Ascendant Hearts

Ascendant Hearts is a cute Visual Novel that takes many of the concepts that we as gamers know and love and turns them slightly into a joke. That said, it is done in a way to make you laugh and enjoy the adventure as you play as the protag. This Visual Novel has multiple endings and multiple paths which is a big hit in my book.

The original version of this Visual Novel was done on Renpy which is a Visual Novel program that is free to use and offers forums where you can get help with your Visual Novel. However, the company that created this Visual Novel has recently updated the entire game and reissued it using Unity. 

The character design and backgrounds are well done and the music that goes with this Visual Novel is nice, even though it isn't very varied as many are. There are also very few emotes expressed by the characters and view actions which isn't a problem but is something that I look at when playing.

The game starts with you the protag named Hayato that suddenly wakes up in a town he doesn't know. Plagued with amnesia you are unable to understand how you got there or why you are there. As you start to gain your bearings you realize the town is quiet...too quiet and as you make your way around you realize something is wrong. That is when you encounter monsters that are called 'Darkwolves' and they are out to kill anyone that is on the street, which means Hayato. 

However, before they are able to get to him the few Darkwolves are killed by a blast of elemental magic. That is when you meet the first interest of this Visual Novel, Shiori.

Shiori is an Elemental Mage and can cast a wide variety of elemental based spells such as Ice, Fire, and Lightning. She is a higher level and has much experience in dealing with the monsters. She can be a bit abrasive and a bit shy when placed under a great deal of stress. But you later find out that she has a deeper problem that is hard to get around. Because of her past, the town's Adventures don't party with her and this has caused her a great deal of grief and undue stress, which has also led to resentment. 

Despite that, however, she starts to help Hayato learn more about the world he is in and the things he should know. She also helps him obtain his first weapon and armor. She also helps him start his first quest as a member of the Adventures guild in the city. 

Being one of the love interests in the story for the protag, I find that she is the 'cliche' option. She is the first girl you meet and does the most to help you at first, in return you help her get in good with the township and the adventures guild and so on.

But deciding to get her ending first was a good option as it is a nice ending that I can say I greatly enjoyed getting. 

As you continue to play through the Visual Novel you will meet the second love interest soon after meeting Shiori after you decide to spend the night at the Inn in town.

Aiko is a natural Healer. She works at the Inn to pay for her stay there and for her meals. She is an avid player of a card game that is comparable to Magic the Gathering and apparently, she enters many tournaments. She is shy, reserved, and very innocent in many ways. 

I can only assume this is due to a sheltered upbringing but her past isn't really brought up much. I actually find that to be a bit of a character flaw for her overall, I think a little bit more of a backstory would have been nice. But despite that, her character is well rounded and she provides a nice partner choice.

She doesn't at first want anything to do with being an adventure but after Hayato and her start talking she finds herself drawn to him and starts to train to be a better healer and eventually joins a party with Hayato and Shiori. 

The big problem that Hayato has with Aiko though is her thoughts on her role not just as a healer but as the 'character that is destined to die' which Hayato has a hard time grasping or understanding. Over time if you choose her to be your romantic partner you will get her to come to terms that she doesn't have to die.

After Aiko joins the party the party decides to investigate the Darkwolves attacks on the town they are in and why they are happening. During their search, they are met with a new person that is also a romantic option for Hayato. And her name is Chise.

 

Chise is your stereotypical Rogue, she can seem cold and a bit heartless at times but deep inside she cares a great deal about what is going on the world. She has spent many years searching for a 'hero' that is foretold to be coming to the world to stop the Darkwolves attacks. Because of this mission, she has lost friends and has lived in solitude for the most part. 

During a time when your party is needing a member to join to go do a raid in a dungeon, she decides to join your party. She at first doesn't say why and she is very defensive and quiet. As time goes by however she does open up a little bit and as a romantic interest, you find drawn to her despite her standoffish attitude at times.

Chise's history is a bit more fleshed out than that of Aiko's and while not as much information is given as Shiori's you still get a sense that you can sympathize with her which makes her an easier choice for one of the playthroughs to pick as best girl.

While I will not ruin the story or the ending, I want to say that from what I have seen on the Steam Community for this game it is obvious there are now more than three endings. While I am not sure what they are as I have only really played through to get the love interest stories done I may at some point decide to get the last two endings to get the 100% Achievement for the game. 

I also have made it obvious on my post on the Steam Review section for this game that I'd like to see a fourth girl make her way as a love interest as well but I do not think they will do it. But at least I got my opinion out in the open right? 

In the end, this game really isn't adult-oriented which is what I mainly focus on. It really only has a couple of moments when things can get suggestive but not much more than that. There are a couple of times that you will see the female characters in their bra and panties and that is about it really. 

Despite it not really being adult-oriented, I still felt compelled to make a blog post about it as it was still a really well done and crafted Visual Novel that had a lot of humor in it as well. A good storyline and decent character development also make this a good Visual Novel. I highly recommend it to anyone.