Ascend to ZERO News

[h3]Hello, Ascenders![/h3][p]
Ascend to ZERO is finally joining Steam Next Fest! We ask for your enthusiastic support and interest.



To make this celebration even more special, we’ve prepared a commemorative Next Fest update.


[/p][h3]⚪ New Avatar: ‘Frost Moon Hacker’[/h3][p]

A brand-new avatar—the Frost Moon Hacker—joins the fray! The Frost Moon Hacker wields drones as their primary weapon and specializes in builds centered around luck.

Unlock this avatar and experience fresh build options and combat styles!


[/p][h3]⚪ Next Fest Exclusive! Special Avatar Skin Event[/h3][p]

During Next Fest, anyone who completes the mission will receive an exclusive Next Fest avatar skin! Your mission: defeat the final boss of Stage 2. With the boss at level 60,000, make sure you’re well prepared before jumping into battle!

This special skin is only available during the Next Fest festival, so don’t miss out—jump in and claim your reward!


[/p][h3]⚪ Coming Soon: Voice Acting Update[/h3][p]
During Next Fest, we’ll be adding brand-new voice lines recorded by a special guest voice actor. Look forward to an even richer world in Ascend to ZERO, and stay tuned for further announcements!


[/p][h3]⚪ Additional Update Details[/h3][p]
[/p]

• [p] Improved an issue where you could still be hit by enemy attacks while Time Stop was active.
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• [p] Fixed a bug where certain enemy attacks would never register a hit on the player.
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• [p] Tweaked some enemy patterns in Hard Mode.
  [/p]
• [p] Reduced the attack power of Hard Mode enemies and increased the experience they grant.
  [/p]
• [p] Shortened the duration of certain projectiles that were causing performance drops and increased their speed.
  [/p]
• [p] Resolved an issue where terrain could overlap and trap players in the Dimensional Portal.
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• [p] Mitigated overlapping playback of identical sound effects.
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[p]

[/p][h3]The festival is just around the corner![/h3][p]
Be sure to experience the new thrills and challenges Ascend to ZERO has in store at Next Fest! We hope this becomes a memorable event for every Ascender, and we appreciate your continued support.


https://store.steampowered.com/app/3279910/

Thank you!

– Ascend to ZERO Team[/p]

[p]Hello, this is Flyway Games![/p][p]Our game Ascend to ZERO has been featured in the Future Game Show Summer Showcase 2025.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We appreciate your support—join our Discord server to connect directly with the developers![/p][p][/p][h3]Play the demo now![/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]『Chrono Dispatch』 has linked to your timeline.[/p]

[p]
Hello, Ascenders! Welcome to the second edition of Chrono Dispatch.

In this update, we’d like to share our thoughts on level design, enemy concepts, and farming systems we explored while building Stage 2—and how they point to the future of Ascend to ZERO.

We hope you enjoy the new content and keep a close eye on what lies ahead in Ascend to ZERO’s evolution!


[/p][h3]◼ Stage 2: Expanding into the Unknown[/h3][p]

A new stage spanning levels 20,000–60,000 awaits. This time, the battlefield takes us to the desert region!

Rather than relying on repetitive sand dunes, we’ve made an effort to deliver distinct atmospheres and palettes within the desert theme itself.

In combat, you’ll encounter enemies that break the established rules of time. These foes are not just a one-off surprise—they’re a signpost pointing toward future update directions.

We’re excited to hear your thoughts as you step into the unfamiliar and experience what’s new!


[/p][h3]◼ Enemy Design[/h3][p]

We didn’t want Stage 2 to feel like just a higher-level version of earlier areas. So we rethought combat, too.

In this update, you’ll see enemies with projectile-based attack patterns that require fresh strategies when combined with your time-stop ability.


At the same time, we understand the challenge: time-stop mechanics make it difficult to deliver fresh encounters simply through difficulty spikes or reused patterns. But punishing, unfair mechanics aren’t the answer either—we felt that firsthand while testing.

In the end, the fun of battle comes from overcoming challenges in a way that feels fair and rewarding. We’re always working to hit that sweet spot of fun versus difficulty.

Give it a try—and tell us what you think!


[/p][h3]◼ Farming System[/h3][p]
We’ve been gradually laying the groundwork for meaningful farming through special items and underlying systems. Our goal is to make item acquisition feel rewarding—and the power boost it gives, real.


But we also know that farming isn’t always fun. The more rare and desirable an item is, the more frustrating it becomes when you don’t get it—and that fatigue adds up.

So, we’re rethinking the structure to ensure farming feels more worthwhile. Even if you don’t get what you want, we want the process to feel meaningful and enjoyable in its own right.


[/p][h3]◼ Hard Mode: Current Status & Vision[/h3][p]
Right now, Hard Mode reuses the same stages, with stronger enemies and added loot. It’s fun as extra content, but we admit it hasn’t offered much of a change in play experience.

In the future, Hard Mode will be reworked to include unique enemies and structural challenges that require new strategies. Not just a tougher version—but an entirely new combat rhythm, exclusive to Hard Mode.

Looking even further ahead, we see Hard Mode not as just a “difficulty toggle,” but as a preview of new gameplay systems to come. While current progression is linear, Ascend to ZERO’s true potential lies in systems that support endless growth and challenge.

We’ll share more about that direction in a future edition of Chrono Dispatch!


[/p][h3]◼ Steam Next Fest & What’s Coming[/h3][p]

Ascend to ZERO joins Steam Next Fest on June 9! This is a major opportunity for us to showcase the game and gather feedback from even more players.

To celebrate, we’ll be revealing a new avatar with a distinct and exciting playstyle. We hope you look forward to it!

We’re also planning to give away a special limited-time skin reward to everyone who plays during Next Fest—our way of saying thank you to the early Ascenders who joined us at the start of the journey.[/p][p]This reward can be obtained by defeating the level 60,000 final boss of Stage 2 during the Next Fest period.[/p][p]

And finally, we’re working on adding new voice talent to breathe more life into gameplay. With full voiceovers in the works, characters will feel even more alive—stay tuned!



[/p][h3]Thank You, Ascenders![/h3][p]
We’ll continue to use Chrono Dispatch to share our thoughts and direction with you.

Your feedback always means a lot to us. Please share your thoughts through Steam discussions, reviews, or on Discord.

Thank you!


[/p]

[p]『Chrono Dispatch』 has unlinked from your timeline.[/p]

Hello, Ascenders!

In this update, massive new stage content is being added!

The detailed contents being added with the June 6 update are as follows.


[h3]⚪ New Additions[/h3]

• A new stage, the Desert Zone, is being added! After defeating the final boss of the existing stages, a portal to the next stage will open, where you can face even more powerful enemies and obtain rare rewards.
  
• Build Tech Chips are being added to the 4th and 5th avatars as well, so now you can enjoy new Tech Chip builds on every avatar.
  
• An item enhancement system is being added, which will be unlocked during Stage 2 play.
  
• A total of 30 Steam Achievements are being added.
  

[h3]⚪ Balance Changes[/h3]

• The attack power of avatar skills has been adjusted overall to improve performance gaps between avatars.
  
• Excessive penalty values assigned to certain Tech Chips have been adjusted.
  
• The drop rates in the post-game draw have been adjusted so that more powerful items can appear.
  
• Some equipment related to Tech Chip rerolls has been removed, and now disassembling them will convert them into twice the amount of Zero Cells.
  
• Fixed the issue where, when paralysis probability was high, enemies could be paralyzed continuously in an unintended way.
  
• The starting level values among stage entry stats have been increased.
  
• The stats of certain overpowered gadgets have been lowered.
  
• Some patterns of bosses that were difficult to dodge have been improved.
  
• The accumulated time penalty from death has been eased to alleviate unreasonable difficulty in later stages.
  
• The values of cubes that increase time have been increased.
  

[h3]⚪ Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where some UI buttons in the inventory were not working.
  
• Fixed an issue where certain weapon attacks would last excessively long.
  
• Fixed an intermittent issue where the game would crash during the tutorial.
  
• Corrected incorrect damage display for some avatars’ Hyper Skills.
  
• Fixed an issue where some colors were displayed incorrectly in the stage entry UI.
  
• Fixed an issue where a bright lighting effect briefly appeared on screen when starting the game.
  
• Fixed an issue where in some areas players could move outside the combat zone.
  
• Fixed an occasional issue in Hard Mode where items would not drop properly.
  
• Fixed an issue where tooltips in the compendium were not displaying correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue where dash distance varied depending on frame rate.
  
• Fixed an issue where collected rewards were not being saved properly.
  

[h3]⚪ Quality of Life Improvements[/h3]

• In the stage entry UI, stat displays have been improved to make maximum values more intuitive.
  
• Elite and boss enemy icons now disappear immediately when they die.
  
• Drone tracking logic has been improved for better usability.
  

[h3]⚪ Other Changes[/h3]

• Avatar-specific dash effects have been improved to display correctly.
  
• The first screen after starting the game has been remastered.
  
• Effects for higher-rank Tech Chips have been added to enhance the impact of powerful Tech Chips.
  
• Sound effects for tutorial progression and for repairing the Time Machine have been added.
  

[h3]Play Now![/h3]
store.steampowered.com/app/3279910

Thank you.

- Ascend to ZERO Team

Hello, Ascenders!
Ascend to ZERO will be featured in the MIX Summer Game Showcase!
Catch the live stream now and get a first look at Ascend to ZERO in action!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]