Not all good games are successful. I’m sure many of you out there have a game close to your heart that just didn’t hit the numbers it needed to. It is possible, especially now in this whirlwind of live service tombstones we find ourselves struggling through, that a game with real charm and merit can fail to perform.
Biopunk FPS Ascendant Infinity‘s creators at PlayFusion are trying to carve out a space for themselves at this very unnacommodating time. A time where it seems like new games – especially those of a multiplayer live service nature – either feast in triumph or are doomed to famine. Playfusion’s answer? A PvPvE game that isn’t a trend-chasing extraction shooter, but one with an intriguing core game mode and distinct comedic tone that could very well set it apart.
With Ascendant Infinity, the humour and overall tone is the elephant in the room. Humour is a hard thing to nail in games. An appealing gag for one person is anything from an eye roll to an ALT+F4 combo for another. I personally didn’t care for the “tactical FPS experience with serious balls” approach PlayFusion is championing. It’s neither overwhelming nor distracting. At worst it’s a little bit cringe, and quickly became background noise in my short stint with the game. Still, it’s a punchline Ascendant Infinity follows through with earnestly, which I can appreciate. A joke you don’t mess with is a million times better than one told half-heartedly.