Game of Thrones: Ascent

Game overview

Game of Thrones: Ascent is a new browser game developed and published by Disruptor Beam. The game chronicles your “ascent” to the throne of one of the eight royal houses of Westeros.

Ascent is a very story driven game, much like the original series. Unfortunately, where the game differs the most from the TV show is in the action. This isn't to say that fans of the show will not enjoy the game; fanboys and girls who feel the need to engage themselves in more GoT lore may find Ascent to be the perfect way to get their fix in between episodes.

Standard RPG fans may also take interest in the unconventional take on the combat system (if you could even call it that). The game also has the typical western RPG conversation based cutscenes, allowing you to align your character towards good, evil or somewhere in between.

Game of Thrones: Ascent has many attractions to many different types of gamers. Quintessential RPG gamers will appreciate a new take on the traditional combat system and more story driven gamers will love this game. Ascent even offers something for RTS gamers! There's plenty of resource gathering and “base-building” to be found in the game. And of course, GoT fans will find themselves right at home with the storyline.

Ascent is a game that reaches for the stars and all in all, it's a great use of the Game of Thrones license.

Full review

Storyline

The ability to make your own path to glory in Westeros offers fans of the series a new telling of the Game of Thrones story. Impatient gamers will stay steadily immersed since the cutscenes are largely interactive, allowing players to crate a plotline that interests them. In letting the gamers create their own story, Ascent makes the plotline incredibly customizable.

Gameplay

The hub of the game is your empire, where you create buildings and create and train soldiers, or Sworn Swords as the game calls them. You can also create weapons in the smithy, where the pay-to-plat aspects of the game are ameliorated since most weapons can be bought from in-game resources. As with just about every other browser game out there, you can purchase in-game gold with real-life cash.

The game starts with the Prologue of the Lorebook, which is how the game progresses. This is an excellent touch to game and it goes to show how much the creators wanted to implement the story driven aspects of the show into the browser game. The quest are divided into various subchapters of the Lorebook and upon completion of each chapter, rewards are earned in the form or items, weapons, achievements and resources.

The battle system is perhaps the most innovative aspect of the game. The term "battle system" doesn't do it justice , as confrontations can be solved by manipulating and coercing your would be foes. However the way the confrontations play out are based off standard statistical values such as swindling, bribery and battle.

Character creation is another innovation Ascent has in spades. The classes are the eight houses, each offering bonuses and shortcomings to the above three skills, as well as several perks which can be unlocked. The achievement and skill system are in tune with the perk and skill system of Fallout and Skyrim, respectively.

Technical Aspects

The technical aspects are the game's shortcomings. The soundtrack and sound effects are repetitive to the point of annoyance. The music is the same for the hub, battle and most conversations.

The graphic are also weak, this is a shame considering how well the ambiance of the original series is implemented into the game. The cartoonish character designs and cutscenes hardly do justice to the awe that is the show's visual originality.

Conclusion

Ascent is an innovation to browser games with its highly original combat system, its story driven gameplay and its unique class system. The technical qualities stop this game from being a masterpiece, and rightfully so considering they are too simple and lacking inspiration.

Fans of the series will eat this game up and RPG gamers who are bored with the genre will love the breath of fresh air Ascent breathes into the RPG formula.

Ready to enter the world of Game of Thrones: Ascent? Click here to play now!

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Review summary

1. Storyline
2. Gameplay
3. Technical Aspects
4. Conclusion