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[Svejk]

Feeling a bit burned by the shittiness of Flashback 2's reviews, but still wanted something pseudo sci-fi/cyberpunkish vibe that's shorter and more low key (indie) than CP2077.

The Ascent is on sale for $7.50 atm, and the game looks stunning. Is it good to play solo, or does it lean too much into needing co-op to enjoy?

Signalis isn't on sale, but hear nothing but top praises for it. I like shooters, but like the puzzle solving RE style horror/item management stuff too, to a degree.

If only one could be picked to play through right away, what would you all choose between the two?

 

[winjer]

They are different games.
The Ascent is a top down shooter. Signalis is a survival horror.
Pick the genre you like best.

 

[Lunarorbit]

I'll be awaiting an answer too. I've been looking at signalis for awhile now. Seems creepy in a good way

 

[killatopak]

Signalis is like a mix of RE and Silent Hill. It’s very well done and very replayable due to it having multiple endings and difficulty.

Have no idea about Ascent so I can’t compare the two.

 

[Punished Miku]

They're both great, but The Ascent blows away Signalis. Buy them both. Ascent just barely got edged out by Metroid Dread for GOTY for me that year. One of the best top down shooters ever made. Just don't give up if it gets a little sticky with the map. It's actually well done because it tells you where to go, but lets you figure out the details on the height since there is so much verticality in the city areas. They hide chests with a lot of winding paths and hidden staircases.

I played all of Ascent solo no problem, but I actually paid attention to how the systems work. I'd use energy weapons on robots. I'd carefully pull people out of crowds if I could to not get overwhelmed. I'd equip element resistance gear if I was getting worked. It wasn't that bad at all for me. Had a blast. Some people say it has harsh difficulty spikes though.

Signalis is a much shorter game but if you want a PS1 survival horror meets sci fi meets anime, this is a ton of fun and well worth going through once.

 

[SJRB]

Signalis is incredible. Unique visuals, awesome atmosphere, great story, cool areas, excellent puzzles, amazing soundtrack.

Superb game all around.

 

[Svejk]

Thanks, folks.. Was hoping one or the other would have been a freebie on PS+ by now, but hasn't this year. Will most likely play both eventually, just wanted some opinions on both of them. Need a break from AAA opwn world stuff I overly saturate myself with as a palette cleanser. lol

 

[adamsapple]

Signalis.

But it's very brutal in terms of inventory management, so go in expecting a lot of backtracking.

 

[ungalo]

Didn't play Signalis, downloaded it while it was on Gamepass but never had the motivation to start.

The Ascent has flaws, at launch i remember it had some very dumb things, like the fact they gave you side quests without ever telling you they were in areas you didn't have access to yet. Minor problems like that but that were frustrating, i don't know if it was corrected since.

But the game was pretty good, absolutely gorgeous visually, perhaps the most beautiful game i've ever seen in isometric 3D.

 

[Svejk]

They are different games.
The Ascent is a top down shooter. Signalis is a survival horror.
Pick the genre you like best.

I like both equaly, hence the reason I was putting feelers out.
Both appear to be rather short too based on howlongtobeat.com, so that's good (for me) also.
Both look aesthetically awesome. Feels like both are rather immersive too, in one way or the other.

 

[Darsxx82]

They are very different..... but a like The Ascent type of Game more.

 

[Hudo]

Both, dude.

 

[Gudji]

Signalis.

 

[swaffles23]

Signalis easily

If you enjoy resident evil and silent hill then play this game. I personally thought it a masterful survival horror game.

 

[Bartski]

Signalis is one of the best games released in 2022 and I'm not talking indies but in general. I'd stil recommend it over Ascent which I played for 120+ hours and loved every minute of it. So get both if you can.

 

[Null Persp]

I've played both but for me Signalis was the better game, it's a game that is gonna stick with you.

 

[winjer]

I like both equaly, hence the reason I was putting feelers out.
Both appear to be rather short too based on howlongtobeat.com, so that's good (for me) also.
Both look aesthetically awesome. Feels like both are rather immersive too, in one way or the other.

Play both.
Start with The Ascent, as it's cheaper. With a bit of luck, there will be a promotion a couple of weeks from now.
For example, Steam will have it's winter sale start on the 21st of December.

 

[Zheph]

Signalis!

 

[MadViking]

The Ascent is amazing

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Dont know anything about the Ascent, but Signalis was awesome!

 

[H . R . 2]

the Ascent. you'll love the atmosphere

 

[Reave]

Signalis is one of my favorite survival horror games ever, and the PS1-era aesthetic is outstanding.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Hmmm, two very different games. I loved Signalis, kept me hooked from beginning to end, old-school survival horror with a brilliant narrative. I played about 5 hours of The Ascent before getting pulled away by something else, lost interest and haven't returned to it.

 

[RDaneelOlivaw]

The Ascent was pretty rough to play on launch, I couldn't get over that and had to quit, but it did get lots of updates. I'm not sure how polished it is now.

Signalis however was amazing when I played it on the Deck, highly recommend.

 

[Svejk]

Yeah... Definitely gonna have to play both essentially. Probably go with Ascent first solely for being heavily discounted currently.

Signalis; Everytime I see it mentioned or pops up in some feed, I instantly get intrigued. I think my dilemma on it was, since it was free on GP at launch, PS+ would follow suit eventually... Hasn't happened yet.

Sorry, should have specified in OP; PS5 is the platform of choice for me.

I appreciate all the suggestions!!

 

[MagiusNecros]

Signalis if you want a fantastic atmospheric game. You just get hooked and it's like reading a book and the puzzles require you to think/use brain a little.

The Ascent is just a fun Twin Stick Shooter.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Both are worth your time. It just depends in what mood you are right now. Signalis is slow, survival horror. The Ascent is fast action. Pick whichever you feel like doing now.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

They're very different games, but great in their own way. If I were you I'd simply pick them both, at least that's what I did after first trying them on GP (picked this dope edition of The Ascent and the Switch physical of Signalis).

 

[StueyDuck]

In a wild turn of events, I choose the talos principle 2

 

[tommib]

Signalis, by far.

 

[GHG]

Yeah... Definitely gonna have to play both essentially. Probably go with Ascent first solely for being heavily discounted currently.

Signalis; Everytime I see it mentioned or pops up in some feed, I instantly get intrigued. I think my dilemma on it was, since it was free on GP at launch, PS+ would follow suit eventually... Hasn't happened yet.

Sorry, should have specified in OP; PS5 is the platform of choice for me.

I appreciate all the suggestions!!

It was added to PS Plus.

The Ascent, It Takes Two, Sniper Elite 5, Undertale, and More Coming to PS Plus Extra/Premium

Twisted Metal 1 and 2 on PlayStation One and Gravity Crash Portable from the PSP era were also announced for Premium subscribers.

gamingbolt.com

No idea if its still there though.

But to answer your question I'd actually recommend Signalis more.

 

[Alebrije]

The ascend is great of You don't care about top view style. Signals is good but different.

I will go for Ascend...but this is a case of :

 

[Roberts]

I loved them both for different reasons. If you play games for story then Signalis, though, but The Ascent is one of the most fun and amusingly violent sub-70 MC games ever made.

Would get them both if I didn’t own them already.

 

[rofif]

Ascent is bad
Signalis is good

 

[Chuck Berry]

I go with Ascent but only because I love cyberpunk and isometric shooter RPGs

Reminded me of Crusader No Remorse on steroids. Damn near a dream game for me

 

[GreenAlien]

Signalis is amazing. The Ascent has issues and should not be played solo.

 

[Fredrik]

Tte Ascent is awesome if you like twin stick shmups with some Diablo-lite roleplaying. One of the most underrated games in recent times. Used to be on both Gamepass and PS+, don’t know if it’s there anymore.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Last note on Signalis. If you play it. Play it blind. Don't look anything up. You'll thank me later and love the game more.

 

[samoilaaa]

the ascent is an amazing game

 

[Denton]

I had more fun with Ascent but stronger memory of Signalis.

Ascent is just fun, and has amazing graphics and good atmosphere.

Signalis is way less fun, but is even more distinct and atmospheric.

I recommend both.

 

[Apocryphon]

Both are incredible. But get RUINER instead.

 

[Svejk]

Both are incredible. But get RUINER instead.

Was actually eyeballing this one too. lol

 

[Punished Miku]

Was actually eyeballing this one too. lol

Pick up Neon White also, and play it with the gyro on. Sounds like you slept on indies and AA games for the last couple years. There's a lot.

 

[Apocryphon]

Was actually eyeballing this one too. lol

It’s relatively short, so pick it up in a sale, but it’s a blast to play and it’s stylish as fuck.

The Cyber Heist DLC for The Ascent added a bunch of melee options which gave the game some additional combat depth. For $7.50 it’s an absolute bargain and I’d recommend it to anybody that likes top-down shooters.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Signalis is amazing. The Ascent has issues and should not be played solo.

You have issues and I played through the entire thing solo and had a fuckin blizast.

 

[Svejk]

Pick up Neon White also, and play it with the gyro on. Sounds like you slept on indies and AA games for the last couple years. There's a lot.

This is true, sadly. I get suckered into too many AAA open world games. :/ Open World fatigue hits more often lately.

 

[DragoonKain]

I need to go back to Signalis. I tried it but couldn't get into it. It was so slow. But I know so many people love it, so it's on my list to eventually go back to.

 

[Filben]

Signalis for story, Ascent for action.

Personally, I wasn't enjoying The Ascent. Too much of the same until the gameplay loop starts to change but this is just my tolerance. Someone else might be fine with ten minutes killing sprees.

I was really enjoying Signalis, though. Some people might find it too slow and the story hard to follow.

So they're really two very different games scratching a very different itch.