At first you don’t succeed, take a break and then try again. While that sounds like a rip-off on the late Aliyah’s lyrics, it’s something that I practice when it comes to hitting a wall when playing video games. If I find myself dying pretty often in an FPS, or getting creamed by the A.I. in an RTS, or just being totally stumped, I would usually stop playing that particular game and switch to some other game instead.
The most recent slump I had was The Ascent. Now this game is known to have spikes in difficulty, and even though it has a handy “you should be at this level to attempt this quest” indicator, its often the journey across the cyberpunk arcology to the quest point (if it’s a new area) that will get you into trouble. In my case, my path came across a bunch of really heavy hitters only to have another bunch of heavy hitters spawning just behind me.
The first few attempts were just me trying to blast my way through only to get crushed, over and over again, and that was in 2021 (so says Steam). So after going finishing Sable, State of Decay 2, Tunic and Diablo 3 (for the 6th or 7th time), I thought, OK, let’s revisit The Ascent again, and besides, who doesn’t like the cyberpunk aesthetic that the game just literally oozes.
This time around I decided to have a rethink on my approach. First thing on my checklist was to check my weapons and upgrading them all the same, going with a grenade launcher and a rifle of some sort. I didn’t stop at that, giving my player character a once-over on the gear he was packing, augmentations not withstanding.
Finally, I ditch the Xbox Core controller, and went with the mouse and keyboard for greater control (I know that The Ascent is a twin-stick shooter of sorts, but do try it with the mouse and keyboard). And the results? I managed to get over that particular troublesome stretch on the first try. Yup, Nine Over Ten 9/10’s Facebook page will continue livestreaming The Ascent for the foreseeable future! Hooray! Check it out over here.
So what’s else is in my list of games that I’m taking a break form? Diablo II Remastered is still number one; I’m having a difficult time with Baal. The other game is a recent release, Trek to Yomi. A samurai game with a strong emphasis on close combat timing and that’s not something that I really good at in games. I might want to revisit those two titles in a month or two, no rush.
What games are on my playlist then? I’m currently playing a fair bit of Magic: The Gathering Arena on both the PC and iPhone, and would love to check out Death’s Door next.
