Tribes Ascend Review
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Tribes Ascend is a Free to Play (F2P) multiplayer shooter from Hi-Rez Studios. It is the fourth game in a series that has pioneered online gaming. The original Starsiege Tribes, developed by Dynamix in 1998, captivated gamers with large maps, vehicles, raw speed, jetpacks and skiing. It gathered a cult following and was proceeded by two sequels, one with a single player campaign. The franchise was in hiatus for 7 years, even landing back in the hands of the original developers with no result. Hi-Rez acquired the name and began work on an MMO that later turned into a more traditional Tribes experience. The franchise has always been about speed and freedom of movement and Ascend gets this crucial aspect right.
Juggernaut in our base! Repair our Generator!
In the Tribes games you don’t just run across the maps, you fly and slide over the surface. A jetpack gives you great altitude so you can soar over the crest of a hill. On the downward slope you hold the spacebar to enable your frictionless boots. Harnessing the power of gravity and your jetpack, you can easily achieve modest speeds of 160kph. Self propulsion devices, like disc jumping with the iconic Spinfusor, add even more speed. Learning the map topography is crucial for navigation and combat.
Predicting movement, leading players and managing energy are all important aspects of the combat. Many weapons are suited to the series: slow projectiles with explosives. You need to judge the distance of your target and the speed of the projectile. Splash damage chips away at enemy health and direct hits in mid air are brutally satisfying. To appeal to newer players, most classes have traditional automatic weapons like sub machine guns or assault rifles. Hitting targets with these automatic weapons is easier due to speed and fire rate. It is a necessary evil but brings more variety to the combat. Satisfying combat is just part of the package in the Capture the Flag mode.
In Capture the Flag, each team has a base with a flag stand separated by a large midfield. These bases have defensive assets (like turrets) and a generator that powers those resources. Flag cappers will try to grab the enemy flag and rush back to their own flag before it is taken. Although it sounds simple, the experience is regularly exhilarating with balanced teams. Players form into defensive and offensive structures with key players repairing or destroying generators. Vehicles cause disarray in the enemy base and chase down flag carriers. The other game modes are exciting in their own right.
Outskirts CnH Point A is one big disco grenade party
Team Deathmatch sounds straightforward but is changed for the better with the inclusion of a single flag. The flag becomes the focal point because the team holding it gets double kill bonuses. You always know where the action is and can pick off chasers as they scurry after the carrier. Glorious anarchy is produced when the flag is dropped in heavy traffic. In Capture and Hold (CnH) each objective is constantly bombarded with players. CnH provides some of the most compressed action of all modes but is easy to pick up and play casually. Arena is smaller groups killing each other in constrained maps. Careful navigation is needed in many Arena maps, as one false step will have you falling to your death. The popular Unreal 3 Engine is no stranger to these game modes.
The aesthetic qualities fit perfectly with the franchise. Character designs for both Blood Eagle and Diamond Sword are awesome with consistent themes. Weapons have satisfying and identifiable explosions. Having ammo counts on the weapons is a delightfully simple, modern change. Even the inventory stations and generators are immediately recognisable. One visual problem is the noticeable LOD transitions between terrain and objects. Even on very high settings, trees and terrain changes jarringly. Map design survives against most scrutiny.
Capture the Flag on Katabatic can be electrifying
Map layout is kept fairly simple with good ski routes and emphasis on flag movement around the external edges of the map. Small details in the landscape have been added, including rocks and ruins just to break the rolling hills. The interior of bases is usually open enough for tense combat. Katabatic, recreated from Tribes 2, works well here with visually spectacular ice shards protruding from the surface. Arx Novena is surrounded by Aqueducts that can be skied along. Raindance is bigger than the original but the struggle to retake your own base remains. There is a good variety in size and setting and more maps will be appreciated. Regardless of map or mode there are plenty of truly exciting moments.
There is nothing quite like the rush of swooping onto the enemy flag stand and emerging from the chaos with the opposition flag at high speed. Not since the first two Tribes games have I felt as enthralled by the Generator battles. CTF games can be over in minutes but the most engrossing are the half hour battles where everybody plays an essential role. If both teams play with high numbers in offense it makes the generator less important. The game feels as much a sport as it does a game, with an emphasis on virtual athleticism, accuracy and teamwork. Teamwork is further encouraged with role specific classes.
Unlike the freeform loadout system in the series to date, Ascend implements nine unique classes. These are split into three armor groups: light, medium and heavy. The speedy Pathfinder is the perfect candidate for flag capping or chasing. Infiltrators can cloak through enemy defenses and take out key assets or personnel. Technicians wield a repair gun and deploy turrets to defend their generator. The heavy Doombringer places shields and unleashes a stream of bullets as he stands over the flag. The Brute can even create deadly disco parties with his lime green fractal grenades. The class system results in less choice but it focuses the experience with room to add more options. New players can quickly learn the role of each class without buying unlockable weapons.
Doombringer provides good defense on flag with chain gun and force fields
As the first F2P game in the franchise, Ascend delicately balances items that can be purchased or earned. Players can unlock weapons, classes, perks and cosmetic skins. Classes are quick to unlock with earned experience, as are basic upgrades for belt items or weapons. You can’t upgrade armor or weapons with money. Some top tier upgrades, like extra health, might cost more experience than unlocking a class. Paying real money doesn’t usually mean you win, just that you’ll get more options to take into battle. The exception has been the two class specific packs for the Infiltrator and Raider. Both packs launched with overpowered primary weapons. Hopefully game balance isn’t hurt with every content release.
Buying alternative weapons, like the MIRV launcher for the Juggernaut, may cost around $8 each. Or you can play for 2 hours a day, with $4 worth of paid boosts, and unlock that weapon in under a week. Impoverished gamers will need to play for about four weeks to unlock the same weapon without boosts. Buying 12 weapons using boosts is cheaper than a full priced game and the quality is comparable. With more weapons and skins being added the price to buy everything could skyrocket. However, if you are continually playing, the XP will keep accumulating
Sticky grenades are immensely satisfying when you land them
Being F2P opens the floodgates to a wider audience. One challenge is making this high skill shooter a viable long term option for new players. The immediate problem is the skill disparity between veterans and newbies. A hard problem to tackle in any online shooter, but better matchmaking and ranked games may alleviate the growing issue. Alongside the inclusion of many automatic weapons, Ascend draws inspiration from modern shooters. You can call in an orbital strike with credits earned during a match. Health regenerates without the flag, so multiple disc jumps along a route are common. Players can even select from perks that might give you an extra grenade or jetpack energy after taking damage. Ranking, badges and accolades freshen up the experience.
Ascend will change over the following months although it’s hard to see it changing as much as some other F2P shooters. The framework allows a natural expansion of classes with skins and weapons. New maps are going to be free, so as not to fracture the community. We will attempt to revisit the game in a few months to see how much has changed and if the game is still on the right track. Right now it’s easy to get into a game with good player populations. Ascend captures the magic of the series without feeling dated.