Cyrah's Ascent

About

Cyrah's Ascent is a single player casual platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by DigiPen Institute of Technology and was released on June 4, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

Cyrah's Ascent is a third-person combat game with high mobility. Imbued with essence, Cyrah must defeat the Laust and avenge her people.

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 154 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

Impressive and visually appealing graphics with a unique and atmospheric art style, creating an engaging world.
Fast-paced and enjoyable combat mechanics with a satisfying mix of ranged and melee abilities, including dashing and spell use.
Well-executed student project with smooth controls, decent level design, good soundtrack, and overall polished gameplay for a short experience.

The game is very short, typically completing in under 30 minutes, leaving many players wanting more content and depth.
Combat feels simplistic and occasionally clunky, with some spells and melee attacks underpowered or imbalanced, impacting combat variety and challenge.
Camera issues and lack of fine control options, including imprecise aiming and jittery movement, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
39%
8%
The gameplay is praised for its smooth, tight mechanics, enjoyable combat, and visually appealing presentation, though it is notably short—typically around 15 to 30 minutes. Some users find the combat repetitive and occasionally clunky, with basic but solid mechanics that offer a fun, straightforward experience despite limited depth. Overall, it provides a brief but satisfying action platformer experience, albeit with room for improvement in variety and immersion.
- “The game does take less than half an hour to get through, but is packed with lots of beautiful visuals, clean audio, and the mechanics are tight.”
- “That solid, straightforward gameplay loop coupled with the delightful visuals and plucky, ominous score made for a really delightful experience.”
- “Aside from a few clunky hitboxes, the gameplay as a whole feels incredibly smooth, and the fighting is excellent.”
- “Movement, mechanics, and animations feel clunky.”
- “Game is pretty but has bad performance, some monsters are invincible, and the gameplay is clunky.”
- “The gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.”
graphics
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
38%
8%
The graphics are widely praised for their colorful, charming art style, appealing palette, and impressive visuals that enhance immersion and gameplay. While some users note the graphics are simple yet neat, others mention performance issues and a lack of next-gen polish. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong, standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
- “Graphics, sound, overall immersion and atmosphere, difficulty levels, music, except for voice acting and storytelling (because there was none), was all done smoothly.”
- “The colorful artstyle (love the purple/pink/red) and the high mountains and caves.”
- “That solid, straightforward gameplay loop coupled with the delightful visuals and plucky, ominous score made for a really delightful experience.”
- “Aside from the visuals, I cannot see any strong points in this title.”
- “The game is surprisingly resource-intensive and will lag very strongly depending on your graphics settings.”
- “I also think that the game's graphics don't have a sense of style.”
story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
80%
10%
The game lacks a substantial story, with many players noting its absence or minimal presence, reducing it to a straightforward hack-and-slash experience. Some appreciate the simplicity and focus on gameplay, while others express a desire for deeper narrative elements, lore, and story-driven progression to enhance immersion. Overall, the story is either unspoken or relegated to the game description, leaving room for potential future development.
- “The story is unspoken but necessary for what this is, which is a singular adventure to defeat evil.”
- “It's good enough if you take this as a linear action-adventure game with story narrative focus.”
- “Fun little game wish I knew more about the story but I think leaving it the way they did creates even more story, so amazing game fully recommend.”
- “There is no story, get that out the way right now.”
- “Story is nonexistent and the game just ends after beating the boss.”
- “Description made it seem as if there was an aspect of story to the game, but I didn't get any of that at all.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
20%
10%
The music is consistently praised for its pleasant, atmospheric quality that enhances the game’s immersive experience, with many users noting its nostalgic, Zelda-like charm. It complements the visuals and level design well, though some mention minor technical issues affecting audio. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong and fitting element of the game.
- “Amazing atmosphere, great level design, fluid controls, and a nice soundtrack.”
- “The art was excellent, and the soundtrack was really good.”
- “The music and sounds of the enemies remind me of old Zelda games and I'm living for it.”
- “- It's easy to break (both visuals and music)”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game features a highly atmospheric environment, enhanced by its snowy mountain and ancient ruins settings, moody lighting, and well-designed levels. The immersive experience is supported by smooth graphics, fluid controls, and a subtle, fitting soundtrack, though it lacks voice acting and storytelling. Overall, the atmosphere effectively complements the adventure gameplay.
- “Amazing atmosphere, great level design, fluid controls, and a nice soundtrack.”
- “Graphics, sound, overall immersion and atmosphere, difficulty levels, music, except for voice acting and storytelling (because there was none) was all done smoothly.”
- “The lighting and level design, atmospheric and moody.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is lacking, resulting in poor performance and clunky gameplay despite decent visuals. Additionally, some monsters being invincible further hampers the experience.
- “Game is pretty but has bad performance, some monsters are invincible, and the gameplay is clunky.”
- “Performance is meh.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, with users reporting smooth performance and no glitches or bugs encountered.
- “It works well, I experienced no glitches or bugs whatsoever.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is challenging and may require additional resources or effort, such as using a second life, to progress effectively.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers decent replayability, particularly for self-imposed challenges, though some players feel enemy hitboxes could be better tuned to enhance the experience.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is well-received, described as good and funny, contributing positively to the overall experience without any notable issues.