As someone who absolutely adores sword fighting games, whether it's the chaos of Chivalry 2's multiplayer matches or completing exhilarating moves in VR's Blade and Sorcery, it's a surprise that the dark hallways and difficult gameplay of Darkblade Ascent went under the radar. However, it seems like much of the industry has too.
After completing the long-awaited DLC for 2022's biggest game for my Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree review, I was longing for something new that wouldn't eat up all of my time. The Marvel Rivals beta gave me an experience that felt like classic Overwatch, but with numerous kids in the house, being able to pause is certainly a benefit — something that multiplayer games don't usually offer.
Scrolling through the Epic Games Store, for some reason, I landed upon Darkblade Ascent. The key art seemed to appeal enough, but the game was in the second page of the Top New Releases scroll, and the First Run badge left me intrigued enough to click. As a roguelite fanatic who adores first-person melee combat, the description was enough to persuade me to purchase, and hopefully, enjoy a fresh indie game.
Darkblade Ascent is made by two brothers, and with the duo combining under the developer name PST Games, it is seemingly their debut game. The game is seriously unforgiving, and while the roguelite nature gives you passive upgrades after decent runs, the parry requirements and numerous enemies will certainly make things difficult for even the most seasoned gamers.
It feels like a much simpler Dark and Darker with Chivalry-style combat, delivering something that's less stressful and more fun. There's not a mix of other players coming to take you down like the PvPvE game, meaning you don't have to spend hours looking for the best Dark and Darker tier list before taking on different runs.
Much like the beloved Soulslike games, Darkblade Ascent requires precise blocking to leave enemies open for a riposte attack, and a successful parry grants you a one-time use Pushback ability that makes it easier to manage crowds of skeletons or the like. It's a very small window of opportunity that makes every fight a delicate dance of death, whether that's yours or the combatants within each run.
Unsurprisingly, there's a bit of clunkiness to combat right now. Sometimes the hit windows of enemies seem unfair, but considering the game's developers, I'm hoping to see major improvements during early access. On Steam, the game has a 2025 release date window, so it seems that 1.0 will launch sometime next year.
Of course, if you're looking to play Darkblade Ascent, you'll need to download and use the Epic Games Store — something that will turn off many potential players. However, you're getting a solid indie game that delivers an exhilarating time, even if it's just in early access.