As Korean developer Bluehole continues to dominate the battle royale shooter genre with its runaway hit PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the studio is now looking to bring that same level of success to the MMORPG field with its newly unveiled game Ascent: Infinite Realm.
Ascent: Infinite Realm (which, cleverly enough, can be shortened to AIR) is a fantasy/steampunk MMORPG which, judging from the below reveal trailer, has quite a bit for players to do. According to a press release from publisher Kakao Games (the same publisher behind the sleeper hit MMO Black Desert Online), Ascent: Infinite Realm will contain many of the usual MMORPG trappings including five different playable classes (which you can read up on over at the game’s teaser site), a player housing system, Realm vs. Realm-style PvP combat, dungeons, quests, and more.
However, where Ascent differs from most other MMO’s is in its focus on aerial combat. Players will be able to utilize a number of different aerial transport methods including both personal and multi-player airships as well as a personal “wing suit” which allows the player’s avatar to swoop, glide, and even perform stunt maneuvers like barrel rolls. The trailer also confirms that players will be able to pilot ground-based vehicles like mechs, construct their own living spaces which include custom houses, gardens, pets, and more, navigate through platforming segments, and even hunt large beasts like dragons both on the ground and in the air.
Funnily enough, Ascent: Infinite Realm’s intense large-scale battles can get so crazy that there are even bits in the reveal trailer where the game is noticeably lagging, which one could argue was an oversight on Bluehole’s part or perhaps a sign of just how confident Bluehole is in the game’s potential.
If what you see in the above trailer has gotten you excited to actually play Ascent: Infinite Realm, you’ll be happy to hear that Bluehole plans to fully launch the game sometime in the first half of 2018.