After the Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco, the gaming community has been longing for a cyberpunk game that offered a satisfying, polished experience. Naturally, along came the competitors poised to take the crown and throne from the reeling 2077. One of those is The Ascent, and the general critical consensus is that it does the cyberpunk setting even better than Cyberpunk 2077.
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That doesn't mean it's a perfect game. Much like Cyberpunk 2077, it also occasionally suffers from a lack of polish. Even with its neon glimmer and technological shine, The Ascent can still be a rough experience from time to time. Despite its positive aspects, there are still issues that need immediate solutions so that the game can ultimately be more enjoyable.
10 Vague Weapon & Armor Stat Explanations
Being an isometric RPG in the same vein as Diablo (but with guns and cybernetics), min-maxing and comparing item stats is almost mandatory in The Ascent. Unfortunately, the game makes that difficult for the players. There are several important stats that are only shown as icons in item descriptions.
Players can look up what they mean in the character skill tab, but that warrants memorization and additional button inputs. Additionally, the icons themselves are rather small and are only shown as vectors whose shapes can have few distinctions.
9 Tangled Map
Another UI problem plaguing The Ascent is the map. Players can pretty much forget about the in-game map here (although not the mini-map). It's a tangled mess of lines that even the legends and 3D rendering can't untangle.
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Trying to read the map here is headache-inducing, as it's shown like a 3D blueprint in a red color hue. The labels themselves are also pretty difficult to read, thanks to the small and skinny text. Surprisingly enough, it's also hard to pinpoint the player's exact location even if it's shown on the map. Perhaps that's part of the cyberpunk world's charm?
8 Stuttering, Bugs, & Glitches
The Ascent offers a certain cinematic charm whenever it introduces new areas to the players. Sadly, even those artistic touches can be ruined by unexpected stuttering. A thematic and world-building explosion, for example, can stutter as soon as the texture or particle sprites become too many.
This also happens in combat. This is quite problematic since stuttering can throw off a player's aim, especially in a twin-stick shooter game. Players can also expect the myriad of bugs and glitches associated with a release title. Thankfully, though, several have easy fixes.
7 Unstrategic Checkpoints
Supposedly, The Ascent is an action RPG, but at times, it can feel like a Souls-like due to the location of some of the checkpoints. Some of these take the player too far back. That wouldn't normally be a problem, but the enemies apparently respawn.
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What's even worse is that some checkpoints are smack-dab in the middle of an enemy respawn point. This allows enemies to gang up on the player as soon as they respawn. Since respawns are preceded by loading screens, the game can also stutter once the loading is done; this can give the ambushing enemies some free shots.
6 Odd UI Partitions
As mentioned before, the UI can also be an enemy to the players. Again, the text doesn't do a good job of displaying important information, even outside the map. Quest markers are also sometimes misleading. Dialogue options also have problems where they reset the cursor or selection.
Moreover, using basic functions such as opening the inventory can be cumbersome. Even looking at all the acquired money in-game is also an odd experience, since the credit amount is located in the character screen. The UI needs some serious updates in order to help make the player's experience smoother.
5 The Lack Of A Sprint Function
The long and unhelpful checkpoints can often be exacerbated by the lack of a sprint button or function in The Ascent. The character can often feel like their feet have steel chains due to their movement speed. Some items can improve this, but they're hardly a solution.
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Traveling from checkpoint to checkpoint or just traversing the map can be a chore at times due to the low movement speed. This is further compounded by enemies who can actually move faster than your character can jog.
4 Less Interactive Hacking
Hacking has always been a big part of the cyberpunk genre. It's a significant element of the world-building process in cyberpunk games. Deux Ex and even Cyberpunk have even taken advantage of hacking to offer a varying playstyle, compared to the more straightforward shooutouts.
Unfortunately, hacking is more of a means to an end in The Ascent. Players just press a button and then things get "hacked." Those things are usually locked doors. Anyone expecting a summoner type playstyle where one can hack into enemies' brain chips and control them will be disappointed.
3 Lack Of Melee Combat
Speaking of an underutilized cyberpunk setting for combat, that lack of a melee option is also baffling. Obviously, it's still a viable way to fight, since plenty of enemies beeline straight for the player wielding pipes and other improvised melee weapons. By then, players have no choice but to roll back or use their melee augments (which have limited energy).
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Beyond the augments, there's no convenient way to deal melee damage to enemies. Players can't even use a gun's butt-end to a foe's face. It's really a waste — all that muscle for the player character, and they can't even shove some scrawny attackers back. Don't expect any melee builds anytime soon in The Ascent; this game's all about guns.
2 Enemies That Can Snipe The Player
One would think that the gunplay doesn't have any issues, considering the lack of other options for gameplay. Sadly, the enemies have some frustrating advantages. There are times when players can see enemy bullets going straight for them, even if the enemy is off-screen.
This does seem to happen regardless of the enemy's gun. They can see and shoot the players even when the players can't see them. Not only is this unfair, but it also sometimes discourages exploration. Sure, players can do the same, but they'll be doing more guesswork regarding the enemy's location.
1 Mission & Enemy Scaling
The early game in The Ascent can feel like baptism by fire. That's because players will be underleveled by about two points if they go straight for the main quest. Even the journey to the main quest pits players against enemies 1-2 levels above them. Meanwhile, the other side quests also require higher levels.
This forces players to perform some unrelated grind in order to advance the story or gain progress. The UI and the tutorial don't do a good job of explaining this either, meaning players will mostly be on their own while their fend and wade through the muck of Veles. The game doesn't need to hold players' hands, but a little more instruction would help make the experience less frustrating.
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