There is something magnetic about The Ascent’s cyberpunk density that makes it almost impossible to put down. It definitely has minor rough edges, but none of that matters when you’re sprinting frantically backwards to kite massive siege mechs across neon catwalks.

It sat on my backlog for over a year, but sinking real time into it confirmed a newfound appreciation for isometric twin-stick shooters. When the camera framing and gunplay sync up this well, the perspective feels great.

Rebirth became an absolute mood killer with its minigame overload, so benching it to focus on Atomfall and The Ascent was definitely the right call.