Towerborne Review Summary

Fluid, satisfying combat system: The combat system is fluid, responsive, and impactful, making it enjoyable and addictive. Players praise the depth and accessibility, noting the satisfying combos, finishers, and special moves. The game blends beat 'em up mechanics with RPG elements, creating a rewarding experience.

Appealing art style and music: The game features a beautiful and appealing art style, often compared to anime or Ghibli films, with vibrant colors and detailed environments. The music is also highly praised, with a dynamic soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere. These elements contribute to a visually and aurally pleasing experience.

Extensive character customization options: The game offers extensive character customization options, allowing players to create unique looks and playstyles. Gear visually appears on the character, providing a sense of progression. The ability to change appearance freely and the depth of customization are highly praised.

Well-scaled difficulty and progression: The game's difficulty scales well, providing a satisfying challenge as players progress. New enemy types and mechanics are introduced, keeping combat fresh and engaging. The game rewards strategic play and encourages players to adapt to increasing difficulty.

Rewarding and diverse combo system: The game features a satisfying combo system, with each class offering unique routes and playstyles. Mastering combos is rewarding and essential for success in later levels. The variety of combos adds depth and encourages experimentation.

Repetitive gameplay, lacks variety: The core gameplay loop becomes repetitive quickly due to limited enemy variety, uninspired level design, lack of a compelling story, and shallow combat mechanics. Many reviewers mention that the game feels grindy and monotonous, especially after the initial hours. This leads to player fatigue and a lack of long-term engagement.

Broken/non-existent matchmaking, low population: Matchmaking is either broken or non-existent, leading to forced solo play and difficulty finding groups for multiplayer content. This is compounded by a low player population and a lack of in-game communication features. The absence of local co-op is also a significant drawback for some players.

Shallow progression, uninspired loot: The game suffers from a shallow progression system, uninspired loot, and a lack of meaningful character customization. Gear stats are often subtle and unimpactful, and the absence of skill trees or talent systems limits player agency. The cosmetic grind is also excessive, with unappealing non-premium options.

Limited classes, customization options: The game lacks depth in character customization, with a limited number of classes and underdeveloped subclasses. The absence of skill trees, meaningful stat allocation, and varied combat styles contributes to a sense of blandness. Many reviewers wish for more classes and customization options.

Unfair enemy mechanics, unbalanced difficulty: Enemies often have hyper armor, stun lock players, and deal excessive damage, leading to frustrating combat encounters. Boss fights devolve into repetitive hit-and-run tactics due to boss armor and unbalanced mechanics. The game's difficulty can feel artificial and unfair.

Unique classes, weapon-based skills: The game features four distinct classes, each associated with a specific weapon type that determines their skills and combat style. Gear is customizable through aspects and set bonuses, and shared across all classes, encouraging players to experiment with different playstyles on a single character.

Combo-based combat, enemy variety: The game features combo-based combat with light and heavy attacks, special abilities, and class-specific moves. Players must learn enemy behaviors and combos to succeed, especially at higher difficulty levels. The combat system has a fighting game rhythm, but can feel repetitive.

Side-scrolling beat 'em up gameplay: The game uses side-scrolling beat 'em up gameplay, similar to games like Castle Crashers and Streets of Rage, but with RPG elements like loot and character progression. The game combines elements of several genres, including MMO-lite features.

Hex-based world map exploration: The game features a world map with hexagonal tiles for level selection, similar to Civilization or Super Mario Bros. Missions are often procedurally generated and can be replayed for experience and loot. The world map has a fog of war effect, encouraging exploration.

Underwhelming, RNG-based loot system: The game includes a loot system with item drops, gear score, and affixes, but it is currently underwhelming and RNG-based. The game has a level cap of 40, and difficulty scales with gear level, with loot quality locked to the chosen difficulty.

Great optimization and smooth performance: Many players report that the game is well-optimized and runs smoothly on a variety of PC configurations, even lower-end ones. Some players specifically mention excellent frame rates and smooth performance.

Polished for Early Access: While the game is in Early Access and some minor issues are expected, players generally find the game to be polished. The developers are also noted to be responsive in addressing issues with quick patches.

Steam Deck and streaming support: The game is reported to run at a steady 60fps on medium settings on the Steam Deck with Proton 8.05 and works with Steam streaming to a handheld device. The game also runs in 4K resolution.

Performance issues on specific hardware: One player reported that the game struggles to maintain 30 FPS on a NUC mini PC, even though Elden Ring runs at 60 FPS on the same system. This suggests that the game may not be well-optimized for all hardware configurations.

Good for beat 'em up fans: Many reviewers recommend the game to fans of beat 'em ups, action RPGs, and side-scrollers, often drawing comparisons to classics like Castle Crashers, Streets of Rage, and Dungeon Fighter. Some suggest it's best enjoyed with friends, while others find it enjoyable solo. The game is praised for its engaging combat and potential for replayability.

Wait for full release: Due to its Early Access state, many reviewers suggest caution before purchasing, recommending wishlisting the game and waiting for further development, the full release, or a sale. Some reviewers specifically advise against buying the game in its current state, citing various issues and a need for more polish. However, some reviewers find it worth buying even in early access.

Consider free-to-play release: Several reviewers suggest waiting for the free-to-play release, especially given the potential for character wipes and exclusive cosmetics in the Early Access version. Some express regret over paying for early access to a game that will eventually be free. This point is important for managing player expectations regarding monetization and progression.

Excited for future updates: Many reviewers express excitement about the game's future and look forward to upcoming updates, new content, and the full 1.0 release. They are eager to see how the game evolves and are impressed with its potential. This indicates a positive outlook on the game's development trajectory.

Needs multiplayer improvements: Reviewers highlight the need for improvements to matchmaking, multiplayer systems, and the addition of missing features like skill trees and classes. Some suggest focusing on fixing game-breaking issues before adding new content. Addressing these issues is crucial for enhancing the overall player experience.

Early Access, Free-to-Play, Wipes: The game is currently in Early Access and will transition to a free-to-play model upon full release, planned for early 2025. Players should anticipate character wipes before the full release, although cosmetics earned during early access are expected to persist.

Cosmetics persist through wipes: Players are unlocking cosmetics through daily activities during Early Access. While character progress will be reset upon full release, cosmetics acquired, especially those purchased with real money, will be retained.

Potential with responsive developers: The reviewer sees potential in the game, suggesting improvements like bug fixes, UI adjustments, and more customization options. The developers are actively communicating and responding to feedback on their Discord server.

Weak story, interesting world: The game's story is minimal, consisting of a simple quest loop, and the writing is considered mediocre. However, some reviewers find the world and lore fascinating.

Four classes, gear not locked: The game currently offers four classes: Sentinel, Pyroclast, Rockbreaker, and Shadowstriker. Gear is not class-locked, and reviewers are curious about potential plans to release more classes in the future.