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
Enable build diversity
Enable players to create distinct builds rather than follow a single optimal path.
Create meaningful choices
Introduce trade-offs so players cannot unlock everything.
Maintain clarity during gameplay
Ensure decisions remain readable and low-friction between runs.
Skill tree, to open grid, to flip slots
Initial approach, a linear skill tree. 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.
Exploration, an open grid system. 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 flip slot mechanic
To balance flexibility with strategic decision-making, I introduced the flip slot system, inspired by progression systems like 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
Designing the Power Upgrade screen involved balancing clarity, player feedback and system complexity. Several UI and interaction decisions were iterated on to ensure the system remained readable while supporting multiple upgrade states and currencies.
Upgrade progress feedback
Early versions used a traditional unlock/upgrade button with a horizontal progress bar, separating feedback from the slot itself. In the final design, a radial indicator fills around the hexagonal slot, so players see upgrade state directly on the power icon.
Cross-input navigation
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 input methods.
Upgrade states & visual clarity
Each power communicates its state, locked, unlocked, upgraded across levels, or fully upgraded, through colour, level indicators and icon treatment, so status is understood at a glance.
Communicating upgrade effects
The upgrade panel displays both the current and next-level effect, letting players compare the improvement before committing resources and make faster, more confident decisions.
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.
Implemented in engine
The final implemented design, captured in engine.
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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