Interview: The Ascent's Arcade Berg On Inspiration And PS5 Enhancements
I'd say 2021 was a good year for video games. It's also the year when I broadened my video game horizons – I put decent hours into a racing game, tried out and enjoyed a management sim about dinosaurs, and even finally played the remake of a legendary series. But there was one game that ticked all the boxes when it came to my favourite video game features. The Ascent has a top-down perspective, tons of loot, in-depth weapon variation, and satisfying shooting mechanics, so it was basically made for me.
But as much as I like top-down games, I often find that the setting isn't much to look at. Understandably, it may be kept bland so that the player character and enemies aren't obscured, but it's often at the expense of creating a visually vibrant world. That's not the case with The Ascent's futuristic, vertical city of Veles. The detailed world created by a team of only 12 devs could leave you staring at your screen for minutes on end. The countless neon signs, crowded streets, and most importantly - typical British weather leave you awestruck and claustrophobic at the same time.
While the game clearly screams cyberpunk, creative director and Neon Giant co-founder Arcade Berg feels that looking at the same genre for inspiration is limiting. "I think you can definitely see hints of Judge Dredd, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Robocop," he tells me, explaining that Veles was created using aspects of fiction that the team grew up with.
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