It's been almost a year since we first got a hands-on with Signal Studios' action RPG Ascend: New Gods. After all those months and the recent opening of closed beta, the team has decided it's time for a name change. Just like Istanbul was once called Constantinople, Ascend: New Gods is now Ascend: Hand of Kul. So if you have a date to play New Gods, she'll be playing in Hand of Kul. When it's actually released, that is.

I've been curious about Ascend: New Gods ever since I first played it back at last year's E3. The free to play action RPG offers some interesting gameplay elements. A player's journey will feature parallel multiplayer, where players can curse or bless each other's games using Crusade Spells. These blessings include healing allies or turning their enemies into cows. You can also curse enemy players by banishing enemies from your world to theirs.

Last week, Co-Optimus broke the news that Ascend: New Gods will be coming to PC in addition to Xbox Live Arcade and Windows Phone. That information came from our enjoyable visit to the game's developer, Signal Studios in Kirkland, WA. It wouldn't be any fun to visit and just talk about the game, though; I wanted to see it in action!  Ian Scott, Ascend's lead designer, was kind enough to showcase some of the new environments and features Signal has added to the game since its June E3 demo. Check out the video after the break.

At Co-Optimus, we've always been impressed with Signal Studios' console releases. Toy Soldiers was a fine first outing, deftly mixing the tower defense and action genres with a dash of nostalgia. The follow-up, Toy Soldiers: Cold War really put the developer on our radar thanks to its addition of cooperative multiplayer. Signal's next game, Ascend: New Gods (first announced at E3) looks more ambitious than not only their previous games, but even a great many retail titles. While Ascend's initial announcement only mentioned the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone platforms, we're pleased to share some exclusive news with you today. It's coming to PC next year as well!

I saw the Ascend: New Gods trailer at the Microsoft press conference and made a mental note to check it out. Dark fantasy games have been trumping twitchy shooters for me, lately. I found the game on display in the Microsoft booth.