- November 14, 2023
- Hibernian Workshop
- 8h median play time
Astral Ascent
Astral Ascent is a Roguelike that should be mentioned alongside genre greats like Hades and Spelunky, and simply demands to be played.
Platforms
About
"Astral Ascent" is a 2D platformer roguelite game set in a modern fantasy world, where you play as one of four distinct heroes escaping from the astral prison, The Garden. With dozens of unique spells to unlock and utilize, createyour own playstyle and optimize builds to face the twelve powerful Zodiac bosses guarding your path. Each run provides a new challenge, testing your skills and reactivity as you uncover the backstories of the Zodiacs and fight for freedom.











- Incredible art style and animations that enhance the overall experience.
- Fast-paced and fluid combat with a variety of spells and build options.
- Engaging story and character interactions, with a fully voiced cast.
- The rotating spell system can be confusing and may hinder gameplay flow.
- Some players may find the difficulty spikes frustrating, especially with certain bosses.
- Visual clutter during intense combat can make it hard to track the player's character.
- gameplay846 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
The gameplay of "Astral Ascent" is widely praised for its fluidity, engaging mechanics, and addictive loop, drawing comparisons to popular titles like "Hades" and "Dead Cells." Players appreciate the variety of characters and builds, as well as the dynamic combat that balances skill and luck, although some note that certain mechanics can feel repetitive or overly simplistic. Overall, the game offers a polished experience with beautiful art and a satisfying progression system, making it a strong contender in the roguelite genre.
“The art is gorgeous, the gameplay is fun, the upgrades go crazy, and the balance between pure skill and luck letting you pull off some silly things is great.”
“Astral Ascent is an action 2D roguelite that has a satisfying gameplay loop, nails the feeling of progression, and offers a lot of variety over the course of the many runs one can have.”
“The gameplay loop is solid and hits the craving for one more run with the different builds holding my interest and the way that skills interact.”
“Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is far too simplistic and way too floaty.”
“Not only is the core gameplay overly simplistic with effectively just one combo, it just isn't very satisfying.”
“This made the gameplay really frustrating for me.”
Astral Ascent Review (PC)
Astral Ascent is the roguelite I’ve been wishing to play for a hot minute. Its combat is highly variable, incredibly replayable, and quite gorgeous. It’s a fantastic example of a roguelite that is easy to pick up, fun to return to, and rewarding despite losing early and often.
95%Astral Ascent Review (Switch)
The greatest compliment I can give a videogame is that it moved its genre forward.
86%Astral Ascent review
Astral Ascent is a Roguelike that should be mentioned alongside genre greats like Hades and Spelunky, and simply demands to be played.
95%