Power Upgrade System Design.
Between runs in Ascension, players return to the Hub to strengthen their heroes by unlocking or upgrading powers. I designed the Power Upgrade Screen, which went through several major iterations before arriving at a diamond-shaped grid representing the Evercore, where players unlock, upgrade and flip slots to build unique loadouts.
Growth vs run-to-run flexibility
Progression systems in roguelikes must balance long-term growth with run-to-run flexibility. Early versions relied on a traditional skill tree, but this limited build diversity and pushed players into predefined upgrade paths.
The goal was a progression system that let players customise their hero builds while still maintaining strategic decision-making.
Three goals
01 — Enable build diversity: let players create distinct builds rather than follow a single optimal path.
02 — Create meaningful choices: introduce trade-offs so players cannot unlock everything.
03 — Maintain clarity during gameplay: keep decisions readable and low-friction between runs.
Skill tree, to open grid, to flip slots
The system began as a linear skill tree where powers unlocked in a fixed order by rank. It gave a clear sense of progression but restricted experimentation and build variety.
We then explored a fully open upgrade grid, allowing unlocks in any order. This gave freedom but removed meaningful trade-offs, since most players simply unlocked everything.
The final direction introduced a flip slot system, inspired by the Mirror of Night in Hades. Each slot contained two possible powers; players flip the slot to choose which upgrade is active, creating meaningful choices while still allowing build variety.
Readable states & cross-input navigation
Progress feedback moved from a separate horizontal bar to a radial indicator that fills around the hexagonal slot, so players see upgrade state directly on the power icon.
Because the game supports keyboard & mouse and controller, the diamond grid was designed for predictable directional navigation on gamepad while still supporting direct mouse selection, with clear focus and hover states for both.
Each power communicates its state (locked, unlocked, upgraded across levels, fully upgraded) through colour, level indicators and icon treatment. The upgrade panel shows both the current and next-level effect so players can compare before committing resources.
Iconography & clarity
The diamond grid visually connects upgrades to the Evercore, helping players understand the structure intuitively. Distinct iconography and colour coding let players quickly identify upgrade types, and animations reinforce state changes so progression feels responsive. I created the full power icon set for clarity and consistency across categories.
Freedom with meaningful constraints
The final system balanced player freedom with meaningful constraints, enabling diverse builds while preserving strategic decision-making. The flip slot mechanic introduced clear trade-offs, encouraging experimentation over optimal paths, and combined with strong visual feedback and intuitive navigation it became a core part of the Hub experience.
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