Ascend to ZERO

Its so damn fun.

This game I just can't put down. Honestly, it was not even my style of game until I played it. The art style brought me to it and then the gameplay kept me there. I wish I had more time in a day to sit down and just play it for hours on end. The combat is nice, it's smooth, the upgrades feel nice. Progression feels just right in my opinion. It also works perfectly on Linux but, that should not be surprising. The Krafton bit is a bit annoying but, the game speaks for itself and at least from a light overview it seems the developers still have some say in what happens. About the only thing I wish I had was either a manual save button or just something that indicated that the game was saving. But that's really minor and not that necessary.

[h2]Unbalanced/Huge Grind[/h2] Ascend to ZERO is a very rapid game, challenging you to save the world in just 30-second roguelike runs. Feeling inspired by games like 60 Second Hero, it combines fast-paced action with a cycle of gaining temporary and permanent power, rescuing survivors, and experimenting with new builds and gear. At first, the bite-sized runs were great, because it's not overbearing. Each run offered quick progression, new upgrades, and the satisfaction of pushing a little further before the clock runs out. The thrill of unlocking new weapons, rescuing researchers, and discovering synergies gives those first hours a strong sense of progress. However, beneath the surface, it becomes clear that Ascend to ZERO leans more on chasing random powerspikes and lucky drops rather than on rewarding player skill or mastery. Early runs feel good, but repetition and heavy reliance on RNG start to show as you aim for deeper progress against bullet sponge enemies that are simply far too strong to deal with, unless you're decked out fully. The promise of incremental advancements keeps you coming back, at least, until you hit the game’s inevitable end game grind. [h2]Banger Sou…

This game is so addicting.

Games fun, fast, and responsive. Movement feels nice, abilities feel nice, and at times it can be a bit confusing but overall - solid and addicting.

It starts off a little slow and doesn't feel amazing, but it gets soooooooo much better. There's a good level of variety and difficulty, some interesting boss fights, a ton of loot and progression. I did not think I'd like it as much as I do, but it's definitely worth giving a chance.