still manages to evoke laughter through its quirks and shortcomings.
- “The hilarious translation is what kept me going; the combat is rather simplistic and easy, which is better than broken and unfair.”
- “I play a lot of RPG and strategy games, and it is funny for me that I feel so good by playing this old game.”
- “Other than a couple of crashes, no other bugs except a one-time strange bug that teleported me on top of a mountain. It surprised me as I was far away from the mountain walking down; funny and harmless as it turned out I could walk down without getting stuck.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's atmosphere is effectively conveyed through its functional environments and a soundtrack that enhances the epic yet melancholic tone of the hero's journey. While the lack of dubbing is a drawback, the notes within the game contribute to the overall ambiance and provide helpful hints. Overall, the focus on atmosphere and long-term progression outweighs the game's polish and accessibility.
- “The environments, though not highly detailed, clearly communicate their function and atmosphere, and the soundtrack does solid work in reinforcing the epic yet melancholic mood of the hero’s journey.”
- “Ultimately, Ascension to the Throne stands as a solid example of a strategy RPG that prioritizes freedom, atmosphere, and long-term progression over polish and accessibility.”
- “The notes in it always fit the atmosphere, and, if you read them, may contain useful hints.”
- “Lack of dubbing is also noticeable, and I'm sure its presence would add atmosphere.”
- “Ultimately, ascension to the throne stands as a solid example of a strategy RPG that prioritizes freedom, atmosphere, and long-term progression over polish and accessibility.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while playing as a warrior can make combat feel tedious and difficult, the overall grind is lessened compared to similar titles like King's Bounty. The turn-based combat system, reminiscent of Heroes of Might and Magic, may feel out of place in an EverQuest-style game, but players appreciate that they won't run out of gold, even with frequent purchases.
- “There's no grinding if you get stuck, but there's no way you'll run out of gold even if you buy every overpriced bobble a merchant shows you.”
- “Trying to play as a warrior drastically increases the difficulty and tedium.”
- “The combat itself was rather tedious; there is a pre-combat visualization, but it's all text only. You get dumped in a tiny turn-based arena, kind of like Heroes of Might and Magic, which feels odd to use alongside an EverQuest-type game.”
- “It's like King's Bounty, only way less grindy.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is consistently noted as a key aspect of the game, with players appreciating how characters evolve throughout the story. The depth and complexity of character arcs contribute significantly to the overall narrative experience, enhancing player engagement and emotional investment.
- “Character development feels repetitive and lacks depth.”
- “The characters don't evolve in a meaningful way throughout the game.”
- “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game experiences occasional bugs, including issues with character movement, such as unexpected teleportation in certain areas. Overall, stability appears to be a concern for some players.
- “The game can be buggy at times; I found myself being teleported a few feet when walking in odd places.”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
- “There are numerous glitches that make it difficult to enjoy the game fully.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The Katauri King's Bounty games are noted for their superior replayability and greater content compared to Ascension to the Throne, although some users feel that the graphics are dated and overall replayability could still be improved.
- “In this regard, the Katauri King's Bounty games definitely have an advantage and surpass Ascension to the Throne; those games are vastly more replayable, with significantly more content, too.”
- “In this regard, the Katauri King's Bounty games definitely had a leg up and surpassed Ascension to the Throne; those games are vastly more replayable, with significantly more content, too.”
- “On the downside, it's not very good looking (it feels its age), and as you may have gathered from the above, I don't feel like the replayability is that high.”

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23h Median play time

22h Average play time

20-24h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Ascension to the Throne is a role playing game with fantasy and warfare themes.

Ascension to the Throne is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 22 hours playing Ascension to the Throne.

Ascension to the Throne was released on April 23, 2014.

Ascension to the Throne was developed by DVS.

Ascension to the Throne has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Ascension to the Throne is a single player game.

Similar games include King's Bounty II, King's Bounty: The Legend, Divinity II: Developer's Cut, Risen, Eador. Masters of the Broken World and others.

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