Underworld Ascendant – One Year Later

Otherside Entertainment’s immersive dungeon crawler Underworld Ascendant was released slightly over a year ago in a rather sorry technical state. And now that the game’s been properly patched and updated, we get this PC Gamer article that takes a look at Underworld Ascendant in its current state and arrives to the conclusion that even without all the technical issues dragging it down, the game can’t really offer an enjoyable experience.

Here are a few sample paragraphs:

These are all good, necessary improvements. Sadly, none of them change the fact that Underworld Ascendant still isn’t much fun to play. Movement is still awkward, combat is clumsy, and stealth is unsatisfying. The physics engine remains dreadful, and trying to climb up the game’s ropes and chains is still like trying to hold onto a snake on amphetamines.

I also hate how so many of the game’s mechanics are deliberately obscured. The Magic system is interesting, but its emphasis on experimentation should focus on using spells, rather than finding out what they are. Meanwhile, the Feats system, which unlocks skill points for performing specific in-game actions, essentially means gaining experience comes down to random chance.

I’m glad OtherSide has strived to improve Underworld Ascendant, and I’m comfortable saying that it’s no longer a broken game. Instead, it’s merely a bad one, and there is still a long road ahead before it resembles anything close to the halcyon days of Looking Glass.