Quick Thoughts On: Savant Ascent
I never used to consider myself a fan of electronic music. On the contrary I actively detested it, but it seems I must have been hearing the wrong stuff, as more and more I find myself eating my own words as I fall in love with some immensely talented artists who make up the genre. The latest of those is Aleksander Vinter A.K.A Savant, a musician whose catalog is a blur of sounds and styles, and who is now the protagonist of his own video game: Savant Ascent. A mixture of up-scrolling shooting and quick back and forth jumping, Ascent feels and plays unlike anything before it. Simple controls compliment the hefty difficulty as you attempt to stay alive through the onslaught of enemies, only able to move from one platform to the other as you make your way to the top of the tower. Enemies occasionally drop pieces of CDs, which on top of giving you a new slice of the soundtrack, rewards you with a new ability to use in combat. It's arcade nature lends itself very well to hi-score chasing, and the relentlessly quick pacing makes it hard to put down no matter how many times you die.
Savant Ascent is nothing less than an absolute blast, and although it's a short run (I beat it in an hour, though it will likely take less for most players) it is abundantly replayable whether that be going for a new best score, racing through time trials, or seeing how long you can last in endless mode. It looks brilliant, sounds even better, and costs less than a cup of coffee!
With blistering action, tight gameplay, and loads of wub-wub, whether you are already a fan of Savant or not this is something you ought to be playing!
"Quick Thoughts" is a subset of my normal reviews for smaller games which might not fit into a full review but I still have something to say about.