There are those in the world that think that tabletop games and video games are at odds with each other; they think that the xboxes and PS3s of this world are driving people away from the hobby. There are those that go further and reckon that making a digital version of their beloved board or card game will mean people won’t buy a physical copy. Days of Wonder and Ticket to Ride have proved that, for them at least, the sale of iOS versions of their board games has actually increased sales of the physical product. This isn’t always the case, and in the case of Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer an iOS port of Gary Games’ deckbuilding game means I will probably never buy the tiny bits of card.
I’m not saying Ascension is a bad game, no in fact I’m saying Ascension is a brilliant game, or more importantly a brilliant iOS game. The issue here is that Ascension works so well as a portable game that I have no interest in playing the physical version. It runs smoothly and fits the medium in such a way that sitting across from a real person and staring them straight in the eye doesn’t hold the appeal it should. Part of this is due to Ascension’s one sided nature; it is a deck builder and as with most games of the genre the aim is to construct your deck of cards on the fly to score points quicker than your opponent. Deck building games are often accused of being nothing more than ‘multiplayer solitaire’ and it’s one of the issues I have with the daddy of the genre; Dominion, it’s also why Ascension as a videogame works so well. The lack of direct interaction between you and your opponent means you can take your turn free of interruptions and external complications. This kind of simplicity can make a table top game feel dry but suits a video game’s more personal nature. This uninterrupted player turn also means that the asynchronous multiplayer works a charm and you can have many games on the go at once.
Your choices change every turn. |
Ascension is a video game version oozes a sense of style that mere cards can’t convey. Each card in the game has been lovingly recreated with its distinctive dreamscape artwork. I know people have criticisms of this art but I personally believe it is both unique and stylish. As with Elder Sign, it’s the extra dimension of the soundtrack that really augments the character of Ascension. The score is one of Playdek’s best to date, wonderfully fitting the art style without having that horrible jarring and repetitious nature that so many board game ports have you reaching for the mute button. Both art and music combine to give Ascension a mood that many ports in this genre miss out on.
Of course there's expansions and they're all worth it. |
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