Ascendancy (1995)
Genres:Strategy
Themes:Science fiction, 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate)
Game modes:Single player
Story:Ascendancy is similar to, but nevertheless very different from, Master of Orion. You play one of many races, each with a special ability and special character traits, who set off to explore space, erect colonies (which can each have individual purposes, depending on their raw materials) and engage in battles when you clash with others who have the same goals. Weapons on the ships use power, which has to be supplied somehow.
This game introduces many original concepts, such as the Research Tree - a special scientific display in which discoveries are depicted as icons connected by lines to the "parent" technological breakthroughs and "child" ones, similar to the technology advances in Civilization, but presented in a much more visual way.Show more
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.3 309
Ascendancy holds a special place in my gaming memories because it was unlike anything else at the time. The game’s artistic design was unique, with vibrant visuals and imaginative alien races that felt truly original. Each species came with its own quirks and abilities, making every playthrough a fresh challenge and a new experience. What really stood out to me, though, was the tech tree system. The pseudo-3D structure of the tech tree felt futuristic and creative, reflecting the game’s emphasis on exploration and discovery. It wasn’t just a functional feature; it added a sense of depth and immersion, as if I was piecing together the secrets of the universe step by step.
The strategic gameplay also made Ascendancy unforgettable. Balancing diplomacy, resource management, and space battles kept me fully engaged. The ship design system, allowing for customization, was ahead of its time and added a personal touch to every encounter. I still remember the sense of awe when expanding my empire to new planets, discovering alien worlds, and navigating the challenges of interstellar politics.
For me, Ascendancy wasn’t just a game; it was an exploration of creativity and strategy, combined with a sense of wonder that’s rare to find. It’s the kind of experience that stays with you, even decades later, as a reminder of how innovative and inspiring gaming can be.
I LOVED this game. The ship designs, alien races, tech trees, music, art style... Everything was so great with this game. I really wished their was an expansion for the game to polish some of the smaller flaws.
This game has an artstyle, it looks very apart. I also liked the alien and ship designs. For the tech tree it had this weird pseudo 3d node tree. Thats actually how I'd describe the game. Weird. Certainly made an impression on me.
I played Ascendancy for years. Heck, it was one of the games I kept an old computer around for just to be able to play. It was also one of the rare games that more or less let me play it how I wanted rather than forcing me into doing The One Thing The Game Wants. Given I played it as a child, I even learnt the occasional random bit of science from its tech tree! Which was, by the way, excellent, as others have already said.
And the starship design and customisation were brilliant. Why don't more games do that? Want to build a gigantic colonising monolith with no defences that exists solely to land colonists on planets and escort it around with zippy little ships that are basically just giant engines with weapons attached? No problem. Want to build a huge military capital ship with battery after battery of guns? The amount of stuff that will fit in the biggest hull is the only limit! There were no forced ship classes with specific abilities, just hull sizes, with different designs for different species. Each hull contained a certain number and pattern of squares, into which you could place any components you liked, subject to a small number of conditions (like having enough power to power them all). Develop new tech? Pop open your favourite ship schematic and design in the upgrade! Absolutely brilliant, and yet game after game since still just has "now build the Void Cruiser" "now build the Star Settler" with no customisation at all.
Maybe I've just missed some phenomenal game that everyone else knows about, but of all the similar games I've played, there has genuinely never been one as good as Ascendancy. It really felt like exploring the galaxy.
I'm pretty sure my family still have it in its original form, but trying to get it to run on modern computers is a pain, and anyway, way more people deserve the chance to play Ascendancy. If GOG could only bring back one more game ever, I'd want it to be this one.
An excellent 4x space strategy game that modern games should try to match. Completely customizable ship designs depending on researched technology. The need to manage energy usage to shields and weapons in a turn adds more tactical depth than nearly all competitors.
Acendancy is Alien. It does something few games manage to do, and that's feel like it's from a completely different world. For one, there's no stinking human faction. For two, it is a game that remembers the Z part of space, which can be quite important in strategic decision and helps keep the view of things rather fresh.
Compared to many of the 4x brethren, it is a delightfully simpler game, not getting bogged down in the details of of insipid micromanagement such as resources or corruption, which was and still is refreshing to the systems panic that many experience while looking at other games that try to go in the direction of map and spreadsheet games.
I absolutely spent hours on end playing this after school work was done, when I was just a wee little lad. I would love to re-visit these memories and just chill out with this game and enjoy get that whiff of nostalgia.
The GOAT 4x, one of those games where you get so into it you feel like you've played 15 minutes and its been 6 hours.
Ground breaking for its time, and clearly inspired a lot of games that came after this should be on GOG as a reference for all the games that came after. Miss this game.
I found a disc for this game I think at some random store and picked it up for next to nothing. I figured it was a good cheap time waster for a college student. It was that and so much more.
I still have that disc, and I am still chasing the high from this game. It had plenty of detail without being difficult to manage - I never stopped playing the game to become some sort of fake space bureaucrat. Other games have tried to find that balance but mostly come up short - Endless Space might have been the closest.
I would love to see GoG bring this one back. 25 years on my kids are mostly gone from the nest, and I'd love to go back to some all night gaming sessions with this gem!
The only 4X game I ever actually finished… Loved the art style, loved the different races, loved the tech tree, loved the colony building. It has a very good balance between simplicity and complexity. I haven't really found any other 4X game that scratches quite the same itch.
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