The Ascent

"The Ascent’s savviest move is making the arcology its main character. Trains run on their own schedules, NPCs carry on conversations whether you stop to listen to them or not, and there’s no exposition for concepts like “Escher loops” and …"

"The soundtrack is a highlight, with clear inspiration from some of the most iconic sci-fi scores in entertainment"

"A lovingly crafted action RPG with challenging, satisfying gunfights and an extraordinary cyberpunk setting."

"The Ascent is a superb action game that looks as fantastic as it plays. Its plot and dialogue can be pretty hard-going but its gunplay is deeply satisfying. On Game Pass it&s;s a no-brainer, but it would be worthwhile at …"

"The Ascent is a fast-paced twin-stick shooter immersed in an impeccably designed cyberpunk world, yet its plot fails to fully take advantage of this wonderful setting. Luckily, the shooting mechanics are quite satisfying, while the many different character customization options …"

"Despite my complaints, though, I legitimately love the world Neon Giant has crafted here and would love to see even more of it. There’s loads of potential in this setting for straight-up better stories to be told, and I think …"

"Diablo meets Cyberpunk 2077 on the set of Ridley Scott&s;s cinematic masterpiece in this action-packed RPG gem"

"The Ascent succeeds at delivering an action-shooter with challenging enemies and a diverse set of levels to explore. This is bolstered by a rich universe that’s practically bursting with interesting lore at every seam. Despite some wonkiness with the in-game …"

"Overall, The Ascent is a fun twin-stick shooter that comes to the Playstation with an absolutely beautiful world design. The wholesale violence is very engaging but may feel a bit redundant as you can be pretty well maxed out about …"

"The Ascent&s;s arcology setting is splendid, if heavily derivative - shame that all you can do here is gun and grind."

"The Ascent is an ambitious work, which fascinates with incredible atmospheres and visually breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately, the exceptional production effort made on the sets and modeling of the game world does not hide some problems related to the balance of …"

"The Ascent equally frustrates and impresses me, one moment dropping my jaw with the city&s;s neon-soaked beauty and the next making me clench my fists in anger. Veles is a brutal, unforgiving world, but it&s;s one I enjoyed blasting my …"

"The Ascent is a solid evolution of the twin-stick formula, offering some of the most detailed and impressive visuals the gen has to offer so far. However, The Ascent needs a couple of polish passes as of writing, due to …"

"A robustly entertaining cyberpunk dungeon crawler wrapped up in some of the most sublime audiovisual presentation and thoroughly satisfying combat to come along in a good while, though it isn&s;t quite as ambitious as I would like it to be, …"

"A twin-stick shooter that looks and feels great all the way through, but doesn&s;t do enough new to keep your attention as you invest more time in its RPG systems and world."

"The Ascent is an essential experience for anyone that enjoys tight action-RPG combat or beautiful, neon-colored Blade Runner skylines. Go play this solo or with up to three other friends before its world becomes reality."

"While The Ascent is a true visual showcase for the Xbox Series X, it lacks depth and clarity. There&s;s a fun game in here, but it&s;s ultimately overburdened."

"Its skyline is happy to quote at length from Blade Runner, but the poetry is in short supply."

"The Ascent looks and acts like a video game, but mostly feels like work."

"The Ascent is a wonderful experience that is easy to recommend thanks to Game Pass. It has some technical issues, some bugs, and also takes a while to get to the point, but it is worth the investment. There is …"

"The cyberpunk world of The Ascent seems dazzling on the surface, but much like your standard cyberpunk world, the grime underneath all of the neon and futuristic landscapes ends up revealing a hefty mess once you go exploring it."

"The Ascent is a beautiful and entertaining action-RPG when everything is working as intended, but those moments are sadly much rarer than they should be. We know the team already has several patches planned so hopefully, a lot of the …"

"Setting aside it coming from such a small team, I think The Ascent is miraculous in a couple of ways. First, the detailed world-building, environmental storytelling, and atmosphere are maybe the best expression of the cyberpunk aesthetic I’ve ever seen …"

"The Ascent is a true homage to the classic top-down shooter genre that adds some modern features without disrespecting its main inspirations."

"The Ascent on PS5 is the same game with a few tweaks. Best played with friends, it provides a gorgeous, if inconsistent, experience."

"Although The Ascent is far from perfect, it gets more right than it does wrong and is most successful at creating a world that is filled with interesting characters and fun to explore. The sections that require some grinding might …"

"The Ascent has got all the grimy character that you would want from its sci-fi cyberpunk setting, and there&s;s a great combat system to go with it. Simply put, The Ascent deserves your attention."

"The Ascent&s;s a solid, if somewhat repetitive shooter, propped up by eye-popping environments and a reasonable amount of RPG depth. If you can stomach some grindy mission design and the occasional buggy interaction, then there&s;s explosive fun to be had …"

"Story isn&s;t its strong suit, but the rest of The Ascent delivers a wonderfully realized cyberpunk world mixed with satisfying twin-stick gunplay to create an enjoyable action-RPG."

"The Ascent’s ambition is often the most surprising thing about it. I went in expecting a decent, simple cyberpunk top-down shooter. Instead, I got a compelling action game that feels great to play, and an introduction into a world I …"

"The Ascent is an atmospheric power fantasy, a cinematic cyberpunk escape where you can disengage your brain and indulge in copious virtual violence. If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, it’s worth a try – at £25, it’s harder to recommend."