RoguedexPart 1 (Sep 2023) · #13 of 18 in that tierWatch the moment (0:05:47)
Astral Ascent
- Developed by
- Hibernian Workshop
- Published by
- Hibernian Workshop, MP2 Games
$24.99
Choose one of four heroes and explore the Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 powerful mystical bosses: the Zodiacs. Challenge them with dozens of unique spells and faithful friends by your side to unfold the story of this platform roguelite with lightning fast combat.
Consensus
A77.5/100
Steam players94.6% positiveVery Positive8,595 reviews
Metacritic ↗86/100Users: 7.4/10
OpenCritic ↗84/100
VG Insights estimate ↗≈258K copies · ≈$4.5M gross
What creators say
Ranked Jun 2023 · #8 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:47:25)
Ranked Apr 2023 · #22 of 42 in that tierWatch the moment (2:03:54)
Ranked Apr 2025 · #2 of 8 in that tierWatch the moment (1:12:09)
What players say
A fast 2D action-platformer roguelite by Hibernian Workshop where you pick one of four heroes (solo or local co-op) and fight through the Garden, an astral prison, to defeat twelve Zodiac bosses using a cycling set of four spells.
Astral Ascent is very well regarded: Steam shows roughly 94.6% positive across about 8,600 reviews (Very Positive), Metacritic critic score is 86 and OpenCritic is 84 with 100% of critics recommending. Critics and players call the combat fast, responsive and satisfying, the pixel art and boss fights outstanding, and the build variety deep, often comparing it to Dead Cells (and Hades for meta-progression and cast). Complaints cluster around an overwhelming, poorly explained upgrade/meta system, a confusing hub, a derivative or cliched story with cringey dialogue, and samey non-boss rooms. Metacritic user score is lower (7.4 on few ratings), reflecting a minority who find the combat shallow. It spent about 18 months in Steam Early Access and launched 1.0 on 14 Nov 2023 (also PS4/PS5/Switch); it has kept receiving updates (2.0 Outer Reaches, Celestial Haven DLC, Dead Cells crossover).
Players love
- Fast, fluid, responsive combat with no spell cooldowns; mana from basic attacks powers very strong spells that can melt enemies, which players find refreshing
- Zodiac boss fights are consistently called memorable, well designed and visually striking, often the highlight of a run
- Gorgeous hand-crafted pixel art, animations, anime-style cutscenes and strong music/voice work
- Huge build variety: four equipped spells each with augments (gambits), imprints and affinities, plus a signature spell and different characters that play distinctly
- Destiny Levels give a scalable difficulty ladder and strong endgame replay value
- Local co-op is praised as the best way to play; several reviewers said it only clicked in co-op
- Good polish and Steam Deck performance, and a developer that keeps supporting the game with free and paid content
- The 'spells must be cast in order' system makes you think about your whole loadout rather than one favorite skill
Common complaints
- Upgrade and meta-progression systems are overwhelming and poorly explained; some players say it took many runs (one said ~30) before things clicked
- Story and dialogue are widely described as derivative of Hades, stereotypical or cringey, with wasted potential; several positive reviewers still say the writing is the weak spot
- Non-boss rooms feel easy, samey and like filler compared to the bosses; some find the ambient music sleepy there
- Some players find combat lacks impact/feedback: weak-feeling basic attacks, enemies that barely react, and spamming spells in order regardless of which spells are equipped
- The hub area and finding upgrade merchants is confusing
- Build depth is questioned by a minority: cheap high-hit spells outperform expensive ones and modifiers matter more than the spell itself, so characters feel less different than advertised
- Visual busyness bothers some: screen noise, colorful enemies blending into the background, and a cluttered interface
- A few technical issues mentioned: long first-boot load on Steam Deck, high-refresh-rate (240Hz) problems, controller prompt mismatches, tooltips needing work
- Cheap-feeling hits: some enemies and projectiles track or teleport onto you regardless of dodge timing, costing perfect-room rewards
Can feel tedious
- Learning the many overlapping upgrade systems and reading lots of skill text before builds make sense
- Meta-progression with many unlocks and lots of tutorial hand-holding, which some find grindy or intrusive
- Repeating easy, similar non-boss rooms after the first ~10 runs
- Needing to clear rooms without taking damage to maximize rewards, which punishes tanky or chip-damage playstyles
- Hub navigation and hunting for the right merchant or NPC
- Some players report run length feels random because enemies scale alongside you, making progression feel weak in places
- Grindy, repetitive loop for some: players report boredom after extended playtime (one at ~20 hours) with empty or sparse stages
What's unique
- Four-spell rotation: spells are used one at a time in a fixed cycle, so you are only as strong as your weakest spell
- Mana-driven combat with no spell cooldowns, plus separate cooldown-based 'echo' abilities
- Zodiac-themed cast and bosses, each hero having personal storylines and a signature spell and weapon
- Perfect-room clear rewards that push players to avoid damage, tied to rewards and progression
- Two-player local co-op with distinct heroes, and a scalable Destiny Level difficulty system
- Imprints and affinities layered on augmented spells (added/expanded in 2.0), and a crossover with Dead Cells
Players want
- A better onboarding/intro that shows combat potential early (e.g. a stronger starting experience or a companion) since the opening almost made some players quit
- Clearer tooltips and explanations for spells, gambits, imprints and how to actually finish/clear the game (Destiny system is not obvious)
- More meaningful differences between spells and more viable expensive spells so builds feel less homogeneous
- More varied room/level generation; reviewers of the Outer Reaches DLC said new lands use very similar level generation and offer little incentive beyond reward choices
- Stronger writing and deeper character interactions so the cast and Zodiac lore pay off the setup
- More hit feedback (knockback, enemy reactions) to make basic attacks feel punchier
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
Action RoguelikeRogue-liteHack and SlashIndieAtmosphericReplay ValueDifficultStory RichAnimeHand-drawn
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Tier list Part 1 (2023)
Astral Ascent is a fast 2D action roguelite with a Hades-like structure: room-by-room runs with chosen rewards, a character-driven story and a hub world full of upgrades. It was still in early access when he recorded, which is unusual for him, but a large update drew him in. He is very enthusiastic about the animation, art, and the flashy, satisfying combat. He places it in what the ASR renders as 'an eighth', most likely A tier, just above Arcanum.
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