[Press kit] Astral Ascent

Credits

Astral Ascent is a 2D platformer roguelite set in a modern fantasy world. As one (or two in local co-op) of 4 Heroes with colorful personalities, you must escape from the Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 powerful and vicious bosses—the Zodiacs!

Story

For centuries, the galaxy has been ravaged by an unending war, waged by a ruthless conqueror known as the Master. Leading an unstoppable army of soulless creatures, he invades entire planets in an instant, leaving only a handful of survivors—those deemed strong, brave, or intelligent enough to serve him. The rest are given a grim choice: obedience or death.

The prisoners of the Master are scattered across astral prisons, twisted monuments to his violent conquests. Guarding these prisons are the Zodiacs —twelve supernatural beings of immense power, ensuring that no captive ever escapes.

Meet Ayla, Kiran, Octave, Calie and Yamat — four prisoners who refuse to submit. Determined to reclaim their freedom and rescue their cherished friends from the Garden, they will rise against impossible odds, facing the Zodiacs and defying the Master’s reign in a battle that will shake the very fabric of the galaxy.

Features

SPELL-BUILDING GAME: Unlock dozens of unique spells for each or your characters. Optimize your own build or try out new ones to face all the challenges you'll find on your journey for freedom. Get progressively stronger with time to match up with your foes. Each run will test your skills and your reactivity.
12 ALMIGHTY BOSSES: The Zodiacs are 12 experienced guardians dispatched over 4 gorgeous worlds. Each with their own unique attacks and combat styles, backstories to uncover and reasons to be fighting you, they'll pose as a big threat to anyone seeking a way out of the Garden. Get yourself warned!
4 UNFORGETTABLE HEROES: The game provides 4 remarkable characters with totally different gameplays to discover. Each of one of them come with a powerful story to tell!
AN UNFOLDING STORY: Astral Ascent is a roguelite infused with narration. Replayability is part of a story that will be unraveled piece by piece. As you get stronger, you will discover more about the characters, their motivations and the secrets of the world they’re trapped in.
DONT GO ALONE: Is the weight of destiny too heavy to carry by yourself? Don’t worry and bring a friend to play with the 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.
A BEAUTIFUL MODERN FANTASY WORLD: Dash across gigantic landscapes. Explore original and hand-crafted areas. Discover a fantastic universe loaded with gorgeous art and fluid frame-by-frame animation.

About the project

Astral Ascent, which began development in late 2019, is the second project from Hibernian Workshop, an indie game studio founded by self-taught developers and known for their previous title, Dark Devotion. After four years of development and a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game launched to strong critical acclaim. Its positive reception allowed the studio to expand and grow its team, further fueling development. Since then, it has maintained a steady stream of updates, with new content arriving almost every month—driven by the support of its passionate community.