I only played the boardgame is ascension 0 and I feel like the experience is the same as playing the videogame in ascension 0. The early encounters are very easy and provide no challenge. Monsters in early encounters have 3-9 HP, each attack deals 1 HP. It gets more interesting in the second act.
The game provides you with a way to start the game immediately in the second act. You can skip the first act altogether if you don't find it interesting.