Ascendant, the new squad-based tactical shooter from PlayFusion, has now officially entered the testing period. Some members of the team over at PlayFusion offered to give us a sneak peek and it was a crazy two hours. This isn’t your father’s shooter – it’s bright, it’s tacky and it’s loud. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: it’s set in a retro-futuristic world that really resembles the 1980s. The best part about the game is that it knows what it’s trying to be and doesn’t take itself too seriously in the process. You can tell the team really cares about the game and wants to put out a product the community will love.
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How It All Started…
The preview began with a brief presentation from Murray Pannell, Head of Marketing, and Benny Peczek, Principal Game Designer. The presentation was engaging, but it was really just laying the groundwork for the interactive fun to come. I went ahead and completed the tutorial while I was listening in on their presentation, and man, the tutorial sets the tone for the game right off the bat. Without getting too much into the nitty-gritty details, picture this: it’s a combination of the rugged badassery of typical shooters and the blinding colorfulness of the eighties. You get the run-down, you understand the basic objectives and then you’re good to move on.
Easy to Pick Up and Start Shooting
One of the reoccurring messages I received from the development team was that they wanted the game to be easy to transition to from other games likeApex Legends,ValorantorCall of Duty. And to be honest? They completely nailed it. Some of the devs in my squad asked me what games I had experience playing (Call of DutyandValorant) and were able to translate every control from common ones in other games. The biggest change from these other games is the adaptation mechanic: the map will be different every time you load into a game. When the landscape, teams, events and extraction points change every match, you’re the only constant in the game.
There’s not much to be said about the gameplay itself; you pick your weapon and set out to beat the other teams. It’s a 3v3v3 setup that’s most easily described as capture-the-flag meets your typical FPS. Try to secure more biocores than the other teams and watch out for those sneaks trying to steal them from you. Because it’s a 3v3v3, strategy plays into it much more than a casual game of team deathmatch; if you’re smart, sandwiching another team between you and your adversaries has proven to be successful. There’s more to the game than just strategy, but it’s honestly a vibe that you have to experience yourself.
Is This a Shooter or a Fancy Game of Hide and Seek?
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Now on to my favorite part: the character customization. When you load in, you’re faced with the most important choice you’ll ever make in theAscendantuniverse, which is “What do you want to look like?” Complete with a totally tubular blue and purple vaporwave background, the menu is full of wacky options. Sure, it’s notBaldur’s Gate 3levels of customization, butAscendanthas way more options than other FPS. There are two body types to choose from, along with eight skin tones. You can pick out more minute details such as your eye color, facial structure, head scars and body scars. The beauty and clothing tabs offer choices like outrageous makeup, voluminous hair and epic outfits in order to make your character truly reflect your inner 1980s superstar.
Alright, Now It’s Your Turn
