FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Mateo, CA - March 2, 2026
Two weeks after launching its Kickstarter campaign, Stone Story Ascension has already reached over 200% funding and is on its way to its second stretch goal.
Developed by Rex Games, Stone Story Ascension builds upon the foundation established by Stone Story RPG, the minimalist ASCII action RPG that developed a dedicated global following for its distinctive visual identity and tightly tuned gameplay loop.
What Is Stone Story Ascension?
Stone Story Ascension grows the world and systems introduced in Stone Story RPG, evolving the core experience while preserving its unique ASCII presentation and mechanical clarity.
Key Features
- Expanded Combat Systems
Ascension continues Stone Story RPG’s deceptively simple idle combat, adding more points of player autoagency and strategy. While your Stonehead does all the fighting and looting, you’ll be doing all the thinking! - Deeper Character Progression
New weapons, new skills, and new ways to empower your Stonehead will carry you through the dangerous boulevards and bastions of Acropolis. Load up your gemstones, enchant your gear, and grab those talents: your Stonehead has a long road ahead! - The Dark World and Beyond
Ascend to the sky as you leave The Dark World beyond and rise to Acropolis, the ancient city above the clouds. This once-shining gem has lost much of its luster, devolving into a ruined capital split amongst its various factions. Above all rules Adresteia, a former champion for Acropolis who now exerts her dominance from The Thundering Fortress. - A Living World of Text
The iconic ASCII aesthetic returns in Stone Story Ascension. Every single visual in Stone Story is built using text characters, whether it’s detailed backgrounds, flashy weapons, or menacing bossfights. Ascension shows just how grand and elaborate you can get with a little bit of creativity!
Building on Stone Story RPG’s Legacy
Since its release, Stone Story RPG has been recognized for its distinctive design approach: minimalist visuals paired with surprisingly deep mechanical systems. Stone Story Ascension represents a natural evolution — not a reinvention — preserving what players loved while expanding scope and replayability.
Where the original focused on distilling down the core essence of loot-based gameplay progression, Ascension introduces:
- Talents and Gemstones for greater player expression
- A fresh start with new weapons
- Tactical movement that introduces new strategies and challenges
Ascension is a standalone sequel designed for both returning players and newcomers discovering the series for the first time.
Stretch Goals & Roadmap
With the initial funding goal secured, the team is now focused on achieving its first stretch goal at $20,000 which will unlock in-game modding support.
The Stone Story community has a vibrant modding scene, thanks to a robust in-game scripting language, avid documentation, and ongoing support. However, the current way to share mods is rudimentary.. This first stretch goal is set to empower the Stone Story community by making mods more accessible, with digital distribution of mods built into the core experience.
Future stretch goals will include:
- Console ports
- Additional Legend Quests, long narrative adventures with unique rewards
Shortly after the Ascension Kickstarter campaign ends, Alpha Access begins for all those who pledged at the appropriate tier, with the game expected to shift into Beta Access around June.
Stone Story Ascension will first be released to the public on Steam Early Access later this year. Following a full release on PC, Ascension will then be ported to mobile.
Supporting the Project
The Kickstarter campaign remains live until March 12.
Players can support the campaign by:
- Backing at any tier
- Sharing the project with friends
- Engaging with development updates
Campaign Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rexgames/stone-story-ascension-a-deceptively-simple-idle-rpg/
About Rex Games
Rex Games was founded in 2014 with the goal of making games that blend the lines between genres and gameplay to create something truly unique. The team previously released Stone Story RPG, which garnered attention for its innovative ASCII visual style and tightly designed progression systems.
Media Contact
Kyle Rogacion
PR & Marketing
kyle@stonestoryrpg.com
Website: https://stonestoryrpg.com/
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4231980/Stone_Story_Ascension/
Presskit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QqYiUHt9RSppsipHuF7b4aPxe2A2YLvE?usp=sharing