Ascend: Hand of Kul

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 177 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 177
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 177
  3. Negative: 31 out of 177

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  1. Grimmfan4eva
    Sep 27, 2013
    10
    For the record, Ascend is nothing like Mafia wars or Farmville. It resembles more DarkSouls than anything else. I love the fact that this game is free and I can pay for what I want when I want. No reason not to download Ascend and at least try it. The game itself is more of an action/RPG with some cool multiplayer light components that allows you to help or curse other players. You canFor the record, Ascend is nothing like Mafia wars or Farmville. It resembles more DarkSouls than anything else. I love the fact that this game is free and I can pay for what I want when I want. No reason not to download Ascend and at least try it. The game itself is more of an action/RPG with some cool multiplayer light components that allows you to help or curse other players. You can Ascend your Caos and have them control territories which brings in cash for you. You can collect a ton of armor and items all while leveling up your Caos. Intereacting with other players is really cool, and yet hard to describe, you gotta play to see it. Anyways, well worth the free download if anything just to check out. Best F2P game easy on XBOX Live. Looking forward seeing how Microsoft evolves this game over time.… Expand
  2. ThalesGaucho
    Sep 25, 2013
    10
    Perfect game, rpg worthy of success! actions of the characters in the fight is very realistic, some minor bugs and errors but it is just the beginning! and is not "mandatory" pay to take advantage! RECOMMENDED
  3. AdministratorX
    Sep 29, 2013
    10
    I rate this game as "Excellent", for the price point you can't go wrong. As RPG's go, I think the game has better value than Defiance had, and it's $50 dollars less (FREE).
  4. lifeproduction
    Dec 1, 2013
    10
    Awesome game to play for long hours! great idea. Keeps you into leveling up,create a monster wnd decide whether unwant to fight for light,dark, or emptyness, make others chanye by force. Or they force you to convert by way of force or intimidation. Its free!
  5. IHateFanboys
    Sep 28, 2013
    9
    Got this game yesterday, with no expectations whatsoever... I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is one of the best free to play games I've gotten my hands on. Devs worked quickly to fix the reported connection issues, which they have succeeded in fixing. This game features an interesting system of gaining new spells and abilities. Also it is possible to get anything in thisGot this game yesterday, with no expectations whatsoever... I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is one of the best free to play games I've gotten my hands on. Devs worked quickly to fix the reported connection issues, which they have succeeded in fixing. This game features an interesting system of gaining new spells and abilities. Also it is possible to get anything in this game without dishing out real money. Find a good spot to grind and you can gain souls quickly. The dynamic between players is also interesting, some times you'll find a friend in the bottom of a dungeon and other times you'll find an opportunist who will help himself by sending his monsters your way.
    Oh and stomping on the tiny people for experience is probably my favorite part.    … Expand
  6. JMusic
    Nov 8, 2013
    9
    I hate "pay to win" games. And this can definitely be a pay to win game. So why did I rate it a 9?

    Because you don't have to pay to win. It truly can be played as an entirely free game, though you definitely need a bit more patience to play it that way. The other reason I rated it a 9 is that the game is a really well done game. The graphics are good, the concepts are creative,    I hate "pay to win" games. And this can definitely be a pay to win game. So why did I rate it a 9?

    Because you don't have to pay to win. It truly can be played as an entirely free game, though you definitely need a bit more patience to play it that way.

    The other reason I rated it a 9 is that the game is a really well done game. The graphics are good, the concepts are creative, the entire thing has good production values. You can tell that a lot of work was put into this game. And it's fun. Maybe not the most fun to be had on the Xbox, but definitely the most fun to be had for free.    … Expand
  7. Jakeonguitar
    Sep 29, 2013
    9
    This game is surprisingly good in many ways. The combat is fun, and the RPG elements are implemented well. The graphics are pretty and run very smooth, i also like the look and functionality of the menus. You can unlock the good gear without paying for it, but it takes a long time. I bought a point pack to support the developer, because I'm enjoying their game.
  8. NewVegasGod
    Oct 14, 2013
    9
    This is easily the best f2p game on XBL. It's a well constructed RPG with a decently unique world rich with lore. It has solid combat and par-for-the-course loot.

    Where this game really shines, though, is it's incredibly interesting multiplayer components. They're somewhat difficult to explain, but you can interact with other players in very interesting, Dark Souls-esque ways. It almost    This is easily the best f2p game on XBL. It's a well constructed RPG with a decently unique world rich with lore. It has solid combat and par-for-the-course loot.

    Where this game really shines, though, is it's incredibly interesting multiplayer components. They're somewhat difficult to explain, but you can interact with other players in very interesting, Dark Souls-esque ways. It almost feels like an MMO.

    A few issues with the game are that, while functional, the combat can be a little dull; the game makes a habit out of small, immersion fracturing glitches; and as always is the case with f2p games, the micro-transactions can be a little annoying, even If they are understandable. None of this takes away from the experience too much though, and it definitely is a game worth your time.    … Expand
  9. AssassinAI
    Sep 26, 2013
    9
    I've been playing this game for a couple of hours now and I am genuinely enjoying myself.

    Although others have said that the game requires in game purchases in order to have fun, for me this has not been a problem. The currency system works similar to that of Darksiders, when you kill an enemy, they drop souls which can then be used to purchase new armour, spell upgrades and more.    I've been playing this game for a couple of hours now and I am genuinely enjoying myself.

    Although others have said that the game requires in game purchases in order to have fun, for me this has not been a problem. The currency system works similar to that of Darksiders, when you kill an enemy, they drop souls which can then be used to purchase new armour, spell upgrades and more. Accumulating money in this game is not very difficult, by simply following the narrative of the game I gained around 4000 souls within a few minutes. Moreover, at the very beginning of the game, you are given 3000 souls to customize your character with.

    As for player interactivity, the option is there on whether you want to interact with other players (either positively or negatively) but it is never intrusive upon your own gaming experience. Sometimes, I would just be wandering around minding my own business, when a gift would fall from the heavens, gifted to me by another player. Events like this are what, for me, kept the incentive to keep playing fresh in my mind.

    Ascend: Hand of Kul has the traditional sort of RPG elements to it which any fan of the genre should be able to pick up quickly. One of the features that got me excited however, was the effects that your actions had on the overall game. As you advance in the game, all of your achievements will go towards your patron whom you choose at the start of the game. In short, this means that your actions will help make your chosen patron advance above the others.

    Excluding a few minor bug issues with character animation and enemy behaviour, this game is remarkably clean in terms of bugs. The few I encountered in my 4 hour long play-through were very minor and rectified themselves quickly.

    To summarise, this game is definitely worth picking up, especially since it won't cost you any money. It's interesting narrative and customization will ensure that you strive to keep adding to your list of achievements and guide your team to total domination.    … Expand
  10. Thedreadnaught
    Sep 26, 2013
    9
    It's a good game not amazing but very good this is a old school style in a way something I miss in games now days and its not like most think sure you can buy more souls and some say you need them to just have fun but that's wrong keep playing take your time and build the souls up I do game reviews on my channel and I give it a 8/10 very good I mean you play as a giant sent by the gods toIt's a good game not amazing but very good this is a old school style in a way something I miss in games now days and its not like most think sure you can buy more souls and some say you need them to just have fun but that's wrong keep playing take your time and build the souls up I do game reviews on my channel and I give it a 8/10 very good I mean you play as a giant sent by the gods to kill titans so its a good story if you ask me but that's up to others to decide 2 so their you go but rate my comment tell me I it's helpful or not
    But remember guys for a free game it's very old what can you lose thx guys see y'all later    … Expand
  11. Hypnotixs
    Sep 26, 2013
    9
    To the people who are saying its a bad game and comparing it to FarmVille and other Facebook games, if you spent more time than 5 minutes and actually played the game you just downloaded you would know that there are more ways to get the in game currency (souls). I was only able to play this game for about 30 minutes before I had to leave to work but I had a lot of fun playing it while ITo the people who are saying its a bad game and comparing it to FarmVille and other Facebook games, if you spent more time than 5 minutes and actually played the game you just downloaded you would know that there are more ways to get the in game currency (souls). I was only able to play this game for about 30 minutes before I had to leave to work but I had a lot of fun playing it while I was playing it and plan on continuing when I get back home.… Expand
  12. Lincs
    Sep 29, 2013
    9
    For a free game it feels surprisingly polished. Downloaded with no expectations and was glad that I did. A Dark Souls feel to it, medium to low difficulty, and enough loot to keep most satisfied for a bit at least. The multiplayer interaction is fun too. Note that this game is absolutely nothing like Farmville and does not require you to purchase in game currency, they just have theFor a free game it feels surprisingly polished. Downloaded with no expectations and was glad that I did. A Dark Souls feel to it, medium to low difficulty, and enough loot to keep most satisfied for a bit at least. The multiplayer interaction is fun too. Note that this game is absolutely nothing like Farmville and does not require you to purchase in game currency, they just have the option available. I personally have not spent a dime in game and am enjoying thoroughly.… Expand
  13. ChampionKharn
    Oct 8, 2013
    9
    I would give this 10/10 but as we all know, no game is perfect and there are afue things missing from Ascend: Hand of Kul but who cares? Its FREE, in my opinion its the best free game on XBL and one of the best (if not the best) free game I've ever played, anyone who thinks this is like those stupid facebook games is a fool, as someone already stated it is much more similar to Dark SoulsI would give this 10/10 but as we all know, no game is perfect and there are afue things missing from Ascend: Hand of Kul but who cares? Its FREE, in my opinion its the best free game on XBL and one of the best (if not the best) free game I've ever played, anyone who thinks this is like those stupid facebook games is a fool, as someone already stated it is much more similar to Dark Souls than anything, not the point, this game is more than worth the download and it does not force you to spend money on it, I've not spent a single penny on this game and I'm having no difficulty in it, armor durability problem? then save up souls and upgrade it, weapon problem? upgrade or get a better weapon by dung running, there are so many simple solutions to the in game problems, "Shield" enemies? Heavy attack then Normal attack then Heavy attack again, simple. Do not be put off by what others think, especially since this game IS FREE!! Download and try it for yourself, if you like it then cool, if not then it didn't cost you anything so why care?

    Anyways thank you for reading this (if you do) and take it easy all.    … Expand
  14. Decadent_Savant
    Feb 6, 2014
    9
    I've been playing mmorpg's and similar for many years now and for once I think that i can see progress within this certain genre. This game gives you a free choice on which side to pick rather than be the "hero" for a change, on top of this considering the fact it was free it is a very good game which could lead to further, more expansive games like this.
  15. Tasaio
    Jun 23, 2014
    9
    At first i was concerned about the soul system, not knowing there is a workshop at the sanctury where gear can be reapired free of charge!!

    The fighting is a bit repetative, but good fun. the character customisation isnt that great, but no problem, lots of good gear to hide that face of yours in! The currency system of souls works fine for me, having 5 ascended champions that are    At first i was concerned about the soul system, not knowing there is a workshop at the sanctury where gear can be reapired free of charge!!

    The fighting is a bit repetative, but good fun. the character customisation isnt that great, but no problem, lots of good gear to hide that face of yours in! The currency system of souls works fine for me, having 5 ascended champions that are collecting souls for me trough capturing altars and such. i get a sollig 5000 souls each hour or so, besides what i make doing dungeons and q. I have a steady stash of 200000 souls and great gear, while NOT SPENDING A DIME! Good game!! CU there!!! Free download trough steam!!!!    … Expand
  16. joemama57
    Oct 2, 2013
    8
    Easily one of the BEST F2P titles on any console to date! If your an action RPG fan, do not skip this title.

    This game packs a lot of punch for a f2p title. This game has all the addictiveness of your typical F2P game (i.e. unlocks, progression, multiplayer etc.) but plays out like a payed for title. You get a hefty single player world that intertwines with a pvp (and soon enough,    Easily one of the BEST F2P titles on any console to date! If your an action RPG fan, do not skip this title.

    This game packs a lot of punch for a f2p title. This game has all the addictiveness of your typical F2P game (i.e. unlocks, progression, multiplayer etc.) but plays out like a payed for title. You get a hefty single player world that intertwines with a pvp (and soon enough, co-op) multiplayer world. Now when I say "intertwined", think Dark Souls. Never played it? Well, basically every player has two copies of the world they play in. One copy is their own world (like a local world) and the other copy is a world connected with other players. So as you are adventuring and questing, you will see silhouettes of other online players. You can interact with them by sending them blessings or curses. But I am getting ahead of myself...

    You play as a Caos warrior (created by you) sent on a mission by one of three gods. You get to choose between the Goddess of Darkness, the God of Light, or Lord of the Void. Each god has different strengths and weaknesses as well as magical powers. By choosing a god you are also committing to which online faction you will fight for. This is where the multiplayer portion comes into play. Throughout your adventure, you will capture shrines and small villages in the name of your god. As you do this, you increase the influence of your god within your local game and your online game simultaneously. The object of the game is to complete your main story quests while fighting for territory control under the god of your choosing. As you level up your caos warrior, you can decide to "ascend" him into the crusade (or faction war) permanently. It's like sending your character on a NPC mission where they fight for territory and plunder under your name. However, once you commit your caos warrior to the crusade, you can not use him again. You then make a new god from scratch.

    So how does the game feel? F****** awesome! These are the tightest controls I have ever played with. Your caos warrior moves and attacks like a true god of destruction would...without mercy. The controls are so responsive, you will literally have nothing to blame your death on except your poor gaming skills. One other thing...there is no difficulty setting. The game will get very hard once your about 15 levels in. So choose your gear and spells wisely. Also, it is not wise to swing widely and take lots of damage. You will have to repair your equipment quite often which can become expensive.

    Which brings me to my next point...the currency system. Now, this is always a hot topic for any F2P game. It's never an easy thing pleasing fans by keeping your game "free" but also making money and keeping everyone happy. But personally, Ascend does a better job then most F2P titles do. There is one currency in the game, souls. There is no "premium" currency in this game. You can earn all your souls without ever spending a dime. By not having a premium currency you are essentially keeping everyone in the same ball park. technically a person could buy expensive soul packs and buy really good gear. But there are equally as good items scattered around the world and in dungeons ready for you to find. I personally bought a bronze level soul pack for $5 (well worth it) which got me 25,000 souls. More than enough to equip my warrior with some really good starting gear. While I was playing, one of my zones was invaded by another player. He was 3 levels higher than me but had really crappy gear. I ended up getting my head stomped in several times by this player. Eventually I had to upgrade my gear and level up some more before I beat him. My point is just because a player buys his gear with real cash does not make him better. If you find yourself getting beat quite often, try beating one of the many randomly generated dungeons in the game and get better loot. Yes you will have to grind away a bit but that's why we play action RPG's in the first place.

    So why not give this game a shot? It's an action RPG, it has multiplayer, character progression, unlocks, quests, and best of all, it's free. You have nothing to lose. The developer has lots planned for this game so I think it is worth your time.    … Expand
  17. blacksaber
    Sep 29, 2013
    8
    Ascend: Hand of Kul is the MMORPG I've been waiting for in many ways. As long as you have an active XBL Gold account, it's free, which is what I've wanted for so, so long. You don't need to spend real world money unless you want to, the game has a unique feature with "ascension", and you have a great degree of character customization. I feel like it lacks some things, such as female CaosAscend: Hand of Kul is the MMORPG I've been waiting for in many ways. As long as you have an active XBL Gold account, it's free, which is what I've wanted for so, so long. You don't need to spend real world money unless you want to, the game has a unique feature with "ascension", and you have a great degree of character customization. I feel like it lacks some things, such as female Caos models and more customization of weapons and armor. I've come across some bugs (random jumping) and I feel some enemies are unnecessary (the "shield" enemy, for one, can definitely go. Already died too many times from them in dungeons.). I also feel that if you've killed a "minor boss" (the ogres, for example) in one area, you shouldn't encounter them again if revisiting an area; rather, repopulate the area with more common enemies. I also feel like armor depletes too quickly and that, in order to get relief from running around in your loincloth, you have to buy souls to repair it (already had to once). Additionally, many encounters with common enemies leave me swarmed and I feel that the number of them must be reduced so players aren't overwhelmed.

    Overall, I'm enjoying Ascend: HoK. I hope the devs release more content soon and I can't wait to get immersed in more lore and adventures!    … Expand
  18. Thunderflex
    Nov 17, 2013
    8
    For being a game developed from an incredibly small team, this game is pretty decent. The Credits show a very small list of people from Signal Studios which shows the amount of work these guys must have put in on this game. The art looks pretty good, the gameplay is pretty good, there is a lot of system stuff thats in this game. Adversely, the combat camera is pretty I don't like beingFor being a game developed from an incredibly small team, this game is pretty decent. The Credits show a very small list of people from Signal Studios which shows the amount of work these guys must have put in on this game. The art looks pretty good, the gameplay is pretty good, there is a lot of system stuff thats in this game. Adversely, the combat camera is pretty I don't like being restricted to a downward angle when I fight, I want to see the whole play field. Soul farming is also reasonably cumbersome since your equipment tends to break really often.… Expand
  19. callumparker100
    Jan 25, 2014
    8
    game is awsome to start of with. you will love it for a free game...but! dont make the mistake of buying souls. because at the start buying souls will make the game don. but it gets to the point that you have to pay more and more to continue the game. have had to stop it now. regret getting into it. overall great game but its a mug off
  20. ThinkSamich
    Aug 3, 2014
    7
    I decided to try it because I had read others describe it as "like Dark Souls", the game is certainly nothing like the play-style found in Dark Souls, quite the opposite really. The only elements you will find here that are similar to Dark Souls are the fact that things drop souls for you to collect when they die, and the PvP system(if you want to call it that) or way of interrupting theI decided to try it because I had read others describe it as "like Dark Souls", the game is certainly nothing like the play-style found in Dark Souls, quite the opposite really. The only elements you will find here that are similar to Dark Souls are the fact that things drop souls for you to collect when they die, and the PvP system(if you want to call it that) or way of interrupting the worlds of other players is certainly a beefed up copycat of the Dark Souls "see phantoms from other worlds" system. Sending NPCs after player phantoms isn't exactly PvP in my book. Whether or not that is bad will be up for you to decide.

    What this game does have is a few features that I have yet to see anywhere else. Neat "bells" that certainly make you do a double take. Your character in the game is quite larger than humans, you are probably the size of a building. Multiple humans can ride you into battle, you can eat/throw these humans. You convert human alters to the faction of your choosing (you pick from Light/Void/Dark at the beginning of the game) and it's a way of controlling territory in the multiplayer aspect of the game. Faction influence seems to play a large part in the end-game PvP/Multiplayer.

    All of the Armor and Weapons are purchased with Souls you have collected. You can also speed up this process with micro transactions, and they are everywhere. Free to play games with micro transactions are quite common these days, as far as I could discern there are no weapons available only to paying customers, so at most you're saving yourself a few hours by spending cash. There seems to be an agenda here on Metacritic where a lot of reviewers are calling the title, "pay to win" however from what I saw everything in the game can be attained without spending a dime. At most you're paying to skip a grind, which is something I don't want to downplay because it is a growing issue, but certainly not "pay to win" where players get unfair advantages with items or abilities only attainable through a cash shop.

    For me the biggest deterrent of the cash shop to me was the lacking gameplay. For lack of a better term the combat is quite "Vanilla", a hack and slash with a few extra abilities determined again by the faction you choose. Weapons seem to offer different abilities, but nothing that was able to keep me interested. For me combat is where the bulk of my score deduction took place. Points were deducted for overall clumsiness and the lack of fluidity in combat. It seems like difficulty is increased by outright swarming the player with hordes of enemies where damage becomes inevitable no matter how well you play.

    The artwork isn't spectacular but I wouldn't consider it bad either. Actually I found it quite nice to look at. It certainly should not be something that keeps you from playing the game.

    Overall this game is something new to try, but nothing I would plan on spending a weekend on. To me it has potential to have a good foothold in the market as a free to play game because it looks so promising for what it is in Beta. In the grand scheme of things though it can seem quite elementary. The title has a long way to go if it plans on trading punches with anything beyond smartphone titles. I gave it a 7 because the foundation looks nice, but without the addition more complex core gameplay mechanics the game is going to be left behind the times. Push the cash shop to the side and work on combat/core gameplay if you want your title to succeed.    … Expand
  21. UndamagedLotus
    Apr 4, 2014
    7
    Honestly, this game isn't too bad. The multiplayer ideas are occasionally frustrating because of trolls, yes, but can make for some interesting gameplay altogether. However, as I played through, and ascended a few characters, I stopped taking any joy from the game. There is no variance, and you can exploit many of the enemy's AI's easily to win against them. Overall, it's good game to playHonestly, this game isn't too bad. The multiplayer ideas are occasionally frustrating because of trolls, yes, but can make for some interesting gameplay altogether. However, as I played through, and ascended a few characters, I stopped taking any joy from the game. There is no variance, and you can exploit many of the enemy's AI's easily to win against them. Overall, it's good game to play every once in a while, but not a game to play for long period of time.… Expand
  22. AntiHero91
    Sep 1, 2014
    7
    The only real problem I have with the game is that people who have the extra cash will instantly get better gear than you. It goes from who's better at the game to who has the most money.
  23. LD9000
    May 21, 2014
    6
    An OK game, the whole "giant" thing is quite new, there's quite a lot of smashing things like huts and pillars, etc. The gameplay seems to be pretty repetitive (mashing LMB, occasionally RMB or space). Swords and axes are fast, two handed maces deal AOE damage.

    My fingers started to hurt really quick from all the button mashing. It seems that the game is very heavily focused on grinding    An OK game, the whole "giant" thing is quite new, there's quite a lot of smashing things like huts and pillars, etc. The gameplay seems to be pretty repetitive (mashing LMB, occasionally RMB or space). Swords and axes are fast, two handed maces deal AOE damage.

    My fingers started to hurt really quick from all the button mashing. It seems that the game is very heavily focused on grinding for gear, which... comes almost broken when you find it. This is the first time in an RPG where finding loot feels more frustrating than fun (cause I have to repair EVERY item I find).

    Somehow with 3 factions I've expected PVP, but it's not in the current release (marked as BETA). Currently factions seem really imbalanced, with dark having almost twice as many players/achievements as either of the other factions.

    Overall, when compared to other P2W games, I would prefer to spend my money on other games, and not this one, even though the style of this game seems promising.    … Expand
  24. FatalDeathSG45
    Oct 7, 2013
    6
    This was the free-to-play title I was most anticipating on the 360. In some ways, it does not let down; in some ways it kind of does. You take control of a Caos warrior and choose to worship one of 3 gods (Light, Dark and Void), each of who grants different powers, abilities, etc. As you play the game, you control territory for your god, acquire new armor and weapons, and level up yourThis was the free-to-play title I was most anticipating on the 360. In some ways, it does not let down; in some ways it kind of does. You take control of a Caos warrior and choose to worship one of 3 gods (Light, Dark and Void), each of who grants different powers, abilities, etc. As you play the game, you control territory for your god, acquire new armor and weapons, and level up your warrior. Racking up combos increases your Soul multiplier, whic increases the amount of Souls you can acquire. When you get to a certain level, you can "ascend" your character, allowing them to invade territory of other pllayers' worlds while also granting permanent upgrades for future warriors. You can also grant blessings and curses towards other players (provided that they're within your vicinity). While this game has some interesting ideas, it's not without its flaws. Being as it's a free-to-play title like Happy Wars or World Series of Poker: Full House Pro, it takes a long time to load up, and there are some connection problems to deal with. Combat is also not to my liking. The lack of an evade or a lock-on feature makes combat against large groups of enemies and building up your multiplier very difficult. Another thing I dislike is how quickly your equipment can degrade. With the Souls (the game's currency) you grind from enemies (which becomes a chore), that will barely be enough to repair your equipment, let alone buy new gear. To make combat even harder, enemy attacks almost always knock you back, leaving you vulnerable to attack. And of course, free-to-play games are dreaded by microtransactions, and this game is no exception. As mentioned before, the Souls you grind normally are barely enough to repair damaged equipment, let alone buy new gear. So if you want high-end gear, you pretty much HAVE to fork over real-world money to get it. This game has potential, but it needs a lot of work if it's going to stand up to better paid RPGs like Diablo III and Dark Souls.… Expand
  25. XxGrizzXx115
    Dec 26, 2013
    6
    This game started off really fun, but the whole "Ascending" thing seems REALLY pointless and not needed in the game. If that wasn't there, I'd probably have more fun and plus its a F2P soo micro-transactions.
  26. Echo001
    Sep 27, 2013
    6
    I really like the game, but it is really hard to enjoy it when every 10 min. or so you get disconnected from the service. Really annoying when in the middle of defending a shrine and you get disconnected, causing you to lose the shrine and have to fight for it back
  27. AdamSimonKrist
    Nov 15, 2013
    6
    This game is Microtransaction hell, once you "Ascend" and start from the beginning, it is near impossible to get to the powerful warrior you once were without spending a couple dollars for "Souls". That aside the rest of the game is pretty good, not amazing, but good. But i feel the Microtransactions hold this game back.
  28. Professorfett
    Oct 27, 2018
    6
    So mighty warriors are you into free Xbox Live games? How about free Xbox Live games that happen to have a story and hours of gameplay and a multiplayer that is very similar to Dark Souls? If you answered yes to that then do I have a game for you. Signal Studios the creators of Toy Soldiers have created a free to play RPG that is actually a ton of fun and it's on the consoles.

    Ascend    So mighty warriors are you into free Xbox Live games? How about free Xbox Live games that happen to have a story and hours of gameplay and a multiplayer that is very similar to Dark Souls? If you answered yes to that then do I have a game for you. Signal Studios the creators of Toy Soldiers have created a free to play RPG that is actually a ton of fun and it's on the consoles.

    Ascend starts out like most RPG's you create your character, male or female it's up to you. I played as a dude of course sadly unlike most RPG's where you get to pick what class you are this one basically has one kind of class melee. An argument could be made saying that the class is barbarian being that the armor that is free that you start out with is just that. After you are done creating your character you pick your god you will follow. These are factions you got Darkness God who is evil, and fire, that whole thing. There is the Light God who is good and shinny and you get powers of lighting with him. Last the final God is the Void God which is the one I chose personally; I got ice powers for choosing that one. The basic story is the humans are being overrun by trolls, sadly not internet trolls because that would be awesome. These trolls look a hell of a lot like Orcs. Hell they basically are just Orcs because compared to you they are tiny. You are a Caos or a giant human and you are tasked with the job of eradicating the troll menace and killing the last Titan that roams the Earth and keeps the Gods from ruling it. You ask well why can't the God's do what Zeus did and come down and kick some ass? Well in this universe if they come down to Earth they will corrupt it and essentially destroy it.

    The game graphically looks passable it isn't the most beautiful looking game but it does its part. The enemies got a little old to look at, now I didn't beat the game so I have no idea on if the enemies change in the later levels of the game but from what I saw they introduce different types but they all are in the same troll looking species. This game is gory, not God of War gore but there is quite a bit of blood. Of course if you want your character to look like a badass it'll cost you, but if you don't mind the barbarian look then enjoy.

    There is no voice acting which saddens me because that means the entire game you have to read. Remember those old school games where you had to read everyone's dialog just to know what is going on. This game is bring that back oh yeah reading and blood all in the same area.

    Now you are thinking Brandon how does the game play mother **** I've read about the story and the graphics and the sound but how does it play? Well my impatient friend the gameplay is fun and unique. We recorded a Bloody Time but it was lost due to a computer crash. The game is a third person hack n slash. You have spells which become extremely useful the more you play. One of my favorite parts of this game is the randomized look that you find in the chest. The big problem is that the loot is damn near broken when you take it out of the chest, seriously who the hell puts broken loot in a treasure chest? Whoever was the guy putting his junk in these chest is a **** Another thing that this game does that is super annoying is your armor and weapons can break. They will break quickly, even if you're kicking ass and taking names this **** just deteriorates. Now when I play a hack n slash I like to use the dodge mechanic like I'm doing a freaky dance. Guess which game only has a block? That is a huge pain in the ass I can't even explain for you people that are big on blocking this wasn't a problem, but for us dodgers out there this will be a huge learning curve. This game has this fun gimmick of calling the humans that worship you and having them crawl all over you. You can throw them at enemies or eat them for a tiny bit of health. They are extremely useful when someone is invading your lands. There is that Dark Souls thing I've mentioned the fact that this game is always online means that whenever you are clearing out a dungeon or doing whatever really, someone can invade your lands. You can teleport to them and kick some ass or get your ass kicked. I found out that 90% of the time someone invaded my lands I kicked the **** out of them. That is unless they are a higher level than me then I just didn't stand a chance. Towards the end of my run in this game I stopped care if people invade my areas because I didn't lose anything for it and I got tired of restarting the same dungeon over and over. The game has a MMO style of revive system where if you die you just re-spawn about 100 feet away from your body. The game can be buggy I had a horrible bug where my character stopped doing damage to enemies, but I just restarted and it was back to normal. Last thing because this is a free game this has micro-transactions. That doesn't mean you can be a level 3 and kick the **** out of a level 20 character.    … Expand
  29. LuciferReviewer
    Sep 29, 2013
    5
    This could've gotten a much higher score if Microsoft didn't flood the game with micro transactions... It takes hours of grinding to get good stuff, which makes it more of a chore to play. It's fine if you like the free-to-play formula, but keep that crap off Xbox... Micro transactions should be left for smart phone games. Other than that, the game is pretty fun.
  30. SebastopolQueen
    Jan 10, 2014
    5
    I stopped playing this game because i ascend my character and i did not mean to and there is no way to delete the save data,the idiots did not know how to make save data and you can't delete it and can't start over,i will stop playing this game until they put the option to delete you're character and start new game
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 6, 2013
    60
    Distinctly average, and aside from a few interesting online elements there's little to keep you coming back for more after your first few hours of gameplay. [Issue#104, p.84]
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 6, 2013
    60
    Although this simple brawler has some intriguing multiplayer ideas, the solo game's repetitive and the Crusade metagame is hard to invest in. [Dec 2013, p.87]
  3. Everyeye.it
    Oct 22, 2013
    78
    Ascend: Hand of Kul convinces with an immediate gameplay and some very interesting features, even if not always implemented properly.
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