NanoApostle
NanoApostle
Game
Game2023
Astral Ascent
Developer Hibernian Workshop
Choose one of four heroes and explore the Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 powerful mystical bosses: the Zodiacs. Challenge them with dozens of unique spells and faithful friends by your side to unfold the story of this platform roguelite with lightning fast combat. From the Steam store page
358 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
225 positive · 29 negative
95% range 84–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 225 | 29 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 33 | 1 | 44 |
| Lemmy * | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 7 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
2,563 of 2,724 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
88% recommend · 191 yes, 25 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 216 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (8,166 of 8,634 positive).
Players praise the smooth combat, gorgeous pixel art, and addictive gameplay loop. [1][2][3] Some find the story and writing cringey or derivative of Hades. [4][5][6] A few reviewers dislike the core combat feedback and grindy progression. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
As much as I’d like to rate this game positively, it’s just not fun, no matter how many chances I give it. The combat feels more like a spectacle than something enjoyable. While there are hundreds of spells, gambits (spell modifiers), and other systems, the core gameplay simply isn’t satisfying. Basic attacks are weak and just serve to recharge mana for spells, which makes them feel pointless. When you run out of …
- [1]
Play this game in co-op. My experience with it was actually pretty funny, I started the game a few times and my first impression was that it felt kind of average, with a poorly written story. It wasn’t until my fourth attempt, when I was looking for something to play co-op with a friend, that we gave it a proper run, and that’s when it clicked. The combat is insane, the boss fights are epic, the animations are …
- [4]
This game is painfully derivative and apes Hades at every turn, without ever understanding why Hades was like that. The writing is atrocious and the character relationships don't make any sense because they're all hammered into a mold that doesn't quite fit. Fortunately, this game is also very fun. Fun enough to completely rescue it. The moment-to-moment play feels accidentally brilliant, and while I'm not really …
- [3]
Astral Ascent just feels good to play. The tight controls, continuous progression, diversity of builds and fighting styles, and the gorgeous pixel art culminate to create an addictive, rewarding, action roguelite experience. As a lover of the complex builds offered in some RPGs, the aspect that shines the most to me is the builds you can achieve by combining elemental passives via Auras (permanent passive bonuses), …
- [2]
I absolutely adore this game. It’s a roguelite in a similar style to Dead Cells, featuring gorgeous pixel art and a fun cast of characters with distinct abilities and personalities that make every interaction entertaining. The gameplay loop is solid and perfectly scratches that “just one more run” itch, with different builds and skill interactions keeping things fresh and engaging. The combat feels fantastic smooth, …
Summarised from 34 of the 321 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
88% of the 216 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Astral Ascent. The complaint that keeps coming up: story and writing are cringey or derivative. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 358 · most liked firstProton 9.0-4 released. * Now playable: * APB Reloaded * Conqueror's Blade * Cube Hero Odyssey * Disgaea 4 Complete+ * Hard Chip Demo * ScarQuest * Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army 2 (AMD GPUs only) * Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown * Total War: SHOGUN 2 * Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 (requires disabled Steam Overlay) * Welcome to Dustown * Fixed Hell Let Loose crashing when joining a server after a recent game update. *…
neutral · AI labelView post →📢Celebration Giveaway📢 ✧ 1 Figure ✧ 3 physical copies ✧ 5 digital keys + DLCs Our new game is coming to Kickstarter, take a look and get a chance to win Astral Ascent physical & digital prizes! gleam.io/AQypa/astral...
neutral · AI labelView post →my friend's game Astral Ascent from ( store.steampowered.com/app/1280930/... ) is out now so i drew zim-zim for him, u should check it out!!!!🌞
neutral · AI labelView post →Hibernian Workshop (Astral Ascent) will reveal its next game 'Fallen Fates' on May 28th. Pitch: -Top-down Action-RPG -Full hand-drawn pixel-art -A vast world to explore -Epic and intense fights -Inspired by games such as : Death's Door, Hyper Light Drifter, Final Fantasy 16 www.fallenfates.com
neutral · AI labelView post →I bought this game and all of the dlc for the expedition 33 collab. I'll report on the actual game later, but I want this to be known: I will buy anything and everything expedition 33 related
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Play this game in co-op. My experience with it was actually pretty funny, I started the game a few times and my first impression was that it felt kind of average, with a poorly written story. It wasn’t until my fourth attempt, when I was looking for something to play co-op with a friend, that we gave it a proper run, and that’s when it clicked. The combat is insane, the boss fights are epic, the animations are amazing, and there’s a great variety of moves and builds. The story also became…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Proton Experimental gets fixes for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Rivals of Aether II and more. * Fixed single player game not working in Star Wars - Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. * Fixed Hard Reset Redux crashing with AMD GPUs. * Fixed Dragon Age: The Veilguard displaying a warning about being installed on a spinning drive. * Added support for NVIDIA Optical Flow API and DLSS 3 Frame Generation. * Fixed Astral Ascent hanging when unplugging a controller. * Fixed keyboard input in Rivals of Aether…
neutral · AI labelView post →Today’s Black Video Game Character: Calie (Astral Ascent)
neutral · AI labelView post →Guess I'm starting up Astral Ascent as a side game now. Will be having a spicy 5-6 game rotation 😅 Will any game drop off? Who knows? 😅
neutral · AI labelView post →Astral Ascent is a really gorgeous game. I was simply awestruck at every cutscene and level.
positive · AI labelView post →My favorite semi-recent lesser known indies Astral Ascent- Closest thing to a 2D Hades imo Littlewood- Animal Crossing/cozy game with TONS of RPG elements Tinykin- Pikmin clone with way more fun level design Crypt Custodian- Top down Metroidvania with bullet hell elements. Excellent exploration
positive · AI labelView post →FIVE ✋ games I’ve worked on are on the Tokyo Game Show floor today: - Astral Ascent - Wargroove 2 - Rose and Camelia - Felicity’s Door - Helvetii If you’re going to TGS today, please check them out!
neutral · AI labelView post →27th Game Completed of 2026: Astral Ascent Well done. 👏 That game was just fun. There is a lot more play to be had, but with 63% game completion (76/89 achievements), I'm at a good point to put it down. Overall, fast, frenetic, fluid, fun. 👍 9/10 This is what I mean when I'm not a story first - -
positive · AI labelView post →I absolutely adore this game. It’s a roguelite in a similar style to Dead Cells, featuring gorgeous pixel art and a fun cast of characters with distinct abilities and personalities that make every interaction entertaining. The gameplay loop is solid and perfectly scratches that “just one more run” itch, with different builds and skill interactions keeping things fresh and engaging. The combat feels fantastic smooth, responsive, and genuinely satisfying once you get into a rhythm. Each boss…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Astral Ascent Progress: Wooooooo hot damn, wow. This game is COOL. 😎 It's just got style, like it feels, feels very much like it just has aura. I don't know a better way to phrase it. Lots of frenetic fun. 👍 Fourth run, made it to the final guy but lost there. 😭 So close.
positive · AI labelView post →New mini soundtrack release from yours truly! Astral Ascent: The Outer Reaches Original Game Soundtrack is available everywhere. scarletmoon.to/astralascent...
neutral · AI labelView post →Godlike title. One of the absolute BEST sidescrolling action roguelikes. Honestly, it probably takes the crown from Dead Cells, without exaggeration.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is painfully derivative and apes Hades at every turn, without ever understanding why Hades was like that. The writing is atrocious and the character relationships don't make any sense because they're all hammered into a mold that doesn't quite fit. Fortunately, this game is also very fun. Fun enough to completely rescue it. The moment-to-moment play feels accidentally brilliant, and while I'm not really sure how much of it was the product of intentional design, it is absolutely worth…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Less than 24hours left! Last chance to get: - Exclusive digital/physical rewards, - Beta versions of the game - Free DLC for Astral Ascent - Our eternal thanks ✨
neutral · AI labelView post →I am giving away a copy of the game Astral Ascent, one of my absolute favorite roguelikes (and one of the most beautiful)! To enter: Like + Repost + Follow Bonus points if you follow my Twitch (linked below)! I will be ending the giveaway on Monday, the 21st. Good luck! #Vtuber
positive · AI labelView post →Coming from r/roguelites, seeing who’s here?. I have been very active in the roguelites sub on Reddit, all the while really chafing at using Reddit as a platform. Their enshittification and moderation practices are increasingly dysfunctional and I’d love to find similar community around roguelite games here in the Fedi. I’m fairly new to the genre — discovered Returnal in 2025 and since then have voraciously been playing as many of the classics AND the newest titles as I can get my hands…
neutral · AI labelView post →Astral Ascent - Release Date Announcement. Launching November 14. For some gameplay, check out the early access launch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLVr-p3Hmx0
neutral · AI labelView post →As much as I’d like to rate this game positively, it’s just not fun, no matter how many chances I give it. The combat feels more like a spectacle than something enjoyable. While there are hundreds of spells, gambits (spell modifiers), and other systems, the core gameplay simply isn’t satisfying. Basic attacks are weak and just serve to recharge mana for spells, which makes them feel pointless. When you run out of mana, you’re forced into repetitive, weak attacks just to get enough mana to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Astral Ascent - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch.
neutral · AI labelView post →One more Astral Ascent point. I did a little email exchange with the devs over the process of improving as a dev. Still one of the more fun things I've done with the blog. I really should pursue more opportunities like this. Go get Astral Ascent!!! bignerdgaming.com/2023/12/14/h...
positive · AI labelView post →Don't judge a book by its cover. Fun, simple, and addicting. Perfect balance of arcade and rpg. Level up, be all powerful and then lose it all and do it over again. I would say it is underrated, but it has 97% positive. There is a reason for that. Give this game your $$$. It is worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stay Gods follow up gonna be a guy game. Timespinner 2, guy game. Astral Ascent I am pretty sure is doin it. It was a thing I tried to impart on the dev of that game I worked on that fucked me over when the lead dev talked about his future plans but he was ready to make a game about dudes next.
neutral · AI labelView post →Gonna be live with a game I got recently! Tried it out and was enjoying it so.. I wanna play more of it <w< Live soon with Astral Ascent! #envtuber #vtuberuprising #fatfur #furry www.twitch.tv/ayla_the_chi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Today’s Black Video Game Character: Aries (Astral Ascent)
neutral · AI labelView post →Here's my second #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for today! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Astral Ascent Developer - @hibernianws.bsky.social Publisher - @mp2.dk Release date - November 14, 2023
neutral · AI labelView post →completed Astral Ascent last night and i was feeling conflicted about the game, so i wrote a review on it: backloggd.com/u/kaorukofan...
neutral · AI labelView post →It's just not great when it comes down to the core gameplay, specifically how trivial the enemies are - while simultaneously having a couple with cheap shots just so you maybe lose your perfect room clear reward ever so often - and how bland the builds end up being. You have 1 signature spell, 4 normal spell slots, 4 spell modifier slots, and 4 passive effect slots. You never get anything else as far as I played, so you're constantly just switching around your spells for other spells and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We are so happy to announce we are having a Children of Morta update in Astral Ascent coming on February 10th! Children of Morta has been a great inspiration and is an indie game we love, thanks so much to the great folks at Dead Mage and @11bitstudios.bsky.social 🥰
neutral · AI labelView post →I started this blog because I LOVED an indie game called Astral Ascent. I viewed it as the closest thing to 2D Hades out there. And it just wasn't being discussed anywhere. Finally I said "fuck it, I'll do it". So whenever someone discovers an indie gane through the blog, it makes me very happy.
positive · AI labelView post →the BEST rougelite imo. If you like: Flashy combat OP builds good animation hack-and-slash-ing and you have a chronic lack of skill, THIS IS FOR YOU. btw the game saves between levels so there's no big 8hr run without saving sorta thing unless you're a masochist and you like that stuff. Have fun 😝
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing roguelite, with lots of options for customization, all playable characters feel really different and fleshed out, sound design is good, variety of enemies and bosses is awesome, and the replay value is amazing. Recommended
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed playing Hades, Dead Cells and similar games. Then I only heard about this game a few days ago.After 10 hours, i believe it´s one of the best games ever. Simply fantastic.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A 2d action roguelite platformer (aka dead cells). Played it mostly on Steam deck. (+) Runs great on SD (the first time booting it up may take a while) (+) Frantic gameplay/combat (+) Quite interesting story to be honest (+) Artstyle may be considered as bland but I really liked it (+) So many builds and options (as expected from roguelites) (-) It is a me thing but I'm so damn tired of roguelites that I played this for a while, got a few clears and decided to not push further
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has everything going for it. Cool world, great mechanics, fun systems, multiple characters and play styles, and an absolutely fantastic art style. That said, the gameplay loop is needlessly grindy, the enemies and projectiles will often track and teleport to your location regardless of how well you time your dodge, and the length of your runs are ultimately random, as the enemies seem to scale up right alongside you, making any form of progression feel ultimately pointless. You…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me preface this review by stating that I am not a story guy. Really. In most games, story, lore and worldbuilding are icings on the gaming cake. They're nice, but I don't need them, I just need the gameplay to be fun. Not only is Astral Ascent's gameplay more than fun, the setting, and these characters, have immersed me so much that it has secured it's place as my third favorite video game of all time. Please, play it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New look at 'Fallen Fates', the next game from the creators of Astral Ascent. Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/3276270 #indiegames #steam #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros: - pretty - smooth controls - decent VA Cons: - it's slow and boring - Walk up to bad guy, hit 10 times, repeat for 7 more bad guys, repeat for 2 more waves of bad guys, acquire +5% damage buff, go to next room, repeat for 30 more rooms, go back to hub world to buy +20 max HP - You have now experienced 80% of the "game" part of this videogame
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm on the fence but I think I have to not recommend. This one hurts, considering some parts of the game remind me of Wizard of Legend, which I thought was fun. Most similar to Skul: The Hero Slayer, which I found lacking. + Great visual artstyle + Bosses have nice move sets + Cool animations + Coop (though given that you want to perfect rooms for rewards, not sure how good of an idea that is) * Meta-progression, lots of passive bonuses to unlock * Lots of handholding in form of tutorial…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Astral Ascent is a roguelite that features smooth combat, varied builds, and customizable levels of difficulty. At first, I wasn't 100% sold on this game - I found all the different types of upgrades overwhelming and it wasn't super clear to me how different things interacted with each other. While I don't think everything fully clicked until (embarrasingly) my ~30th run, things settled down a fair bit after a handful of runs and some trial and error. But, all those upgrades are what lead to a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Man, so glad I gave Astral Ascent a 2nd try. This game freaking rules. #blutoid
positive · AI labelView post →Fair warning: lots of roguelikes on this list. Just seems like the devs of these games really like 2d non-demanding visuals. And I don't know how low do you need to go, so check these individually. Don't even need a sale for Moonring, which is a retro turn-based RPG, completely free. Runs on a potato. Original Monster Train should work decently well, it's 90% off. Shogun Showdown is really cool, 50% off. Necesse is a very fun Terraria-like, coming out of EA in like a week and on sale now.…
neutral · AI labelView post →It's a top tier rogue like, maybe with a bit of a slow start, but once you get in the flow it's very fun. Characters are different enough and bosses are all engaging to fight, no complaints. Variety it's definitely a strong point, even if you have to read quite a bit to understand every skill and stat, but it's worth it. The base difficulty it's a bit on the easier side, but it pick ups more and more once you finish runs, getting more challenging. I guess with all the modifiers it gets really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It isn't flawless by any means, yet it does so much right that it would be hard for me not to recommend it. Starting with a negative, even without having played Hades it is very clear that this game is quite derivative of it and even though it never bothered me in the flow of the game, the writing can feel very stereotypical at times. That being said though, the game is fun as hell. The choices you make within a run feel interesting enough to keep someone playing for a good while and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Definitely not a terrible game, but feels very empty. It's got a lot of stuff, lots of systems, choices, etc, but everything feels shallow. Horizontal depth maybe, but not a lot of vertical depth. The concept is strong the foundation is just flimsy, so I may be interested in a sequel or future iteration of this series, but as it stands today there's just not enough to the experience to justify time spent.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply amazing: sleek gameplay, beautiful art, incredible music, awesome dev team
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Kinda want to shake off the Astral Ascent rust to unlock the Dead Cells weapons and play the DLC but genuinely not sure I'm good enough at the game to do either. #blutoid
neutral · AI labelView post →Duuuude if you're a fan of roguelites I SUPER recommend Astral Ascent. Been absolutely addicted for the past couple days lol. I'm amazed this game doesn't get more recognition. It's gorgeous, fun as hell, and more than a few characters are absolute eye candy ;3 Kinda inspiring some art here haha!
positive · AI labelView post →Remnant From the Ashes: They call it a Souls-like with guns, I'm not sure I totally agree, but there are similarities with the checkpoints and NG+ mechanic. It's a shortish game. Plays well in coop, and is made tomplay through a few times as levels are procedurally generated. The second game is out now, but there are still players on this. Astral Ascent: Kind of a rogue-like action platformer, the game seems straightforward at the beginning but as you try new runs and unlock more skills there…
neutral · AI labelView post →Astral Ascent just feels good to play. The tight controls, continuous progression, diversity of builds and fighting styles, and the gorgeous pixel art culminate to create an addictive, rewarding, action roguelite experience. As a lover of the complex builds offered in some RPGs, the aspect that shines the most to me is the builds you can achieve by combining elemental passives via Auras (permanent passive bonuses), and Gambits (passive abilities that can be attached to your spells). Synergizing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like Hades II but worse and somehow even more gay. Gay trans wolf furry is the first character you meet. I'm not kidding.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very simple mechanic Story 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →please stop with handholding. honestly killed this combat for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun combat. I like how you have to use the spells one at a time in order. Can be a bit confusing trying to find upgrade merchants back at base. Steam Deck takes FOREVER to load the first time, but it's fine after that. Also, some of the buttons don't match what's shown on screen, but that may be due to the community controls. I'm enjoying it even though I still haven't beat the first boss yet (getting close though!) Edit: Just beat the first boss
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We are running an AMA on Reddit! 📢 Game director Louis Denizet answers your questions about Astral Ascent, Fallen Fates and the studio! sh.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/c...
neutral · AI labelView post →* Sifu – Steam Deck Verified – Very Positive Rating * Gotham Knights – Steam Deck Playable – Mixed Rating * High on Life – Steam Deck Verified – Very Positive Rating * Blacktail – Steam Deck Verified – Very Positive Rating * Astral Ascent – Steam Deck Verified – Very Positive Rating * Diluvian Ultra – Not Steam Deck Rated (but works great!) – Very Positive Rating * Universe For Sale – Steam Deck Verified – Very Positive Rating * This Means Warp – Steam Deck Playable – Mostly Positive Rating
neutral · AI labelView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.