PlayStation Plus free game: new RPG is an 'absolute blast', subscribers enthuse

PlayStation Plus is a great way to experience titles you might have not bought outside of the service, like one cyberpunk RPG that subscribers want to give another chance.

No, it’s not Cyberpunk 2077, it’s actually a game called The Ascent, an action-shooter RPG that takes players through several open areas where they have to shoot enemies, find new loot and advance to the next area.

Check out the trailer for The Ascent below

Reception to the game was mixed at best, typically getting around 7/10. Highlights were the game’s cyberpunk visuals and ultra-violent gameplay, but the game was also criticised for performance problems, a lacklustre story and not enough variation to keep players interested the whole way through.

Eventually, the title made its way onto the ever-expanding PlayStation Plus Extra game catalogue.

Recently, Reddit user icy__you spoke about the game in a thread, claiming: “The Ascent is great! I know this game gets some negative comments … but the gunplay and world-building are amazing … Sure the menus are a pain, and some important things (taxis, cyberdeck upgrades) aren't explained well, and the map is... unusual - but this game is an absolute blast to play.”

Many were in agreement, looking past the criticism and seeing the passion the developers took in the project, drawing the most attention to the visuals and story-lore.

“One of the best cyberpunk games I’ve experienced. This dev needs to make a blade runner game, there are lots of great building blocks here. Glad they added it to the catalog, was never gonna buy this based on the meh reviews at release”

“It's such a great game! Played on pc before with 60fps on a humble gtx 1650 and now on PS5 it looks amazing. Also the Dualsense implementation is great. Idk where the negativity comes from. Haven't had a single bug in two playthroughs already.”

“I've been playing it co-op with my partner. I love the art and its a lot of fun.”

Some didn’t share the same opinion though, with many saying it’s a great game, but it’s significantly held back by bugs and other issues.

“I was hyped for this a while back. Played it day one on gamepass and got stuck a few hours in with a quest that was bugged and I couldn’t progress. Sadly that made me not wanna play after it got fixed eventually”

“Amazing environment art, but everything else fell short for me. I'd seriously love to play a diablo-esque game with this art though.”

“I love the lore, world-building, graphics and music but the gameplay is just so bland. Feels like wasted potential”

The Ascent is available to download and play at no additional cost for PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers, and it can also be played on Xbox and PC platforms too.