Towerborne

Towerborne is a game that’s integrally different from Stoic’s previous work in nearly every way, but you can still feel the studio’s unique voice and personality come through in so much of the world-building and writing. It is a rock-solid beat ‘em up that can take you a long way, especially with friends, but ultimately, I hope the studio gets a chance to return to this world again, because there’s truly a spark of something even more special still hidden in the foundation.

With its pleasing aesthetic, Towerborne doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does offer a satisfying formula that has time to evolve and improve throughout its early access period. However, major questions remain as to the long-term viability of the title: the inherent repetitiveness of the genre, the interest of its scenario, its economic model, but above all the challenge of reconciling the world of casual gamers with that of regular gamers, in order to ensure the title's longevity. [Easy Access Review]

Towerborne is a lovely old-school treat, with gorgeous art, an interesting and exciting world, and chunky, enjoyable combat. Stoic has ambitious plans for this as an evolving game, with Seasons that will continue the story, add new regions to discover and enemies to battle, new abilities and more. I can’t wait to play more through Early Access and see how it grows from here. [Early Access Review]

Despite a gorgeous art style and a solid enough premise, Towerborne’s reliance on online play makes it impossible for me to play. If I’m playing solo, I shouldn’t have to rely on my inputs being sent back and forth from a server before it connects, and that’s a huge bummer. It’s the nature of the beast, though — always-online MMO-lite games like this are built to be played online and with friends, and if you’re not in an optimal location, that’s going to suck a little bit. Hopefully, with time, this problem becomes less intrusive, but for now, I won’t be going back to the game. [Early Access Review]

Towerborne may not be what fans of Stoic Studio expected after all these years, but it's still a solid beat 'em up action RPG that could be great, depending on its early access progress. [Early Access Score = 70]

As Towerborne finds its home among the clouds while protecting the remnants of humanity, it has done well so far not to get lost in them and holds plenty of potential that I personally can’t wait to see unfold. [Early Access Review]

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. [Early Access Review]