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| We tweaked the game poster art a little... only for the sake of review art. |
Different experiences are a beautiful thing… especially when they’re fun! I say that to say… this is a new school blast from what is made to feel like the past that’s quite the fun experience. This game has a different feel from a lot of other games we play (thanks to the delivery); we respect the ambitions of the ACE Team with this game published by Atlus.
I really like how this game starts off (prior to the gameplay), and that’s not to say that I don’t like what I experienced afterwards, I just really like the way they did it. [Crash!] Don’t underestimate the game based on the cheesy delivery… its part of its charm, and if you’re a movie buff, this will most likely tickle your fancy.
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| This will be funny to some... and others, not so much. |
It’s a game listed as “Indie”, and the flow of the game feels good. They took something that had the risk of being a cluster of unfocused crazy, and used it to their… crazy advantage instead of just giving us a bunch of monsters with no direction… and actually made it work in a logical way. They went B-Movie in a game about a movie plus something that I will not mention so that you can appreciate it yourself. One of my biggest questions is if it was their intention to deliver the game like this from the start, because if so… 2 thumbs up!
You’re playing out a B-Movie as Dick Starspeed, Scarlet Nova, and… Robot as you scale the tower of monsters on planet Gravoria (and beyond)… in 3rd person and even in a weird space invader angle also, which you will become familiar with when it happens (in more ways than one).
You have stop-motion, image compositing, etc. and I don’t know… (how should I put this), it just looks awesome. You’re playing a game of a movie that’s showcasing various things you’d see on a set… back in that time period… and it has interestingly weird commentary that’s tied into that. I thoroughly appreciated the creative and entertaining approach accompanying me throughout the adventure.
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| Could you imagine seeing something like this in real life? |
You have various objectives to accomplish that increase the replay value of this game… so you aren’t just taking on enemies and bosses as you progress up the tower. Expect to go back and forth and up and down as you jump off the tower to handle your business… unlocking paths, items, objectives, and achievements. One thing that really (really) saved this game from being an exhausting experience… is the ability to teleport. It seriously saved the game for me so that I wouldn’t have to worry about going all the way back up or down the tower (keeps the steam going) as you work towards taking down… The Emperor (gwahahahaaaa).
You will be put to the test with over half-a-hundred monsters that also include boss battles.
What types of monsters can you expect? Hmmm… robo-monkeys, squid people, dinosaurs-gone-wild, alien fan-men (you will know what I’m talking about when you see them), etc.
One thing I’d like to see improved is the transition from standard 3rd person view to the vertical (top-down) camera angle. The smoother the better because I feel that there are various situations that would allow the player to benefit/react a bit more if the camera were a bit more high and wide. This would allow for players to see the enemies approaching on the platform while taking on flying enemies in that top down view angle.
I see value in this game from nearly every… angle. Visually it feels like I’m playing with action figures that are reacting to my gamepad, the story is pretty cool even if it seems crazy… and they round it out in a way that I did not expect. The music fit’s the game… bringing a sci-fi spacey feel and it definitely enhances the adventure for me.
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| Yes... that is a pirate ship back there! |
Gameplay has hack’n’slash, as well as shooting, with an RPG-like system that allows you to build up your character’s health, speed up the cool down time for special attacks, increase the damage of your weaponry, etc. and it’s optional with the ability to improve your character in a completely different way than a friend.
Replay value comes in multiple forms… because you have achievements you can obtain, hoop action (which are you jumping from various heights through rings to obtain them all), target hunting, and… the developer is still pushing to make the game even better. How? Well… the incorporation of a Hard Mode and a Co-op option (up to 4-players) is how. They aren’t going full online co-op, it’s going to remain local based on Q&A, and player 1 will control the main camera… but I give them props for giving more from an indie standpoint (because they could’ve moved on to the next project after the release was final).
To really drive home the word… value, this game is less than $20(USD). I’d say the game would be on target at $20 and up to that range of $25, but I wouldn’t dare argue about it being $14.99… that’s the cherry on top.
So if you want to get all old school sci-fi in a new school way… you may want to check this game out. We give The Deadly Tower of Monsters… 4 out of 5!
Fun factor: 4
Visually: 5
Replay value: 4
Price: 5
"4.5 / 5 Cool Points"
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