I previewing Evercore Heroes: Ascension two years ago. Its vibrant characters and intense, competitive action certainly scratched the League of Legends itch, with the PvE combat making it feel more akin to a playable Race to World First tournament than a traditional MOBA. But a lot has changed: in 2024 Vela Games announced that the game was undergoing a slight transformation, booting the competitive PvP element to focus entirely on PvE and add in roguelike-inspired elements. Since then, the team's been hard at work bringing its new vision to life and, if you've been following Evercore as closely as I have, you'll be excited to know that it's finally got a launch date – and it's just around the corner.
If you're unfamiliar with this new version of roguelike games, you need to hone your builds, choose the right, randomized powerups, and learn your characters inside and out in order to survive the onslaught.
So here's how it plays out: you and your squad (or just you, you can play solo) load into a level. You'll be tasked with improving your gear by seeking out treasure and battling monsters, and are then able to face off against the zone's resident bosses. Defeating them will earn you better loot and new core powers, but you'll have to do so within a tight 30-minute timeframe. There's no dawdling and strolling around: you must make decisions on the fly.
As you explore Lumerea and level up your characters, you'll be presented with various randomized power-ups (or Shards) to keep you on your toes. There's plenty of potential to craft unique builds, create game-breaking combinations, and really hone your playstyle to ensure that The Fate's Blade won't know what hit it.
All of these power-ups work in tandem with the game's various class-based characters, meaning you can run full tank, buff your allies as a , or split skulls as a hard-hitting damage dealer. My initial favorites were Shade and Zari, and I can't wait to see how they play now.
If you're planning to dip back into Evercore Heroes: Ascension like me, or have never played it before, Vela Games has just released a brand new demo on Steam. And, in even better news, the Evercore Heroes: Ascension release date has been confirmed for Thursday June 19, meaning you'll be able to get your hands on the game's early access version very, very soon – and it only costs $12.95 / £9.99. In the meantime, however, here's the demo.
If you, like me, love the fast-paced action of League of Legends and Dota 2, check out our list of the best free Steam games.
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