I finally got the chance to jump into the closed beta for Ascendant. If you haven't heard of it, it is a new "adaptation shooter" from PlayFusion. Imagine a mix of Capture the Flag and a crazy 80s action movie, but everything is trying to kill you.
What is the game?
The idea is simple but chaotic. There are four teams of three players (3v3v3v3). Your goal is to steal "Biocores" (green energy balls) and escape with them. The map is a bright, "Biopunk" world filled with monsters, traps, and other players.
What makes it special is that the map changes every time. In one match, I could use a sniper rifle; in the next, the map layout changed, and I had to fight giant monsters or dodge airstrikes.
How was the Beta?
I played for about six hours, and here is what I found:
- The Good: The style is amazing. It looks like a colorful 80s cartoon with neon lights and funny weapons. I loved the "dynamic events." In one game, my team was losing, but then a huge monster appeared. We killed it, got a special buff, and won the match. The gunplay feels fast and fun.
- The Bad: It is still a beta, so there were bugs. Sometimes my character got stuck while climbing, and the game lagged a bit when too many explosions happened. Aiming felt a little "floaty" at times, but the developers said they are fixing this.
My thoughts
It was not perfect, but I had a lot of fun. It feels different from serious shooters like Call of Duty. It is silly, loud, and very competitive. If they fix the performance issues before the release (expected in 2026), this could be a big hit.