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Ascenders is an up-and-coming AAA blockchain game that continues to build and expand its reach despite market fears and a looming recession. The game has partnered with GuildFi, a large crypto gaming guild, to give away 50,000 AGC tokens in a new limited time mode.
Ascenders is an open-world, story-driven game with a decentralized player-driven economy that offers a new ARPG (action role-playing game) experience. Built by Legendary Foundry Limited, the game is powered by the Avalanche blockchain and features a dual token economy and player-created NFTs. the Ascenders ecosystem includes a variety of competitive and trading opportunities. Players can choose from a variety of games to earn money and specialize in these roles through their challenges and resources.
If you want to learn more about the game and its various mechanics, we’ve published a previous article that delves into tokenomics, gameplay, NFT usage, and a roadmap for the future. This article will focus mainly on gameplay and development as the capitulation of the marketplace takes its toll on the gaming industry.
While the game is still in development, Legendary Foundry has released a comprehensive combat demo that shows the possibilities of the game. one of the more compelling aspects of Ascenders is the quality of the gameplay and graphics. Below are screenshots from my own playthrough of the Ascenders combat demo.
In stark contrast to other games in the “game for money” genre to date, Ascenders’ graphics and world-building rival those of many traditional games.
Gameplay Experience
Sitting down and playing Ascendancy is a truly fun experience. As of this writing, the game has two main modes. The first is the traditional hack-and-slash game, where players face off against armies of machines, and the game has had this mode since mid-March. The second mode is the polar opposite: the player controls a robot that takes on an army of humans in a timed survival challenge.
I had a lot of fun playing in each mode. The team behind Ascender has clearly worked hard to make the gameplay simple and intuitive, as well as fun and addictive. The demo version only shows off a very small enclosed area that will eventually become a huge open world, and it seems inevitable that once the game is fully released, it will attract a large number of players.
Events
Ascenders has also been weighing in on organizations to partner with them, and GuildFi, a major gaming guild in the cryptocurrency space, has partnered with Ascenders to sponsor the aforementioned bots vs. humans limited-time event. This partnership is just one of many, as this is the third limited-time event since the combat demo was first released in March.
Previous limited-time events
- Easter Egg Hunt Challenge
- Rolling Robot Time Trial
- GuildFi Survival Challenge
These events feature a new take on the gameplay of the first combat demo. The Easter Egg Hunt had players collecting hidden items on the map, while the Rolling Robot Challenge had players jumping through hoops and zipping around the map in sonic fashion. What stands out in these events is how the Ascenders team continues to build and deliver new ways to play to their community.
Partnerships
In addition to quality gameplay and consistent building, Ascenders has been building its investor showcase. Since the Avalanche Summit in March, they have expanded their backers and feature industry names such as.
- Paramount Capital
- Provoke Capital
- Blizzard
- Firestorm Capital
With the help of Paramount Capital, Ascenders has raised over $6 million to fund the company’s efforts to build its core gameplay and world. With these backers, Ascenders is unlikely to fail due to financial issues. As the cryptocurrency market grows, this could be the key to the game studio’s success.
With a potential bear market on the horizon, teams that build good products and deliver for their followers and fan base will be in the best position to succeed when the market inevitably reverts to a bullish mindset. Ascenders plans to ship by the end of 2023, and if the early battle demos are any indicator, there is tremendous potential hidden in this ecosystem.
Combat demos and any active limited-time events can be found on Ascenders’ official website for PC and Mac.
