Ascend to Zero

Ascend to ZERO elevates a familiar roguelike formula with an ingenious time-manipulation mechanic that influences every decision you make. While it stumbles slightly with pacing and long-term variety, its clever core gameplay and addictive progression make it one of the more memorable action roguelikes in recent years.

Flyway Games brings a fun experience with Ascend to ZERO, just like every good roguelike. The time stop ability, tech chips, and equipment manage to deliver a dynamic gameplay loop that keeps you hooked for hours. However, bugs can appear whether in weapons, attributes, or characters skills and a luck based progression ends up making the experience frustrating. Even so, its a perfect game for anyone who enjoys the characteristic repetition of roguelikes and wants to try out the time control.

Ascend to Zero is a game that entertains and manages to capture players’ attention, especially fans of the genre. It can be enjoyed in short sessions—great for taking a quick break—or for hours on end if you love grinding. The game boasts solid art and sound design, perfectly suited to its atmosphere, though the somewhat weak narrative prevents it from truly shining. It remains, however, a solid choice for fans of fast-paced roguelikes, though it might eventually wear out a more casual player. Ultimately, it’s a game that works well within its own microcosm thanks to its time-based mechanics, which are its true strength. It’s worth giving it a try, even if just to pass the time between breaks.

Ascend to ZERO was a dream roguelike game for me, with a very interesting time-freezing premise and an intense gameplay that only got better as I unlocked new stuff.

Ascend to ZERO is a fantastic roguelike, one that combines its unique time-trial mechanics with a quick, dirty, and clever adaptation of survivors-like combat and satisfyingly intense level scaling. The game looks and plays great, but some poor localization and the grindy nature of its difficulty curve might prevent some players from fully appreciating it.

It only took a few minutes to realize that Ascend to ZERO wasn't trying to be just another roguelike inspired by Vampire Survivors. The core structure certainly resembles other games in the genre, featuring hundreds of enemies filling the screen, constant upgrades, and that addictive "just one more run" loop. The difference lies in one mechanic that completely changes how every run is approached: time. Here, the clock is much more than a survival timer. It represents almost everything. The duration of each run depends on it, your progress through each stage is directly tied to the remaining seconds, and every decision has to be made quickly to avoid wasting a resource that is just as valuable as your own life. The story follows Chrono Child, a young girl sent through time after a scientific experiment leads to humanity's destruction at the hands of a machine invasion. Alone in a devastated future, her mission is to return to the past and prevent that catastrophe from ever happening. While the narrative provides an interesting backdrop, its primary role is to support the game's time manipulation mechanics, which ultimately become the true centerpiece of the experience.

Ascend to ZERO is a great time for roguelike fans, making it a solid recommendation for fans of the genre and those who have XBOX Game Pass.

Ascend to ZERO cleverly weaves the concept of time into its core design, combining the fun of action shooting with the satisfying progression of roguelites and loot-driven games. While the endgame still has some issues with its numerical balancing, for an indie title, it delivers on what matters most: creativity and novelty.

An action roguelike where you stop, earn, and master time itself. Combat that lets you defeat bosses with 0.1 seconds remaining, a design where frustration and progression interlock with narrative, and the thrill of explosive growth stand out. Sluggish early-game pacing and late-game repetition are drawbacks, but this striking new title reveals its own distinct identity.

Ascend to Zero's chaotic roguelike gameplay will no doubt scratch that Hades or Vampire Survivors itch, but it's more than that - a challenging, fun and deceptively layered experience.