Blog | Review
Ascend To Zero has an absolutely wonderful aesthetic, with little chibi characters running around, talking about the end of the world, and trying to fight off all sorts of monsters. There’s a disconnect, sure, but it’s just so darn cute that we can let it slide. The main premise is that the world has basically ended, but thanks to a useful yet faulty time machine, you can go back in time and try to change things. You only have 30 seconds to do so, though. The good news is that you can stop time, which helps a fair bit, as it turns out.
From there, you just need to run around, dodge attacks, choose the right weapons, and utilise powerful ability synergies to take down bosses. You get yeeted back to level one at the start of each run, but you level up incredibly fast. Seriously, by the end of the first main level, it’s very likely you’ll hit level 20,000. You do all of that in 30 seconds, too. It’s a really strange concept, but it makes for a wonderful hit of dopamine every time you play.
Alongside the order in which you do things, you also need to choose your avatar and find the one that fits you. You can go for the basic option or specialise in swords, guns, being a pirate, and more. You can then upgrade all of those with keys you earn as you play through. Every time you save someone new, you also unlock more systems to make you stronger as you progress.
Ascend To Zero is almost the purest form of a modern roguelike. Your aim is simply to do better each time while watching those numbers go up. You do all of that while changing time itself, which is a really fun gimmick. It’s definitely one that’s worth having a look at.
