A simple yet pleasant game

I've been gaming a long time now, and the one thing I can tell you about good games is that they are never too hard or too easy. Another thing I learned is that graphics alone do not make a good game. Ascent to the Void stands as a decent example of this.

The game play is simple enough to pick up: you play as a soul that has not ascended into the void after death. Since this soul cannot share this knowledge with the living, it has taken it upon itself to serve as a guardian of the dead. You use the mouse to guide the guardian soul towards other souls and catch them in order to save them from the void.

To help achieve this end, there are three different power-ups that can be gained by catching colored souls. One will increase your size, giving you a larger area of contact to work with, one catches all of the wayward souls on-screen, and one erects a temporary barrier that stops any souls that you may have missed.

Aside from the simple game play mechanics, the game also has some very nice graphics to boot. It is a pleasant game to look at. Also, the music of the game is very serene and enjoyable, making for a relaxing yet challenging gaming experience. However, you may only end up playing this game a handful of times before moving on. There's no real reward system, nor do you progress the story that this game presents. You will, eventually, fail to save all of the souls and the game is over.

In short, this is a beautiful game, and any gamer that enjoys a quick game will play this game many times. Eventually, though, the player will move on and look for something with a little more meat on the bone. Still, I'm glad I came across this one, and I recommend it.