Astral Ascent offers a vast and beautiful hand-crafted pixel art modern fantasy world to explore solo or with a friend in local co-op. Choose your hero from four playable characters, unlock dozens of unique spells that can be improved by using modificators that will create infinite possibilities to match your own gameplay style, and create multiple ways to confront the enemies. 

Explore the Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 powerful mystical bosses: the Zodiacs. Challenge these experienced and singular warriors and face them in frenetic fights while discovering four unique worlds with beautiful landscapes. Faithful allies that will help you unfold the story in a rogue-lite experience created in a frame-by-frame animation style. Replayability is the key to explore this setting and its characters, and unearth its secrets in each playthrough.

Furthermore, pixel art fans will be delighted by a deep and intriguing story founded on beautiful artwork, stunning animation, and memorable characters.  Travel through the Garden, meet new friends and uncover the mysteries behind the Zodiacs. 

Talented game music composer Dale North (Wizard of Legends, Marble Knights) is creating fantastic and aerial melodies for Astral Ascent, making the journey through these environments a magical and organic experience that will make the adventure even more mysterious and immersive.

Hibernian Workshop announced that Astral Ascent will be officially released on November 14th, 2023 for PC/Mac/Linux via Steam, and for PS5/PS4 (PlayStation Store), and Nintendo Switch (eShop).

The challenging rogue-lite has been in Early Access since April last year and will receive its 1.0 update with new content and community-requested additions and improvements. 

The 1.0 update adds three new Zodiac bosses to face, including a final boss with two challenging phases, and a main soundtrack theme by composer Dale North (River City Girls, Wizard of Legend), and singer Emi Evans (Nier). The launch will also include the complete soundtrack with orchestrated songs, and full voice-over in English.

New players will also find a fully reworked tutorial, as well as hundreds of small bug fixes and improvements.  The game now also features 17 fully animated and narrated endings, and a new opening cinematic.

Key Features:

• FIGHT YOUR WAY: Unlock dozens of unique spells for your 4 distinct characters. Optimize your own build or try out a new one to take down 12 powerful bosses. Get stronger with time to match up with your foes. Each run will test your skills and your reactivity.
• DON'T GO ALONE: The weight of destiny is too heavy to carry by yourself? Don’t worry and bring a friend to play in our two player co-op mode. Fight and crush your enemies together in local co-op or online using the Steam's Remote Play Together feature.
• AN ASTRAL THREAT: The Zodiacs are 12 experienced guardians dispatched over 4 gorgeous worlds. They’ll bring to the battlefield unique attacks, abilities, and patterns, backstories to uncover, and reasons to be fighting you. Get yourself warned!
• NARRATION THROUGH REPLAYABILITY: Astral Ascent is a rogue-lite infused with narration. Replayability is part of our story which will be unravelled piece of piece. As you get stronger, you will discover more about the characters, their motivations, and the secrets of the world they’re trapped in.
• A BEAUTIFUL MODERN FANTASY WORLD: Dash across gigantic landscapes. Explore original and hand-crafted areas. Discover the world created by our artists, with a gorgeous art and frame-by-frame animation.
• 4 PLAYABLE CHARACTERS: Unique characters. Unique weapons. Unique ways to play.
  • Ayla: The sole survivor of her guild of assassins, she uses her twin daggers to eliminate her enemies before they can react. Her speed and profenciency are unmatched.
  • Kiran: This orphan learned life the hard way. He uses his strength to deliver attacks powerful enough to create shockwaves. Brutal.
  • Calie: This talented sculptor wants her freedom back. She will use her magical gemstones to pierce enemy defenses and shred them to bits. She is unforgiving.
  • Octave: Trained by a powerful witch, this young fighter summons ethereal guns to attack his foes. When needed, he can conjure bigger weapons as well. Lethal in all cases.
• A COALITION FOR HOPE: You can count on faithful allies to help you find your way out
  • The Merchant: This mysterious figure has the power to unveil your true potential through rememoring forgotten skills. Careful… it won’t be free.
  • Zim-Zim: Her greenhouse hides magical plants which can increase your abilities. If you can bear her whimiscal and frankly immature behavior.
  • Oloon: The best stylist in the known universe is right here and available. Want to change the color of your clothes? Dye your hair? She has everything you need!
  • Papa Yalee: This old cat—he is almost 20!—will always have a good story about the foes you’ll encounter and your runs. The good news is that… most of them are true.
  • Sova: Once a powerful sorceress, Sova was cursed and must now serve the Garden. Her past is a burden of shame she carries in silence.
  • Ordan: De facto leader of the Garden, this fierce warrior helps the Heroes in their quest. Her might is legendary.
  • Ikki: Ordan’s ex-husband and a powerful warrior on his own, he is in charge of training Heroes. His knowledge of the art of war is endless.

Astral Ascent is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC (Steam) on November 14, 2023.