Reviewed on PC
Disclaimer: Review code provided by PR/publisher.
Every once in a while you encounter a game that seems like a good premise on paper, but the execution fails in almost all regards. Tower Princess is a prime example of this. On paper this should be my kind of game. I thoroughly enjoy roguelite games. However, this 3D rougelite platformer doesn’t hit the highs of other games in the rougelite or platformer genres. Before I continue this review I want to say that I take no pleasure in giving this negative review. Despite the response from this game I hope Developer AweKteam keeps making games.
Here the game in a nutshell. You play as a Knight and you set out to escape from a tower with a princess. At the beginning of each run you can choose which class of Knight you’d like to be; a musketeer or a swordsman. Neither were fun types to play as but the Musketeer class was brutally bad. After selecting a knight you then select a princess that will accompany you on your escape attempt. As you go through the limited areas in the game you find other princess in cages that you unlock to rescue later. These princesses have abilities that you can use to help you through your journey and you can upgrade them by giving them gifts. You go through the tower, beat up minions and bosses in your attempt to beat the dungeon and have the perfect date.
Gameplay:
Let’s talk about the game play.
One of the biggest criticisms I have about the game is the combat. If doesn’t feel well designed and it isn’t satisfying to play. Here is one thing that confused me to no end about the combat. I would never know if I was actually damaging my target. There isn’t any clear feedback to the player that indicates if hurting an enemy until the enemy dies. This game often has parts where you had to clear a room to progress. In those moments, the lack of feedback felt frustrating.
This is made worse by the game’s camera that is always trying to fight you. Do you remember the wonky camera’s that we had back in the Ps2 and Nintendo 64 days? This feels like those.
I do want highlight some things that I like about the game. I really enjoy the art style especially when it comes to the characters. I also want to shout out the games’ overall concept and the comedic style. Both are the shinning traits of this game.
Overall/Should You Play Tower Princess:
Overall my impression is that Tower Princess isn’t a game I can recommend to anyone, because this game doesn’t feel like a finished product. Tower Princess feels like a game that still in Beta. It’s a cool concept. There’s a foundation here of a game that could have been a good experience. It’s the execution leaves a lot to be desired. With poor game play, lackluster enemies, and basic areas, Tower Princess is a game that feels like an unfinished building that was labeled open to the public.
