The Ascent

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
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  1. Metro GameCentral
    Jul 29, 2021
    30
    A deeply disappointing co-op shooter that squanders its excellent graphics on a bland and repetitive attempt to make a sci-fi Diablo.
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  1. Xboxygen
    Jul 29, 2021
    As we draw our conclusions, it seems important to note that The Ascent was created by a small team of skilled developers. And what else is there to say except maybe that they completed the challenge with flying colours. For almost 15 hours, Neon Giant’s game puts the RPG aspect aside to embark us on a huge romp through a larger-than-life city, whose AD rivals that of Cyberpunk 2077. Those fond of finesse and detail-oriented builds will need to go somewhere else. For the others, it would be difficult to miss the Swedish studio’s first game as it was released in the Xbox Game Pass on its launch. Visually speaking, this one is quite outstanding and is a pure action guilty pleasure made of gunpowder, metal and blood. While waiting to be able to enjoy a 4-player coop session, we’re already dreaming of a probable second part developed by a larger team. Hopefully, this would be enough to improve what needs to be improved and revamp the game from being a pleasant surprise to being a must-have.

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2021
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2021

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 453 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 346 out of 453
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 453
  3. Negative: 67 out of 453
  1. Mogwai76
    Jul 30, 2021
    1
    Style over substance. The game looks good (but that's not really hard to do these days in Unreal) but it plays incredibly poorly and getsStyle over substance. The game looks good (but that's not really hard to do these days in Unreal) but it plays incredibly poorly and gets boring quickly.
    It's clear that this is done by a new team, who might well have experience in the industry in making games, but don't really understand what makes a great game.
    While the visuals are great, they are also inconsistent - some things in the environment seem to pull me in to investigate, but I can't interact, while other items I am supposed to interact with look dull and part of the backdrop. There is no signalling or breadcrumbing for players, there is no consistency.
    The game clearly was made for PC and then ported to the console once the GamePass deal was done - from "press any key to continue" on the first screen, to text that is too small to read on a TV and menus that are a pain to navigate with a controller - it's not built for a console.
    Gameplay becomes tedious quickly, the combat is average at best and I can't see myself going beyond a few hours without getting bored.
    Above all else tho: the usability in general is just very poor. The developers seem to have made a game for themselves, and learned how to interact with it as they developed it, and not given a thought as to how a new player might experience the game. The first 30 min is just a shockingly poor experience.
    I am glad I got this on gamepass, spending money on this would have been a huge waste.    … Full Review »
  2. vitala
    Jul 31, 2021
    0
    Weak storyline, mediocre and boring gameplay, poor optimization. You can pass by, you will not lose anything.
  3. ghettie
    Jul 31, 2021
    0
    This is not an RPG, its just another boring game not bringing anything new to its genre and at the same time not executing the ideas too well.
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