A Dual Ascent

The game only takes 30min to beat and is quite simple, but the art direction, music and controls are all good. Nice work for a student project

A Dual Ascent is an inventive fantasy puzzle adventure that takes a familiar journey-to-the-summit premise and gives it an unusual mechanical twist. Created by Mountain Toad Entertainment and published by Rubika Supinfogame, the game originated as a graduation project made by a team of nine students over roughly one year. Its smaller production scale is noticeable in places, but the game compensates with a focused concept that distinguishes it from conventional third-person puzzle adventures. Instead of relying on a massive world or elaborate progression system, it builds its identity around controlling two very different characters simultaneously. The adventure follows the Old Pilgrim and the Little Star as they attempt to reach the top of the Great Mountain of Wonders. Their motivations are different, yet their paths naturally become intertwined. The Pilgrim has traveled from a distant land with the mountain summit as his destination, while the Little Star has fallen from the heavens and hopes the peak may provide a way to return home. It is a simple premise, but that simplicity suits the fairy-tale presentation. The narrative feels more like a gentle storybook journey than an e…

A Dual Ascent is a really charming puzzle adventure that I found interesting almost immediately because of its unusual control idea. I play as the Old Pilgrim and the Little Star at the same time using a single controller, so I have to think about two characters simultaneously throughout the entire journey. I liked how such a simple idea completely changes the way I approach otherwise familiar platforming and puzzle situations. The puzzles are built around controlling both characters together while dealing with their different positions and movements. I cannot simply focus on one character and forget about the other because both need to reach the top of the Great Mountain of Wonders. I enjoyed the feeling of gradually understanding how to coordinate their movements, especially when a solution requires me to think about both sides of the screen at once. The fairy tale inspired journey is another major strength. The story follows the Pilgrim and the Little Star as they climb the mountain for very different reasons, and I liked how their paths gradually become connected. The game has a gentle emotional quality that makes the puzzles feel like part of a larger journey rather than jus…

I feel a little bad giving a free game a negative review but I didn’t find it worth playing. It didn’t run well on the deck and every animation and cinematic scene looked choppy. There wasn’t a lot of gameplay either (you lead two characters through levels with very few interactive elements or obstructions). Many of the interactions are clunky and feel long winded.

This is a great little game. It is very reminiscent of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, which I loved. I played that game over 10 years ago so my nostalgia may be making this an unfair comparison. This is definitely a lot smaller, it takes just over half an hour to complete with all achievements if you keep your eyes open. It also feels less polished, the animations were a little janky in places and my ancient graphics card struggled a bit on the default settings. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons they worked really hard to keep the characters on the side on the screen to the stick that controls them so the controls felt really natural and intuitive. This is mostly the case here but there are various sections where you are running together that didn't feel so natural. I don’t want to be overly critical, the puzzles are still excellent. They introduce the mechanics gradually in a way that naturally builds up what you need to know to solve the puzzles. It means it is very satisfying without being challenging. When you consider this is a free game the quality is excellent and well worth your time to play.

I demand you make a full game immediately! :) This was a really nice experience. It's free and short but really good fun. Dual stick puzzling. One for each character with some nice colour mechanics. Lovely world. Would really like to play five or six more hours.