Ascend: Hand of Kul
Ascend: Hand of Kul (formerly Ascend: New Gods) was a 2013 free-to-play game for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.[1] It was unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 during Microsoft's press conference. Though the beta version was available in the Xbox Live Arcade for free to Gold members, the game never saw full release. On August 18, 2014 the game was delisted from the Xbox marketplace. On August 21, 2014 it was announced the game's server will be closing November 18, 2014. The PC version was shut down on June 20, 2016.[2][3][4]
Ascend: Hand of Kul | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Signal Studios |
Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios Signal Studios (Steam) |
Composer(s) | Kevin Riepl |
Engine | SigEngine |
Platform(s) | Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows |
Release | Xbox Live Arcade September 25, 2013 Microsoft Windows May 20, 2014 |
Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, asynchronous multiplayer |
Plot
The main character in Ascend: Hand of Kul is a member of the Caos, a race of warriors.[5] The player serves gods, pledging allegiance to one of the Three Gods (darkness, light, and void) and helping their chosen god rule over the world.[6] The goal is to defeat the Titans.[7] The Titans are large, immortal giants that were once gods who had physically manifested and became increasingly corrupted as a result, eventually losing their sanity and becoming incapable of returning to the spirit world.[8]
Gameplay
The main menu is divided into five tabs: Store, Inventory, Spells, Map, and Crusade.[9]
Ascend: Hand of Kul allows for several different types of customization. These include armor, weapons, and appearance.[5]
The game featured parallel multiplayer, wherein the player goes about his or her own single-player adventure, but can see other players going about their single-player adventures at the same time.[10] The player cannot work together as in traditional co-op modes, but can purchase and send "blessings" and "curses" to one another.[10] Curses summon monsters into the targeted players realm and players are rewarded if their target is defeated.[9] Blessings send buffs to targeted players.
Additional modes such as Cooperative and Player vs Player had been planned for the game, but will no longer be implemented due to the fact that the game's servers have shut down.
Development
The title was developed by Signal Studios. The developer previously created Toy Soldiers, a game for Xbox Live Arcade.
Reception
References
- 'Ascend: New Gods' coming to PC in 2013
- "Home - Microsoft Studios". Playxbla.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
- "signalstudios". signalstudios. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
- "Ascend: Hand of Kul's Last Day On Steam". Steamcommunity.com. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
- Ascend: New Gods
- Ascend: New Gods
- New IPs announced for 360 – Ascend: New Gods, Lococycle, Gore Verbinski’s Matter | VG247
- Ascend: New Gods
- Ascend E3 2012 Gameplay Trailer - YouTube
- Ascend: New Gods