Hello, Ascenders!
Ascend to ZERO demo has received a tremendous amount of interest and support, and we sincerely thank you.
During our ongoing small patches, the development team has engaged in extensive discussions based on your valuable feedback and play data. While deeply considering the core fun and areas for improvement in the current A2Z, we’ve also organized ideas for our future direction.
In this post, we’d like to share the experiences that our team has personally identified as needing improvement, along with our planned short-term actions and long-term vision.
Revamping the Item System to Bring Back the Thrill of Farming
The mid-to-late-game progression of Ascend to ZERO begins with farming.
Since the prototype stage, the synergy between farming rewards and progression has provided the core fun and motivation of A2Z, and we wanted to convey this experience more deeply and clearly.
However, as we’ve focused on harmonizing content, the thrill of farming has become somewhat blurred. To address this, we are preparing the following directions:
Visualizing Powerful Rewards
- We recognized that the strength of items wasn’t immediately apparent, and players lacked a tangible sense of impact when using them.
- Moving forward, we will enhance visual presentations and effects so that the feeling of “I have to get this” becomes more pronounced.
Expanding Diverse Farming Routes
- We’ve noticed that certain rare items only appeared under specific conditions, making them hard to access.
- We plan to expand diverse routes for obtaining valuable items.
Introducing an Item Enhancement System
- We’ve felt disappointed that, despite attachment to favorite items, there was no way to further upgrade them.
- We’re preparing a system that enables post-farming “follow-up progression,” such as stat modifications and enhancements.
Strengthening Build Identity and Strategic Depth
Since the recent introduction of a simple character build system, many of you have commented positively that the gameplay experience feels fresh.
However, we feel there is still room to expand the experience of building builds and the distinctiveness and depth of resulting playstyles in various ways.
Therefore, we plan to strengthen the build system in the following ways:
- We’ll add Tech Chips that clearly distinguish playstyles, allowing you to experiment with build variations each run.
- We’re also preparing powerful Tech Chips with accompanying risks. We aim to deliver both the tension of choice and the thrill of reward that amplify the roguelike fun.
Balancing Melee vs Ranged Combat
Through multiple tests and data analysis, we confirmed that the risk-reward of melee combat is currently insufficient.
While it bears more burden in pattern evasion and positioning, its rewards haven’t been sufficient.
Rather than simply tweaking numbers, we intend to improve this by ensuring that the risk-reward for character build specialization is clear in the following ways:
- We’ll introduce dedicated Tech Chips and patterns that empower melee builds, and rebalance monster placements and patterns to reduce unfair play experiences.
- We’ll avoid structures where melee build advantages also benefit ranged builds, adjusting so that each combat style’s identity and role naturally stand out.
Ongoing Language Support
With the hope that A2Z reaches Ascenders around the world, we will be adding ongoing language support. We’re also pleased to announce that the French beta version has been added in today’s update!
Please try it out and let us know via the community if anything seems off.
Thank You for Your Feedback!
Since the demo’s release, Ascend to ZERO has greatly benefited from your reviews and feedback in shaping our optimization and content improvement directions.
To repay your gameplay experiences, the development team is preparing an exciting update aiming for June’s Steam Next Fest.
We thank all Ascenders playing Ascend to ZERO, and we’ll greet you in the next Developer Note!
- Ascend to ZERO Team