within limitations. The balance of attack speed and attack damage is the primary mathematical "metagame" which one would focus on in order to optimize damage output, with passive or active buffs of the player playing a more supplementary role. As one progresses, the found equipment is typically stronger than in previous sections of the game, and is necessary to upgrading a character. Stronger enemies will present an unreasonable challenge if one does not continue to upgrade their gear, However, the movement options available to the player facilitate playing without too much regard to the statistics of combat; There are a number of "animation cancels" possible which vastly improve attack rate. This creates a uniquely-feeling combat flow, but is otherwise unanswered by the enemy design. There are Player vs Player combat modes in which this "tech" could be realized. The game features parallel multiplayer, wherein the player proceeds on a single-player adventure, but can see other players going about their single-player adventures at the same time. The player cannot work together as in traditional co-op modes, but can purchase and send "blessings" and "curses" to one another. Curses summon monsters into the targeted player's realm, and players are rewarded if their target is defeated. Blessings send buffs to targeted players. Development The title was developed by Signal Studios. The developer previously created Toy Soldiers, a game for Xbox Live Arcade. A re-release of the game was done by Outer Heavens Game Studios. Reception The original reception of Ascend: Hand of Kul is tenuous; aside from a small number of critic opinions, the game seemed to be received generally well, but its biggest issues seem to be shared with other MMOs on consoles. As it was released on Xbox 360 exclusively until 2014, there were no viable communication alternatives, which are critical for games within the genre, for players to interact. Generally, one would want to type out a message in a seamless fashion in-game to another in order to communicate. On the Xbox 360, however, you are only able to use its integrated messaging and recent player discovery features, which, in a genre where you're often typing hundreds to thousands of words daily to friends and party members, results in quite cumbersome player interactions. This is likely to have resulted in the early demise of the game, as development had not expanded upon player interactions. The reception for Ascend: Reborn stands