One of the few indie games unveiled during yesterday's Inside Xbox episode, The Ascent is a gorgeous top-down action RPG due for release later this year on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC (Steam).

　　Set in a freely explorable cyberpunk dystopian world and powered by Unreal Engine 4, The Ascent is being developed by Neon Giant, a new indie studio formed by veteran developers who previously worked on hit franchises like Gears of War, Wolfenstein, and Bulletstorm.

　　Tor Frick, Art Director and co-founder of Neon Giant stated:

　　We wanted to create a sci-fi RPG where players can play in the way they like, building up their character with cyberwear, augmentations, and looting in a story-driven environment.

　　Arcade Berg, fellow co-founder and the studio’s Game Director added:

　　For us, creating The Ascent has been about us all taking what we’ve learned from working on Triple-A titles and bringing it to a highly focused project like this, redefining what gamers might have come to expect from a title developed by a small and flexible team.

　　The game will be published by Curve Digital. Publishing Director Simon Byron said:

　　It was obvious from the moment we met that Tor, Arcade and the whole Neon Giant team that they were doing something very special. They know how to make games where combat feels right, and even in its very early stages, The Ascent has been enormously playable. Everyone at the studio is determined to show how a tightly-focussed, passionate team can create something which will stand shoulder to shoulder with games whose credits run into the hundreds, and The Ascent truly is an audacious debut.

　　The Ascent will support both single player and co-op for up to four players. Check out the screenshot gallery below, alongside the official debut trailer and a 4K@60 gameplay footage posted today by IGN.

　　A free-roam play style in a cyberpunk inspired dystopian world

　　Classic RPG mechanics to enable players to build up their character including cyberwear, augmentations and looting

　　An unprecedented sense of verticality within its world, with different levels and platforms discernible within play

　　Double-aim mechanic enables players to utilise the full screen and choose between multiple targets anywhere in the environment

　　A narrative-led adventure playable in single and up to four-player co-op modes

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