Bluehole teased some big news for the long-in-development Ascent: Infinite Realm, and earlier today it finally happened. A:IR is being renamed Elyon - Ascent: Infinite Realm.
The Korean game developer made the announcement through a YouTube video detailing changes, as well as showcasing a little bit of gameplay while they were at it. Elyon takes the original name, Ascent: Infite Realm and makes it a subtitle, and with it has gone the tab-targeting as well, with Elyon opting for full action combat like Krafton's TERA before it.
At first glance, it looks like Elyon is retaining its Steampunk/Fantasy asthetic, which is nice to see. The gameplay in the developer video shows off players facing off against Steampunk monstrocities, as well as using mecha-style armor to attack fortresses and more.
Also changing seems to be the focus on aerial combat - something that was heavily showcased during my gameplay session back in 2017 at GStar in Busan. Instead, while it looks like it will take some of the flight mechanics previously built out (in the video there is a moment you see a developer gliding with their character), it remains to be seen how prominent a role the previous aerial focus will have in Elyon.
A new website has also been set up, touting Elyon's three major pillars of gameplay: Dynamic Combat, Skill Customization, and "Competition" which refers to (according to a translation on Google Translate) Realm vs Realm match PvP. Development seems to be humming along as well, with a Closed Beta taking place this April 11th in Korea.
This is all good stuff if you've been looking forward to Ascent: Infinite Realm since its grand reveal in 2017, however it does look like Western audiences will still be waiting anything concrete on releasing timing over here. Still, Elyon -Ascent: Infinite Realm looks interesting and we'll be tracking its development as it moves forward again. The full reveal video in Korean is embedded below for you to check out Elyon in action.
