Review: Astral Ascent
A fast-paced, highly diverse magical roguelite!
Game
Astral Ascent is a roguelite developed by Hibernian Workshop, set in a modern fantasy world. You begin the game as Ayla on a quest to find and defeat an entity known as "The Master," who previously sent armies to wipe out the inhabitants. Upon arriving, The Master appointed some of the best among them to guard specific sanctuaries; these guardians are known as the Zodiacs—individuals or creatures representing the 12 signs of the zodiac.
Ayla, along with three other playable characters (Kiran, Calie, and Octave), must overcome a wide variety of challenges to ultimately defeat The Master. There are also two additional characters unlockable via DLC: Yamada and Arven.
The story unfolds gradually, including every time you embark on a roguelite run (referred to in-game as the "Escape Plan"). As you progress, you unlock various NPCs on the main map—or hub area—who can help boost your stats, provide new spells, and more.
At the start of an Escape Plan run, you can immediately choose a new magic ability (from your four starting options) to swap in, if you wish. Each "stage" features a difficulty level that gradually increases. At the end of each stage, you choose between two paths: one typically leads to the next difficulty level (e.g., moving from level 2 to 3), while the other jumps up by an additional level. Furthermore, each new stage lets you see the type and quantity of items you will encounter—such as Quartz fragments (to trade for abilities later on) or Auras (general modifiers not directly tied to specific spells). Building on the topic of auras, there are also Gambit modifiers that can be attached to spells, granting special effects and properties such as ice, poison, fire, and so on. In addition to these, one can find "Fool's Feathers" that enhance spells, as well as stones that boost general stats like strength, health, armor, and critical hit chance.
At the end of a set of "stages," the player enters the Andromeda bar, where they can replenish their health-restoring crystals (in exchange for a few stars...), have a drink, and use collected Quartz to purchase new spells, abilities, or "gambit slots" to augment those spells.
On the next screen, the player faces a boss—one of the guardian Zodiacs. Typically, the first group of Zodiacs encountered belongs to the Earth element (Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo).
After defeating the boss, the player earns some items and proceeds to the next "world," which is randomly selected (Fire, Water, or Air).
At certain points, the next stage might feature encounters with "Void Bosses"—mini-bosses based on minor constellations outside the Zodiac, such as Pegasus. But don't be fooled: while the difficulty is slightly lower than that of the main bosses, defeating them can still be a real challenge. Stay sharp!
As players progress, they gradually unlock characters and unravel more of the story, with each character featuring unique dialogue with NPCs and bosses.
Another interesting feature is the ability to play co-op with a friend, either online or via Remote Play Together (on Steam).
The game also continues to evolve through new DLCs and collaborations with other titles, such as Dead Cells, Ravenswatch, Children of Morta, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
My Impressions
Astral Ascent is a superbly crafted roguelite featuring a wealth of nuances and a massive amount of information—ranging from lore and customization options to spells, combos, and in-game achievements. Despite belonging to this genre, the game offers surprising depth, thanks to a rich narrative and diverse, character-focused dialogue that unfolds gradually throughout the gameplay rather than being dumped on the player all at once. This makes the experience all the more engaging, compelling you to keep playing to unravel each character's story.
Regarding difficulty, things are always a bit tougher in the early game—including the first boss fight. However, as the game progresses and you not only figure out how spells and combos work but also boost your base stats, the experience becomes a bit more manageable (though "a bit" doesn't mean "significantly," as it’s far from becoming a cakewalk).
Early on, I got the impression—based largely on my experience in the first world—that the boss would change every time I encountered it; it seemed like defeating a boss meant a different one would appear on the next attempt (only repeating the lineup once all of them had been beaten). However, when I revisited the Fire World, I ended up facing the Sagittarius Zodiac twice in a row. I found this disappointing, as it holds back the other bosses right out of the gate, forcing you to play through and return to that world multiple times.
It might seem odd, but some of the Zodiacs—or rather, elements of them—are somewhat reminiscent of Saint Seiy* (and why not draw inspiration from one of the world's most famous anime, right?).
Conclusions
For roguelite enthusiasts, Astral Ascent is a must-play title; it embodies the genre's core concept—advancing without suffering a definitive defeat—while adding a host of charms and features that enrich the player experience and prevent it from becoming overly repetitive (not to mention that the layout of each stage, as well as enemy placement, changes completely). The setting and soundtrack are also excellent, making the game increasingly addictive and compelling players to explore its world and every intricate detail.
Achievements
In addition to the aforementioned in-game achievements (which can yield points to exchange for spells, for example), regarding the platform—specifically Steam—the game currently features 89 achievements (though I believe this number could increase if new DLCs are added).
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