Ascend: Hand of Kul - new F2P fantasy XBLA game from Toy Soldiers devs

[chronovore]

Ascend: Hand of Kul is now in open, worldwide beta.
http://ascendgame.com

I've been enjoying the overall tone of the game, which is reminiscent of Bungie's Myth; it's dark and grim, the music inspires lament, the graphics are barely keeping up with the epic scope intended...

This is largely a pastiche of different fantasy tropes and theology. Your character is a giant, and you travel human realms dealing with giant bats, ghast-mages, and trolls. The trolls are about twice human size, but you're eight times human size, so they are like little annoying chimps.

The end-game main bad guys are Titans, who are at least 20 times your character's size. The Titans are roaming the earth, and the New Gods -- Light, Void, ...Fire? Pick one! Any one, and serve him! It. Whatevs. -- want you to pick up some worshippers for them, and send the Titans packing.

Meanwhile the New Gods, while cooperating against the Titans, are competing as factions for territory; this is where player faction factors in. Even as you reclaim territory for your deity, other players will try to unseat your from your hard-won, profit-earning villages and shrines. Your giant can "warp" to that contested area immediately from anywhere to fight the intruder. I think it instances the immediate area, possibly using the current owner as Host for the PVP fight which ensues. So far I'm 3-for-3 on defense!

Overall, I'm fairly enjoying it, but I must admit a little disappointment. Toy Soldiers was a wonderful surprise, with so much attention to detail and obvious love put into it. Ascend is missing much of the visual and audio fidelity and finesse which made Toy Soldiers so special. Also, I've encountered at least 3 bugs, including a showstopper, which was annoying when I was still trying to learn the game, and it was a bug which didn't let me finish the mission.

[Stoney Mason]

I'll give it a try this evening. I tried to get into the closed beta but never got a key.

[chronovore]

Yeah, I tried to get into the World of Tanks beta, but it was a no-go.

It's strange; the overlapping realities show Ghosts of players simultaneously in the same area, like Dark Souls. One of the funny things you can do is cast Banish to send enemies in your own region to theirs. Then ou can watch Ghosts of those enemies dealing with that other player.

[The Sceneman]

so this is good? Cheevos?

[chronovore]

There are a few grindy ones, but nothing unsavory.

One of them is for Ascending three times, iirc, but it is still unclear to me if that's the level 5 Ascend, or the level 60 one, like RDR's Legend status.

There's a good deal I do not yet understand.

[chronovore]

So... is anyone playing this?

I feel bad for the lads at Signal -- I really liked Toy Soldiers, and was looking forward to this, but launching a multiplayer game opposite GTA Online cannot be going well for them.

I keep intending to go back, and then finding myself in Los Santos.

[Stoney Mason]

They posted a thing on their blog saying a million people had downloaded it so there is that.

http://ascendgame.com/news/entry/one-million-strong

My nephew tried it and seemed to like it. I watched him play and could tell it wasn't for me though.

[chronovore]

Well, that's good news at least.

When I go back to it next, I'll throw some money at it just out of thanks.

I wonder how many downloads Happy Wars has going for it.