The Ascent delayed to 2021, developer gameplay walkthrough released

Publisher Curve Digital and developer Neon Giant have delayed science-fiction action RPG The Ascent from its previously planned 2020 release window to 2021. It will be available for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, as well as Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC.

“Xbox Game Pass is an amazing proposition for us as a small indie developer with a team of only 11 people, because it allows more players around the world to experience our game,” said Neon Giant art director and co-founder Tor Frick in a press release. “To celebrate this exciting news, we wanted to cement the game’s place in 2021’s next-gen line-up by casting light on what players can expect to experience at launch.”

Here is an overview of the game, via Circle Entertainment:

About

Developed by Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital, The Ascent will be playable with Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC at launch and target 60 frames per second and full 4K support on the Xbox Series X, offering amazing gameplay performance for the new generation of console players.

The Ascent will see players dive into “The Ascent Group” arcology, a self-contained corporate-run metropolis, stretching high into the sky and filled with creatures from all over the galaxy. Taking on the role of an indentured worker, the world starts to go haywire when The Ascent Group shuts down for unknown reasons. Life becomes a case of survival, with rival corporations and crime syndicates looking to fill the empty space. Players will have to take up arms and hold them off. The Ascent begins here.

The Ascent will offer players the chance to step into an action-orientated sci-fi RPG powered by Unreal Engine that takes the genre to new levels, available to play in both single-player and up to four-player co-op.

Key Features

  • A free-roam play style in a cyberpunk inspired dystopian world.
  • Classic RPG mechanics to enable players to build up their character including cyberwear, augmentations, and looting.
  • An unprecedented sense of verticality within its world, with different levels and platforms discernible within play.
  • Double-aim mechanic enables players to utilize the full screen and choose between multiple targets anywhere in the environment.
  • A narrative-led adventure playable in single and up to four-player co-op modes.