Land of Towers
- January 23, 2023
- 2 Devi LLC
Get on Steam"Land of Towers" is a family-friendly VR adventure game set in the Medieval Caucasus, where you play as a watchtower keeper in a peaceful, immersive world. Engage in realistic tasks such as building ladders and crafting tools, and enjoy the meticulously crafted mountain landscapes. After completing the story, unleash your creativity in the sandbox mode.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a charming atmosphere with beautiful visuals and immersive sound design, making it a relaxing experience.
- The crafting mechanics are praised for their depth and physics, allowing for creative building and problem-solving.
- The game offers a unique experience in VR, focusing on methodical tasks and exploration rather than combat, appealing to players who enjoy slow-paced gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous quality-of-life issues, including frustrating inventory management and unpredictable physics that disrupt gameplay.
- There is a lack of polish in the UI and controls, with many players finding the mechanics clunky and the absence of smooth locomotion limiting.
- Some players find the gameplay tedious and lacking in engaging content, with the story and tasks feeling disconnected and underdeveloped.
- story20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story mode is described as short and charming, featuring a surprising ending and a relaxed pace that allows players to explore and complete tasks at their leisure. While the narrative unfolds through engaging gameplay centered on building and crafting, some players found aspects like inventory management and certain mechanics underdeveloped. Overall, the story adds a unique layer to the VR experience, though it could benefit from enhancements such as voice acting and expanded content.
“A chill, relaxing game that still manages to be a little adventure because of the story, but that story unfolds at the player's pace.”
“This is a truly unique experience in VR, and I look forward to progressing further into the story.”
“The story mode is short and cute, and had a rather surprising ending.”
“I played the first bit of the story, got to the torches and kinda gave up because it felt like tedium in a game with already tedious mechanics and I jumped into the sandbox mode to try more woodworking stuff.”
“No smooth locomotion (which was promised a year ago), no climbing mechanics, teleport only, so easy to accidentally freeze/unfreeze items, no index finger tracking, a confusing tower area in the story mode got me stumped, no vehicles, no enemies, water looks like fog up close and is not interactive at all, sticks don't burn on torches, doesn't have a very big game world to explore.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay offers a unique crafting experience with strong building mechanics, reminiscent of titles like Valheim, but suffers from disjointed mechanics and a lack of promised features such as smooth locomotion. While the atmosphere and story are praised, players find certain systems, like inventory management and the hover mechanic, underdeveloped and cumbersome. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable but marred by technical issues and a sense of tedium in some tasks.
“The promise of no-rush, peaceful crafting gameplay with a creative carpentry system sounded like exactly the kind of experience I would love.”
“It has one of the strongest building mechanics I've ever seen in a video game, just shy of Valheim.”
“The gameplay is satisfying and grounded in reality: you explore the buildings around and do some menial tasks to get to out of reach places and progress in the story.”
“There’s also a lack of logic in the gameplay.”
“Many of the mechanics feel like disconnected ideas that don’t align with the game’s intended relaxing experience.”
“No smooth locomotion (which was promised a year ago), no climbing mechanics, teleport only, so easy to accidentally freeze/unfreeze items, no index finger tracking, a confusing tower area in the story mode got me stumped, no vehicles, no enemies, water looks like fog up close and is not interactive at all, sticks don't burn on torches, doesn't have a very big game world to explore.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the beautiful visuals and polished design, others find the overall performance lacking and the ambient lighting basic. Despite some technical issues, the game features a versatile carpentry system and a captivating environment that enhances the visual experience. Overall, the graphics are highlighted as a strong point by many, though not universally praised.
“The visuals, ambiance, and physics are good.”
“It takes place in a mountain range and has beautiful visuals and sound design.”
“The best thing about this game is definitely the visuals.”
“The ambient lighting is basic, and the game’s performance is subpar given the simplicity of its graphics.”
“Had to turn the graphics down a bit to ease some stuttering.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players appreciating its immersive and methodical qualities that enhance the crafting experience. Many recommend it for those who enjoy a slow-paced environment that combines engaging gameplay with a compelling story. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“I enjoyed crafting, but mostly I was playing for the atmosphere.”
“I strongly recommend picking it up, especially if you like methodical work and immersive atmosphere.”
“Great atmosphere, story, and gameplay.”
“The atmosphere felt flat and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion.”
“Despite some interesting elements, the overall atmosphere was dull and forgettable.”
“I was hoping for a rich, engaging atmosphere, but it ended up feeling lifeless and empty.”
- stability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly with no significant bugs or glitches, particularly on the Vive Pro 2, where item handling is praised. However, there are issues with stability when attempting to freeze objects together, as one piece tends to unfreeze and fall when nailed.
“It looks and runs great on a Vive Pro 2 with wands; the item handling is superb.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, providing a smooth and immersive experience.”
“I haven't encountered any crashes or bugs, which makes for a very stable gameplay experience.”
“When you freeze two objects to nail them together, as soon as you nail one piece, it unfreezes and falls.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for its subpar performance, especially considering its basic graphics, leading some players to lower their settings to reduce stuttering. Additionally, issues with head-mounted display (HMD) movement have been reported, causing significant disruptions during gameplay.
“The ambient lighting is basic, and the game’s performance is subpar given the simplicity of its graphics.”
“Had to turn the graphics down a bit to ease some stuttering.”
“First of all, the HMD movement feels like an earthquake happens every 20 seconds, and the performance is kind of weird.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, with crafting sessions feeling particularly drawn out and unengaging. The frequent need to teleport and switch settings adds to the frustration, detracting from the overall experience.
“The stories are mundane, which is okay, but they are so far between that absolutely boring and tedious crafting episodes get lost entirely.”
“The crafting is tedious and gives you the illusion of being able to craft everything.”
“Some parts require you to use teleportation; I was playing on the glide setting, so having to swap back and forth can get tedious.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional impact of the game heightened by moments of unintended consequences, such as accidentally summoning an item from the bottom of a pile, which leads to a poignant and chaotic scattering of items that evokes a sense of loss and heartbreak.
“This happens when there is a pile of items and you accidentally summon the bottom one to you, causing a fantastically heartbreaking shower of items all over the map.”
