Has anyone else played local coop? Im having a blast with my roommate, my only complaint is that the UI is not optimized for couch coop, like only one of us can hover over a spell or aura on the ground at a time. I would love if they implemented an out of combat split screen in shops and end-of-level selections with an updated UI. Then both players could select their skills and stuff at the same time :)
This is something that I go over in my review for the game. I hope it's something they work on but no news of them doing so yet. Literally this and the visual clutter when you're both casting spells were my only complaints about co-op. Otherwise it was absolutely fantastic 🙂
Nice. Thanks for the info. Good to hear they're going to try to address visual clarity. That is one of the biggest reasons I haven't bought the game yet. I'm hoping they're able to give the player agency in the clarity - like you said an opaque slider or something.
I think randomness is the main element of a roguelite. If you give players too much control over what their build looks like, the magic of the randomness is lost. I like to make bets like getting an astral aura that says my slimes are op, and then hoping to get more slime options. I am ok with the bets not paying off. It happens.
Fair point, I just think with all of the moving parts in Astral Ascent having a little extra agency is far from a bad thing. Once you get to higher difficulties it's essential to have a semi functioning build, which I think this will help with.
That is true though Wizard of Legend I think is a good example of allowing the player to have control over their base build while still having the randomness you are referring to. You have total control over your base build which is just 1 relic, one custom and 4 spells but once you get into the dungeons you can find merchants that sell all kinds of relics, more spells stuff that has effects and you can upgrade your spells or find merchants that can only be found in dungeons and sell exclusive stuff like cursed relics. But if you die on that run you lose everything except the stuff you started with. So it kinda strikes a nice little balance you could make a solid base build then if the randomness is in your favor you could make a op build or if it's not in your favor you could have a subpar one. And I'd be ok with similar stuff in this game though I'm fine with them keeping it out to.
They are more or less doing the same thing but instead of giving you full control over the start it's random selection which I definitely think is more than fair. I could see giving each character a list of starter spells that you can start the run with for a bit more customization/agency but I think they are headed in the right direction. D5+ is pretty difficult so I think for the people that want to push to higher tiers they are going to need more options because skill alone isn't going to get you through the various DPS checks throughout a run.
@@zambrial but, each altar gives you 3 auras, you get to pick from pools of 3 gambits, and you can collect currency to pick from 3 spells and 3 gambits, at the end of world, that you can reroll up to 5 times. Additionally you have special rooms with 5 auras, the sun gives literally every mythic gambit for choosing, plus the option to change the nature of a spell. And don't get me started with the special bosses, the whale room, and the occasional OP zodiac spell. What more agency do you want? Maybe I am too old school, but I believe the game gives you enough for you to not end with a mediocre build in the end.
I still think having small amounts of agency in the beginning of a run isn't a bad thing. It lets you know what direction to go with your build and allows you to build off that. It's not as if they are giving you the ability to purchase a specific aura or something. It's still random.
