Early VerdictTowerborne hopes to bring players in for the long haul as a regularly updated multiplayer side scroller. It’s got enticing combat, fun customization options, and an absolutely gorgeous visual style. It’s yet to be seen if the multiplayer grind and a tough progression economy will make Towerborne worth investing in over timePros+atisfying gameplay loop+Well designed equipment and cosmetics+Gorgeous visuals and soundtrackCons-Even in Early Access, Towerborne is all about the grind-Linear narrative that could use more lore
Early Verdict
Early Verdict
Towerborne hopes to bring players in for the long haul as a regularly updated multiplayer side scroller. It’s got enticing combat, fun customization options, and an absolutely gorgeous visual style. It’s yet to be seen if the multiplayer grind and a tough progression economy will make Towerborne worth investing in over time
Towerborne hopes to bring players in for the long haul as a regularly updated multiplayer side scroller. It’s got enticing combat, fun customization options, and an absolutely gorgeous visual style. It’s yet to be seen if the multiplayer grind and a tough progression economy will make Towerborne worth investing in over time
Pros+atisfying gameplay loop+Well designed equipment and cosmetics+Gorgeous visuals and soundtrack
atisfying gameplay loop
Well designed equipment and cosmetics
Gorgeous visuals and soundtrack
Cons-Even in Early Access, Towerborne is all about the grind-Linear narrative that could use more lore
Even in Early Access, Towerborne is all about the grind
Linear narrative that could use more lore
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Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
Combine a healthy dose of Castle Crashers, a cup of the Simpsons arcade game, and a dash of original fantasy lore and you’ll get Stoic Games' beat-‘em-up multiplayer side scroller, Towerborne. Even though it’s a departure from the studio’s past work with the Banner Saga series, Towerborne offers a satisfying gameplay loop that’s absolutely worth a look as it heads into Early Access on Steam.
Whether Towerborne remains installed is still yet to be determined. Sharp combat mechanics and gorgeous visuals don’t completely set a game like Towerborne up for longterm multiplayer success, although Stoic Games has committed itself to adding more content throughout the game’s Early Access period and beyond.
In Towerborne, people live as refugees in a huge tower, known as the Belfry, after the City of Numbers was destroyed. I – an Ace who has lost nearly all of their memories – need to venture out from the tower to fight beasts that threaten the safety of the Belfry’s people.
Brawling for the Belfry
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Fast FactsEarly Access release date: September 10, 2024Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series XDeveloper: Stoic StudioPublisher: Xbox Games Studios
Fast Facts
Early Access release date: September 10, 2024Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series XDeveloper: Stoic StudioPublisher: Xbox Games Studios
Early Access release date: September 10, 2024Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series XDeveloper: Stoic StudioPublisher: Xbox Games Studios
The background of each of these paintings include the same unexplorable cottages, fields, and gardens featuring no secret passages or extra bit of loot. I never completely tired of seeing similar layouts and monuments in the distance, but level design choices feel as if they encourage me to pop into the inn nestled just beyond the explorable area. Not allowing me to explore some of those spaces – even part of the time – comes across as a missed opportunity.
A chasm of cosmetics
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Just because there were no secret chests with helms and swords hidden mid-level doesn’t mean there was any shortage of loot during my playthrough. Each bout with the monsters haunting the edges of the belfry and beyond left me with a robust number of helms, belts, pants, and weapons that granted me different bonuses and styles.
The excitement of digging through a bag of equipment eventually faded, as most of the gear received after a mission would need to be dismantled to create spirit dust used to upgrade other equipment. A good chunk of your time will be spent at the forge, breaking down unneeded gear. Going through my rewards after a mission began to feel like a chore at times with in-game characters even echoing this sentiment – remarking on how the Belfry’s economy even works.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Evaluating the haul after every mission was a highlight during my hours of play
Evaluating the haul after every mission was a highlight during my hours of play
It quickly became apparent that – even while combat missions were amusing – I’d be in for a grind in order to get the full Towerborne experience. Which is the biggest question mark heading into Towerborne’s time in Early Access and ahead of its eventual release on Xbox Series X in 2025. Stoic Games is clearly aimed at making this beat-‘em-up relevant for the foreseeable future; a store with founder’s packs, multiple types of currency in the form of various dusts and writs, a battle pass-like curios system, and plans for future content are all built into Towerborne now. How will the grind change going forward? Will it get better – or worse?
Stoic Games didn’t implement any systems like these with the Banner Saga – those games didn’t have any multiplayer functionality at all, in fact. While having Xbox Games Studios as a publisher should help in rolling those out, it’s difficult to say whether Towerborne will continue to evolve into a lore-rich experience in the future. But the video game that Stoic has put out for now, incomplete as it is, is at least worth the initial investment.
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CATEGORIESXbox Series XPC GamingPlatformsXbox
CATEGORIES
More about towerborneTowerborne’s evolving world and story is something its veteran MMO dev wishes he could’ve done when he worked on Star Wars gamesTowerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film”
More about towerborne
Towerborne’s evolving world and story is something its veteran MMO dev wishes he could’ve done when he worked on Star Wars gamesTowerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film”
Towerborne’s evolving world and story is something its veteran MMO dev wishes he could’ve done when he worked on Star Wars games
Towerborne’s evolving world and story is something its veteran MMO dev wishes he could’ve done when he worked on Star Wars games
Towerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film”
Towerborne is a hack and slash roguelike-meets-lore-driven MMO designed to feel like “playing a side-scrolling animated feature film”
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