Ascend to Zero is a sci-fi action roguelike that has you using the power of time manipulation to prevent the world's destruction, and you can play it right now.
A trailer at the Future Games Show Summer Showcase gives you a vibe of what it's all about, but here's the gist. You play as a protagonist called Chrono Child, the last surviving human, but hopefully not for long. Using the power to stop time, you're going to travel to the past to revive fallen comrades and prevent the world's destruction. A needed do-over, I'd say.
The time manipulation-focused story pitch informs the roguelike gameplay, too. Each level you progress through has a limited time window in which it must be completed, but you can stop time to best decide how to wipe out the monsters before you – be it through a lethal counterattack or a stealthy dodge to buy time.
And that's not all, there are also secrets to discover and characters to unlock with their own unique abilities. The more you play, the more powerful you'll become as you level up and discover which character's unique ability suits you best.
The result is explosive character growth from short sessions lasting 30 seconds to five minutes. Any boss that proved challenging in one moment might be a total breeze in the next.
There's no release date for Ascend to Zero just yet, but you can play a demo on Steam right now to get a feel for it.
If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.
