TowerFall

Genre: Platformer / Arcade

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local), 2-6 Competitive (Local)

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Review:

TowerFall is a Platformer with Arcade sensibilities where players take the role of archers fighting in an arena. The game’s action is fast and frantic as all it takes is one hit to take someone out, and what’s more, you only have so many arrows to shoot before you need to scurry to collect the ones you and others have fired.

Making things more interesting, the arena’s sides connect to each other, as do its top and bottom, meaning that if you’re at one edge, you have to be aware what’s going on around the other edge. It’s not uncommon for a player to think they’re safe only to be hit by an attack coming from the opposite side of the screen.

There’s a lot of nuance to the gameplay here, too. Players can fight using arrows, or can hop on an enemy with a Mario-style jump to take them out. There are different types of arrows, and the game’s different levels each offer different challenges that set them apart, as well as unique enemies in the game’s campaign mode. Also, players can dash in mid-air, which both gives them extra maneuverability and can also allow them to catch arrows that would have killed them.

The beauty of this game is that its incredibly solid game mechanics make it a dream to play in multiplayer, both in Co-Op and in competitive modes.

In Co-Op, having an extra player really helps, but since you are not only vulnerable to enemy attacks but also friendly fire (including your own), a lack of coordination can mean a friend’s stray bullet killing you just as easily as an enemy’s.

In competitive play, TowerFall becomes a fantastic death match, as players constantly try to out-think and out-shoot one another. This game makes for wonderful cat-and-mouse moments, with furious clashes where players each shoot a hail of arrows at one another, hunts for bonus items and arrows, and great turnaround moments.

The game’s presentation is in a simple pixellated style that works well for the game, keeping it clean and simple, but with plenty of personality soaking through everything, and with one of the best adrenaline-pumping old-school-style soundtracks I’ve heard in recent years.

If I had one criticism to point at this game, it’s that the game is damn tough, but it’s not tough in an unfair way – you always know what you did wrong to lose a life, and it’s usually pretty easy to see what you could’ve done differently. Still, the high challenge level means this isn’t a game for everyone.

The Nintendo Switch version of the game includes all content from other versions of the game, including the Ascension and Dark World expansions, and it adds in exclusive 6-player competitive support, as well as the exclusive Madeline and Badeline characters from the developer’s other game, Celeste. For those counting, this makes the Nintendo Switch version of this game the definitive version, and the one to get.

It’s been a long time since I played a game that manages to get Co-Op and Competitive multiplayer so right, and have such strong core game mechanics and a great soundtrack and a presentation loaded with personality. If it wasn’t for the high challenge level, I’d recommend this to everyone, but even as it is, it’s a damn good game, and absolutely worth getting on the Switch.

tl;dr – TowerFall has up to six players in a furious battle shooting arrows at one another or teaming up against enemies in a challenging and rewarding action-packed experience with a fantastic presentation, and with exclusive content that makes the Switch version of the game the definitive way to play it. It’s a bit on the tough side, but if you enjoy skill-based platforming and especially if you want to play with friends, TowerFall is absolutely a game you should own.

Grade: A

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