Shadows of the Ascendant

Review based on the day 2 complete version. Let me start by saying that there is a spark here, ready to light the flame of a good game (pun intended if you played the game). However, right now I see some issues with the game which need to be fixed before I am willing to give this a 4 star rating. For a five star rating I would need to see more story first. This is a game with an actual smart protagonist. She is shepherded to the headquarters of her sect; a mysterious place and a den of vipers (a cast with many dark triad type personalities). Several events happen in succession that upend her life. Now she needs to come to terms with her new situation, investigate the mysteries that plague it, and tangle with the aforementioned vipers surrounding her. Or rather, YOU need to do this as even this early in the game you have many choices for branching storylines. As with any game like this, it's in the way these branching storylines are handled where my current issues lie: - You start with a few branching option that seem to function for you to determine her personality. I feel these need to flesh her out a bit more. Once you select the options you receive only limited storyline feedback, making it very difficult for you to determine what kinds of options will be available to you in the future; and what might be closed off from you. I have found some choices which become available depending on personality, but so far she seems to react in the same ways and the same options remain open. For example, you can select all choices that mark you as a full believer, but when you follow the note and talk to Marcus, you can still select the option that you do not believe. Some dialog will happen even when you didn't select a previous option. For example, you can avoid seeing Liz perform yoga in the gym, but once you gain your powers you will still ask her to do yoga. The after dinner dialog with the maid also seem to assume you previously flirted with her, which is only available if you select the "party-girl" backstory. Some parts of the dialog in a run seem to contradict each other. During Anastasia's blowjob session her thoughts say it has been a while. But when you check Markus' SD card, you can find a blowjob scene with her that seems to have happened in the past few weeks. As a general remark, some parts of the story feel too rushed to me. To hurry the story along. she seems too unphased by some of the things that happen. Like the way she reacts when her powers show. Her first reaction to just test it out straight away feels out of place. In all, there are too many inconsistencies for me to rate this higher than average. If these get resolved I will increase my rating. The game and available branches feel ambitious. Let's hope progress wont be victim of this ambition.

A good start. The characters and setting are interesting and mysterious, with supernatural elements. There seems to be a lot of choice in shaping the main character to your liking. It's nice to see a game with a female protagonist who isn't a dummy and actually has a goal in the story. I recommend the game.