The Ascent, TOJam 4
May 5, 2009 2:00 PM | Eric Caoili
Artist and game designer Benjamin Rivers released The Ascent, a charming PC platformer with attractive pastel environments and a simple premise: "You play as a girl who's woken up alone and at the bottom of a strange place. Your only option? Go up..
He adds, "There is no score, no life counter, nothing to interfere; you simply press upward and avoid the spiky obstacles that obscure your path." Rivers plans to release a newer version with a musical score and additional changes in the next couple weeks.
He developed The Ascent last weekend as part of the fourth annual Toronto Independent Game Development Jam (TOJam), which challenges hobbyists, students, and professionals to work together or alone to finish a good, small game in three days. Photographer Brendan Lynch uploaded a Flickr set collecting shots of attending developers, and Rivers also posted a set with his own photos from the event.
According to organizers, a total of 90 people created 29 games at TOJam this year. The official site, which features a neat Space Invaders game in the background, promises to post about more games that were birthed from the event throughout May.
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4 Comments
It's been a while since I've been this frustrated by simple jumping controls. I couldn't bring myself to get very far they were so broken. I look forward to an updated version though, hopefully with those issues fixed.
John | May 6, 2009 11:18 AM
Keep in mind what Ben created over the weekend was made in 3 days! You can only push out so much gameplay from that. Ben and many others will likely be improving their games for the public arcade happening May 22nd. Full details about that will be posed on the TO Jam website (http://www.tojam.ca) soon. Come on out if you are in the Toronto area.
Rob Segal | May 11, 2009 11:07 AM
Thanks for the comments, John. I have indeed gone back and refined the game's controls, and you should have an easier time with the new version of the game. If you're not in Toronto and can't make it to the TO Jam Arcade, you'll be able to download a new version of the game on the 22nd from my site—with voice acting!
Benjamin Rivers | May 15, 2009 5:32 AM
As promised, the new version of The Ascent is available. Includes music and voice acting, better mechanics, and some nicer visuals. Get it at http://www.benjaminrivers.com/games.htm and let me know what you think.
Benjamin Rivers | May 22, 2009 9:41 PM