$1.99Savant - Ascent Shoot, Dodge, Ascend
A fast arcade shooter about blasting your way back up a tower that has turned against you.
Is Savant - Ascent worth it?
Savant - Ascent is worth it if…
- you miss the days when a highscore was the whole point
- you want a game you can learn in minutes and chase for hours
- you like short, intense sessions that beg for one more run
- you enjoy electronic music that hits as hard as the gameplay
Screenshots
Two spots, one wizard, no mercy
You never walk around here. The Alchemist stands on one of two platforms, and survival is a rhythm of hopping between them while volleys of magic missiles tear into whatever charges at you. It sounds limited, and that first impression is a trap: the whole game is built on squeezing everything out of those two spots. Enemies swarm from every side, dodging and taking hits builds up energy that makes your shots stronger, and once the meter is full you can fire a blast that erases most enemies in one hit. Simple to pick up in minutes, deep enough that people write guides about it.
CDs that change how you fight
Special enemies drop CD fragments, and four pieces make a full disc. Each of the six discs unlocks a track by the artist Savant and, more importantly, a new ability. Every power genuinely changes how you play: it breaks your habits and forces you to rebuild your approach, while making you noticeably stronger. Collect them all and a secret ability waits for whoever figures out how to reach it. The soundtrack is not background here, it is the reward system, and the electronic tracks fit the frantic pace perfectly.
How long does it take to finish?
Is it too hard for a casual player?
It is genuinely difficult, but it eases you in. You start with only a basic set of skills, and the early game can feel harsh. As you collect CDs and unlock abilities, the game opens up and becomes far more stylish and forgiving, with powers that give you a real edge. Reflexes matter more than long study: patterns are learnable, bosses included. If you bounce off it early, push a little further, because the moment a new ability clicks is when it turns from punishing into thrilling.
What does it look and sound like?
Crisp, colorful pixel art with excellent animations, in the spirit of classic 1990s arcades, and the whole soundtrack comes from the electronic artist the game is named after. The music is not decoration: each unlocked track pairs with a new power, so what you are listening to changes how you fight. The final battle in particular is carried by its music as much as its challenge. There is humor here too, in the enemies and the little nods sprinkled through the game.
