Towerborne Early Access Impressions

by

Towerborne Early Access Impressions

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Towerborne by Stoic Studios is a breath of fresh air. Having been a fan of their Banner Saga series, it’s fascinating to see them diving headfirst into an entirely different genre – and doing it so brilliantly!

Stoic Studios, who are famous for the Banner Saga series, are now creating a game that’s quite different – it’s called Towerborne. This game was first unveiled during an Xbox event last year and stood out as a significant shift from Stoic’s previous work. It resembles games like Castle Crashers more, featuring real-time combat and cooperative play. Recently, it has been launched in early access, and while there’s still room for improvement, it offers an engaging, captivating, and immersive experience so far.

In the game called Towerborne, players take on the character of an Ace – a formidable and talented warrior whose job is to safeguard the remaining fragments of humanity from an advancing horde of monsters. This group of Aces dwell in the Belfry, a thriving city housed within a gigantic tower, which symbolizes humanity’s last stronghold against the monstrous plague. The story isn’t overly complex at this stage, but it’s unlikely that players will be drawn to Towerborne for its narrative; instead, they’ll keep playing for the tactile, gratifying combat experiences.

Towerborne’s Gameplay Is Nigh-Impeccable

The blend of flexible construction techniques and robust combat foundations makes Towerborne particularly engaging. Players are free to select from among the four available character classes at will during missions.

  • Sentinel
  • Rockbreaker
  • Pyroclast
  • Shadowstriker

In a different wording: Despite Towerborne potentially appearing disorganized by trying to uniquely define each character class, it manages to shine instead. I’m finding it hard to pick my favorite class because they’re all exceptional. Regardless of whether a player selects the sentinel with sword and shield or the Rockbreaker reminiscent of WWE, the enjoyable and intuitive combat mechanics remain consistently appealing as you experiment with them.

Each character class has a typical structure for gameplay: they all possess light and heavy attacks, along with unique abilities. Some players might find an issue because every class is limited to a particular weapon type, leading to the same moveset. For instance, Shadowstrikers are always equipped with shortswords in pairs, which could result in a monotonous gameplay experience as time goes on. However, this potential drawback is lessened somewhat since different weapons have distinct special attacks, thereby introducing variation within each class. It’s still worth noting though.

In Towerborne, the fighting is robust, but it’s the progression that really captivates players. The game might not have the most innovative leveling system, but the straightforward advancement of each class along with the player’s overall Ace Rank provides a simple yet fulfilling experience—it’s satisfying to see those numbers climb up. It’s even better because each class levels separately, which makes players divide their time among all classes instead of favoring just one. To top it off, the gear grinding is rewarding and consistent, with each mission providing valuable rewards such as weapons and armor that frequently come with unique bonuses and traits for customizing your character’s build.

Discussing Towerborne inevitably involves highlighting its cooperative gameplay. The experience of playing with friends significantly enhances the game, particularly during tough missions that might be daunting for a single player. The rewards after each successful mission, along with a comparison screen displaying stats like kills and deaths, fosters healthy competition, encouraging you to outperform your teammates.

Towerborne
offers co-op with up to three other players.

In a nutshell, team play in Towerborne is straightforward, enjoyable entertainment. It doesn’t require advanced strategies or unique team-up moves; instead, it offers large hit areas and enemies that behave like pinballs, making it simple to coordinate combos with other players. The intense and interactive co-op levels evoke the essence of games such as Streets of Rage and the 1992 X-Men arcade game, which is quite an accomplishment.

Towerborne: A Beautiful, Developing World

One captivating aspect that stands out about Towerborne is its enchanting ambiance. The game’s melodious music and sound effects weave a whimsical tale, skillfully employing classical tunes to convey an air of timeless elegance through soothing, refined sounds. Visually, Towerborne is strikingly appealing: while each level follows a set path, the richness and vibrancy of both the background and foreground breathe life into the game, making it seem larger than its actual size. Cleverly integrated visual effects, delicate animations, and lighting all contribute to this immersive experience, maintaining freshness even after numerous missions within the same biome. I look forward to witnessing how these aspects of visual, auditory, and environmental design evolve throughout early access.

Despite the fact that Towerborne is generally free of major glitches and performance problems, it does have a few quirks, like unconventional UI design that might take some getting used to. What’s more, the game’s long-term appeal could depend on how Stoic Studios approaches additional content in the future.

Towerborne isn’t a game with a lot of complexity—one of the things that makes it appealing—but it might face issues later on if there aren’t many updates to its narrative or gameplay. Over time, the game’s straightforward structure and repetitive mechanics might not keep players engaged for long periods. Essentially, introducing new weapons, abilities, environments, or story elements could significantly strengthen Towerborne‘s solid foundations.

With Stoic Studios intending to transform Towerborne into a live-service game, enhancing its key features will be crucial for its lasting success. Intriguingly, Towerborne could potentially be the first live-service game in quite some time that I hold great expectations for. Its enchanting appeal, stunning visuals, rewarding combat system, and engaging loot collection mechanics make it an absolute pleasure to engage with, and a worthwhile investment even at its early stage. Here’s hoping it can sustain this excitement as development continues.

Read More

2024-09-18 05:43