Elengard: Ascension

Elengard: Ascension

Early access since Jan 2026

Embark on an epic adventure to rise to power in this new Real-Time-With-Pause medieval fantasy RPG that combines action and strategy mechanics. Fight a lot, explore, choose how you fight, configure your abilities, create powerful builds and combos. Awaken your true power!

78% positive · 118 reviews
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned
Not yet
In early access, content still planned
High confidence
Content Planned

Where to buy

Steam $24.99
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Evaluation

Elengard: Ascension entered Steam Early Access on January 19, 2026, developed solo by Stèphano M. M. G. after roughly 3.5 years of prior development. At launch, the developer stated clearly that the game will be finished regardless of Early Access sales — funding affects polish and speed, not whether it gets completed. The game has been updated at a remarkable pace since launch. In the months leading up to August 2026, the developer shipped several major updates: update 1.11.0 (April 21, 2025, pre-EA) added 31 new abilities for melee fighters; update 2.0.0 (June 12, 2026) introduced new magic combat skills, new spells across multiple trees, major mechanic overhauls including exhaustion, bags, and weapon sets; update 2.2.0 (July 2, 2026) added customizable difficulty levels and a new enemy type. Feature patches and bug fixes have continued to arrive on top of these, with the most recent communication on July 3, 2026. On March 7, 2026, the developer published a detailed roadmap. For 2026, the focus is on completing ability trees, overhauling AI, redesigning the UI (including controller support), reworking the inventory system, and further optimizations. For 2027, the emphasis shifts to audiovisual polishing and narrative improvements — new and revised quests, dialogues, and events. The developer was transparent that these are goals rather than locked schedules, but the commitment to a 1.0 release is explicit. The game remains in active Early Access with a clear and publicly stated development plan still in progress.
Evidence
Major update 2.2.0 ships: customizable difficulty levels with six new options, a new enemy type, quality-of-life improvements, and balancing changes.
news post · Jul 2, 2026 source content shipped
high
Major update 2.0.0 ships: new magic combat skills, many new spells across fire/feyzir trees, mechanics overhauls (exhaustion, bags, weapon sets, dodge animations). Post notes ability trees are still not completed and further improvements to Lightning and Druid trees are still ahead.
news post · Jun 12, 2026 source content planned
high

Media

Details

Publisher
Stèphano M. M. G.
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Players
Single-player

About this game

This is a Real-Time-with-Pause RPG, in the style of Dragon Age Origins and Neverwinter Nights, but more focused on combat and with some elements of action RPGs. It is neither a “Hack and Slash” nor a Soulslike.

Combat has two modes:

  • Automatic: you order the attack and the character attacks on its own, just like in the classic CRPGs mentioned above.

  • Manual: you need to click for each attack and press a button to defend, which is similar to an action RPG, albeit with significant differences.

Basic features:

  • Combat: Real-Time-with-Pause

  • Dialogues: multiple choice dialogues

  • Quests: main quests and side quests

  • Character customization: appearance customization (including gender) and equipment. Possibility to equip various items, which appear visually (only clothing/armor and weapons, jewelry does not appear, for now)

  • Trade: buying and selling items

  • Item crafting

  • Item enchanting

Main features:

  • Ability/Skill Tree: massive ability tree, with no level restrictions and no class restrictions, allowing for the creation of various builds and combos, and unique play styles.

  • Ability configuration: configure several features of abilities (especially spells), such as power, range, radius, and more.

  • Ability actions: some abilities have actions that can be performed while using the ability, for example, when creating an Electric Orb, it is possible to use the Shock action or the Cast action.

  • Choose how you fight: strategically choose which combat actions, modes and stances to use depending on the situation. Would you prefer to defend yourself by blocking, spending little stamina but running the risk of being staggered by the impact of the blow? Or would you rather spend more stamina dodging? Are you going to use area attacks against a group of enemies, at the cost of reducing the chance of a hit, or are you going to kill them one by one? Will you use swing attacks, causing more impact, or would you rather use straight (thrust) attacks, taking a greater risk of missing, but causing greater potential damage? Will you wield the weapon with one hand or two? Will you attack faster or stronger? Will you be more aggressive or more defensive? In short, there are many possible strategic choices.

  • Ascend in power: become stronger and stronger, to the point of becoming an epic character, comparable to a demi-god. There is no character level limit, although the XP is finite in the Early Access version.

  • Explore: explore a beautiful semi-open world, highlighting the contrast of light and darkness, with an appearance inspired by The Lord of the Rings and Dragon Age: Origins.

  • Archetypes System: archetypes are like classes in other RPGs, but you don't choose an archetype in order to choose abilities. Instead, you are free to choose any ability, but some abilities are associated with archetypes. Acquiring archetype abilities can increase the archetype level, which can provide some bonuses.

  • Archetypes inspired in D&D classes: the archetypes are inspired by the classical D&D classes, but built in a different way. To date, the game features the following archetypes: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Priest, and Druid.

  • Visual elements responsive to mechanics: animations are strongly interconnected with combat mechanics (i.e., if you dodge an attack, the animation shows a dodge, if you block, the animation shows a block). Visual effects will also be coherent to the spell behavior (e.g., effect increases with spell power).

  • Single player x Multiplayer: the development is aiming on singleplayer, with a strong intention to extend it to multiplayer in the future.

Initial historical context:

You start out living a peaceful life in a simple village, in a beautiful place in harmony with nature. But something feels wrong. You are only a shadow of yourself in this place. You feel that there is something out there in the world that will make you find your true self and fulfill your purpose. Soon, you discover that you are the bearer of a curse, capable of killing you and the people around you. They say it's a punishment from the gods for sinners. But you are not a sinner. Is it really a curse? As you set out on a quest to find a cure, you discover a darkness that grows in the land and corrupts everything it touches. You feel drawn to it, almost as if it were your responsibility to fix it. But why? And how can you fix the world without fixing yourself? Dark forces arise and pursue you. All this leads you on an epic adventure full of challenges and mysteries, fighting for survival and in search of power and answers about yourself and the world.

Last evaluated Aug 15, 2026
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