A Promising Looter Brawler for Xbox Game Pass
It’s time for me to scribble a preview again, but before I get cracking a reminder of the rules of these pieces: these are just a report of the facts of the game in question, devoid of too much in the way of personal feeling or opinion. I’ll be saving those opinions and feelings for the full review, later down the line.
So, with that caveat in place, it’s time to talk about a game that has been causing a few ripples in the pool of Xbox gaming – Towerborne, from Stoic and Xbox Game Studios. It is being billed as a “new kind of Looter Brawler, combining side-scrolling combat with action RPG progression and endless customisation”.
Now, for endless customisation, I normally read microtransactions, and here is no different and although the game is only available as a Game Preview title, a work in progress, readily being amended, the shop to buy cosmetics and spend real money is fully operational. Just an observation…
The Belfry’s Last Hope
Anyway, leaving that fact there, let’s have a look at the rest of the game, shall we?
The story found in Towerborne is pretty interesting, featuring the well worn and time proven concept of good against evil. Apparently we used to live in a city, interestingly called Numbers, protected by a force field, until one day the force field generators were destroyed and we were forced to flee. We wound up in a tower, looking for the world like a windmill, and here the remnants of civilisation are gathered. This haven, this tower, is known as the Belfry.
Of course, these huddled masses need protecting, and that is where we come in. We are an Ace, a spirit who has died and whether by sheer bad luck or determination has been born anew, ready to carry on fighting. Handily, being born again has a way of wiping the memory, and so the whole “amnesiac hero” schtick can start again. The story is presented in a text based format, with nary a voice over to be seen, which is a bit old skool but does work perfectly well.
Towerborne’s Visuals and Areas
Presentation of Towerborne looks to be coming along nicely, with an appealing art style that feels almost hand drawn or painted. The animation of our hero(es) is nicely done, and the enemies are also a varied bunch, if a little bit cookie cutter in style – having several copies of the same enemy on screen at the same time is not all unusual.
Dive in and you’ll find that the game is split into three distinct areas, the first of which is the combat screen. This is a side-scrolling affair, much like the classic Golden Axe from back in the day, and as we stroll from left to right, thumping any enemies we come across, making it to the far side sees the mission come to an end.
The second area is the hub, the tower itself, where there are a large number of NPCs to interact with. These guys will either give you missions or allow you to buy new gear, or even reforge the gear you have:this will certainly come in handy later on. And then the third and final area is the world map, which is covered in hexagons: each hexagon requires you complete a mission to open it up, and these will then provide access to areas further away from the Belfry.
Building Your Ace
And indeed, equipping certain gear is how we choose our class when we are fighting. Starting off with a traditional sword and shield, we are a Sentinel by default, but by swapping classes and gear it is possible to become a Rockbreaker, a class based on melee attacks armed with giant gauntlets, a Pyroclast, who uses not only a massive club but also the power of fire to command the battlefield, or even a Shadowstriker, the obligatory stealthy Rogue type character who attacks with twin daggers.
Finding a class to suit your playstyle is pretty easy, and trying out each of the classes to see which one resonates with you is actually pretty good fun. I would think that fun will be amplified upon full release.
The looting part of Towerborne’s sales tactic is also pretty addictive, as every mission that you complete sees you usually walk away with new gear. As we all know from our time in the likes of Destiny 2, new gear makes you stronger, so keeping on top of your kit is vital. Equip new stuff, power up old stuff, and change the way you look: it all helps.
Towerborne also has a customary multiplayer system in place, which allows you and up to three other Aces to play together and take on more difficult missions. This can either be done online or in couch co-op, and this is another nod to the classic side scrollers of yesteryear. Having a couple of buddies come along for the ride is pretty good, and the multiplayer systems work well so far, with not much lag to be seen.
A Promising Start
As the game launched into Game Pass, as well as being free to play, there are a good number of players out there willing to help a noob like me, and while cross-play is enabled by default this also seems to work well.
So, Towerborne in Game Preview and on Game Pass is most certainly off to a promising start, and we will return to do a full on review when it launches as a full game.
For now, get over to the Xbox Store to download the game on Xbox Series X|S, mindful that it is still a work in progress. You’ll find some Silver, Gold and Platinum Founder’s Packs available if you fancy opening the wallet.
