GamesActionTowerborneTowerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionTowerborneTowerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Vibrant world-building and customization sits at the heart of Towerborne. In a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has taken refuge in a fortress called the Belfry, our briefTowerborne hands-onlast year revealed how the game gives the arcade beat-‘em-up genre a thoroughly modern facelift. According to Arnie Jorgensen, developer Stoic’s co-founder and chief creative officer, Towerborne has much more to it than that.
“When we founded Stoic the goal was to play to our strengths as developers,” says Jorgensen, pointing to the studio’s past work in 2D viking RPG, The Banner Saga. “We’re continuing that mindset with Towerborne and, once again, we’re leaning into solid world building coupled with a unique art style. We kept the base feeling of playing a side-scrolling animated feature film and added in-depth, fast paced combat to the mix.”
The dynamic hack and slash elements, waves of foes, and their bright red health bars overhead certainly give it a certain roguelike flourish that The Banner Saga lacked, but whether or not you’re familiar with the studio’s past work, Towerborne is a multiplayer adventure that could become one of 2024’s biggest underdogs.
Unleash the bats
(Image credit: Stoic)
Big in 2024(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
Big in 2024
(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
(Image credit: Future)
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
In Towerborne, the world around the Belfry will be constantly evolving – not only through level design and enemy spawns, but in seasonal content built around an overarching story. “I think of the world map as a candy store for the players. It’s something that they can explore and be delighted with as they stumble upon its secrets,” Jorgensen hints. “I’ve worked for over a decade on MMO’s and it’s always been the Holy Grail of development to be able to take the feedback from players and then nimbly react with updates that legitimately change the game.
(Image credit: Stoic)
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If Towerborne is both an action-RPG and a “playable side-scrolling animated feature film”, our playable characters known as Aces are the knights in shining armor whoremember their deathsrun after run. How they go about their business of monster-slaying is a matter of creating your perfect build. “Players can customize their Ace with gear, weapons, Umbral spirit beings, and Aspects,” says Jorgensen. The terms ‘aspect’ might be familiar to any fan of Supergiant’sHades, and Stoic leans into similar roguelike mechanics when it comes to the weapons arsenal in Towerborne.
Play your way
(Image credit: Stoic)
There are four weapons classes to choose from in Towerborne, “each with different combos, move sets, stats and abilities,” says Jorgensen. “The giant War Clubs are slow, heavy damage weapons that blow flames at the enemy and can ‘spin to win’. The Sword and Shield weapons are good all-arounders with defensive abilities. Gauntlets, my personal favorites, have crazy good combos and charge-up attacks that can whack baddies across the screen, while Dual Daggers are all about fast movement and single target DPS.”
Towerborne is a multiplayer adventure that could become one of 2024’s biggest underdogs.
Towerborne is a multiplayer adventure that could become one of 2024’s biggest underdogs.
Each weapon can be modded with Aspects to provide stats and powerful perks, and with Towerborne’s couch and online co-op capabilities, it seems each of the four weapon types will come in handy when slotting together the perfect fighting squad. If you’d rather play solo, recruitable Umbral spirits are always there to back you up with extra abilities.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3
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4
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5
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