Ascending Inferno

Hell becomes a vertical obstacle course in Ascending Inferno, a demanding 2.5D platformer that turns grief, sibling bickering, and soccer-ball physics into one strange climb toward salvation. Dani awakens in the afterlife alongside Vincent, her recently deceased brother, whose soul now happens to be a talking ball with no legs of his own. Their route upward crosses nine reimagined circles of Dante-inspired punishment, from a decaying Limbo castle to a filthy fast-food shrine to Gluttony and a grungy nightclub built around Lust. The mood balances gothic melancholy with sharp, silly banter, making failure sting without stripping the adventure of its personality.

Dani can run, jump, wall through tight platforming routes, and manipulate Vincent by dribbling, kicking, juggling, and heading him over hazards. Keeping the ball close is the central complication: a mistimed kick can send Vincent bouncing into a pit, and a bad fall can erase a painful amount of progress in the game’s deliberately punishing Foddian-style structure. Every hell layer introduces its own mechanical wrinkles, so the climb asks for more than reflexes; players need to understand momentum, spacing, ball control, and safe routes before committing to difficult jumps. Checkpoint Mode softens the harshest consequence of failure for players who want the story and levels without repeatedly returning to the bottom, while time-focused play supports speedrunners chasing cleaner routes.

What separates Ascending Inferno from other precision platformers is that its companion is not merely a narrative sidekick but a physical tool you must protect, position, and occasionally launch through the environment. Handcrafted pixel-and-voxel visuals give each district a distinct modern-Hell identity, while hidden rooms gradually reveal more about Dani and Vincent’s relationship beyond the jokes. Cosmetic unlocks and secrets provide reasons to revisit levels, although the real replay value comes from mastering a climb that rewards consistency and nerve. Fans of Getting Over It, Celeste’s tougher challenge rooms, or ball-based platforming oddities should find plenty to enjoy, and Checkpoint Mode makes it far more approachable for newcomers.