Capsule Review: The Deadly Tower of Monsters
An isometric run-and-gun shooter set in a sci-fi B-movie. The combat and platforming are adequate if a bit unpolished, and while the upgrades and the collectibles that pay for them feel a bit superfluous the exploration to find the collectibles is actually fantastic. The game mostly consists of climbing an incredibly high tower and at any time you can look down over the edge, which gives a great feeling of progress as you look down from higher and higher up. If you see something you want when looking down, you can jump right off which feels surprisingly good due to animation that makes you feel like you’re zooming through the air even though you aren’t actually going that fast (terminal velocity being surprisingly low on this planet) and music that sounds exhilarating and free. The game also has some very exploration-friendly features so you don’t regret jumping off the tower - you can freely teleport to any checkpoint you’ve visited or instantly return to any ledge you’ve just jumped off of.
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