Scarlet Tower

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"Scarlet Tower" is a rogue-lite action adventure game where you climb a cursed tower to defeat an evil sorcerer. Gather resources, upgrade your equipment, and make decisions that affect your journey in this procedurally generated world. Battle a variety of enemies and powerful bosses using melee combat and magic abilities. Can you survive the dangers of the Scarlet Tower and save the worldscope?

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 525 reviews

graphics45 positive mentions

grinding25 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and art style that enhance the gameplay experience.
Engaging gameplay with a variety of characters, abilities, and progression systems.
Regular updates from the developers show commitment to improving the game.

Game balance issues lead to frustrating difficulty spikes and unresponsive mechanics.
Many bugs and performance issues detract from the overall experience.
Lack of clear explanations for abilities and progression systems can confuse players.

graphics
80 mentions
56 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, unique art style, and polished effects, often compared favorably to "Vampire Survivors." Many players appreciate the gothic and Lovecraftian themes, as well as the vibrant animations and character designs, although some note that the visual clutter can become overwhelming during intense gameplay. Overall, the aesthetic appeal and quality of the graphics are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the game's enjoyment.
- “The graphics are truly beautiful on occasion, with some stunning visual effects that really hit the spot!”
- “Aesthetically, the game is phenomenal; everything seems to have a glow to it and it reminds me of the eye-catching aesthetics of games like Geometry Wars back in the day.”
- “The art style is immaculate, gorgeous.”
- “Also, the allies spawn on top of you and cause confusion; I wish they were more distinct in their artwork.”
- “The maps are smaller it seems, the graphics are kind of off... everything else is a bit more stylized.”
- “Don't be fooled by the pretty visuals; this is a very amateurish bargain bin vampire survivors clone made by people who I don't think play video games (or at least not good ones).”
gameplay
73 mentions
34 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of familiar mechanics from the vampire survivors genre, featuring unique elements like a profession system and a day/night cycle that affects enemy spawns. While many players find the core mechanics enjoyable and addictive, there are concerns about balance, clarity of upgrades, and some unpolished aspects that can lead to a grindy experience. Overall, the game offers a solid, albeit flawed, gameplay loop that can be rewarding with time and practice.
- “I love the weapons, enemies, art style, and mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and rewarding.”
- “The gameplay loop is fun, love the day/night cycle and level up mechanics.”
- “Some of the mechanics/tooltips are a bit overwhelming.”
- “The gameplay is bland and uninspired, as though we've seen it a dozen or more times before, but if you give in to the urge to yawn, something will kill you before you've recovered.”
- “The mechanics are very poorly explained, there is no way to know which fusions are possible, or which item will allow for a fusion; tooltips are often useless or incorrect.”
grinding
27 mentions
7 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
93 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the game features a significant amount of grinding, often described as tedious and repetitive, with minimal rewards for the time invested. Players express frustration over unclear mechanics and a lack of substantial progression, leading to a feeling of monotony. While some enjoy the grind as part of the genre, many feel it detracts from the overall experience, suggesting that improvements could enhance gameplay.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, it's grindy and repetitive quickly.”
- “What you end up left with is very meager increases in power for an extensive amount of grinding, and that is not satisfying in my opinion.”
- “Too grindy, passive upgrades don't really do much, every run feels the same, mechanics aren't well explained, there are bugs (I once got stuck with a pop-up window, restarting the game helped).”
music
23 mentions
43 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received praise for its ability to create an engaging atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the great soundtrack and catchy themes that linger long after playing. However, some players noted issues with repetitive tracks and a lack of variety, particularly in comparison to similar games. Overall, while the music complements the game's aesthetics well, there are calls for more diverse audio options to enhance the experience.
- “You did a stellar job creating the right atmosphere, music, characters, & weapons for a game like this.”
- “A fine bullet heaven with flashy effects, killer music, and some rad character art reminiscent of Astral Ascent.”
- “The games current strong point is its aesthetics, visuals are amazing, music is great, game runs smooth overall.”
- “This review is being written in all caps so you can hear it after being deafened by the title screen music.”
- “For the love of god, please balance the title screen music to match the rest of the audio.”
- “Unfortunately, while the music doesn't sound bad it also is limited and sounds repetitive fast.”
story
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally perceived as lacking, with some players noting the absence of a cohesive narrative. While there are mini-quests and environmental storytelling that enhance immersion, many feel that a more substantial story would improve the game's longevity and engagement. Overall, the potential for a compelling plot exists, but it remains underdeveloped.
- “Mini-quests, activities, and other environmental storytelling events make some unlocks more immersive in-universe.”
- “Re-rolls and other perks can be found during runs in the environment, another in-universe bit of storytelling that sets it above others in the genre.”
- “Very interesting and promising game; the plot and the beauty of the game are impressive. With work, it can be consolidated very well.”
- “The story aspect is something that's lacking from a lot of these types of games, and yet I think it's just as important for the longevity of the game as the fun gameplay, as it gives you intrigue about why you're doing what you're doing.”
- “I wish the variety of mission allies you were able to have join was a lot larger.”
- “Missing some sort of story.”
optimization
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame rate drops, and crashes, even after extended play. Despite its appealing art style and potential, many feel that the game is poorly optimized for its time in early access, leading to a frustrating experience. While some users acknowledge the visual polish, the overall consensus is that optimization remains a major concern.
- “I love the action-survivor genre, but if you're looking for something new that is still in development, I would recommend Rogue Genesia, which has a wealth of options and builds even if it also has late-game optimization issues.”
- “While there are still some big performance issues, the visual polish of the game is undeniable.”
- “The game has a lot of bugs and performance issues, but I see a lot of potential.”
- “Even on my second run, I was already getting performance issues with the game stuttering too.”
- “I'm assuming this is terribly optimized.”
- “As others have mentioned, the game seems to be poorly optimized for having been in early access for over a year.”
character development
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its unique and visually appealing designs, which are both stylish and not overly sexualized. Players appreciate the variety in character abilities and customization options, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. The combination of solid design and diverse talent options contributes to a fun and engaging roguelike experience.
- “Game is a lot of fun with great character design, awesome looking abilities and spells, and tons of customization.”
- “Solid survivors roguelike, decent meta, lots of talent options, good character designs, dash/ulti and not just running in circles.”
- “The gothy style graphics and character designs are amazing.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “I found the characters to be one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with them.”
- “There is little to no backstory provided, which leaves the characters feeling underdeveloped.”
stability
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report that the latest release (0.0.5) is stable and bug-free, others experience significant issues such as freezing enemies, miscalculated damage formulas, and various bugs affecting gameplay. Additionally, there is frustration over a lack of communication from developers, leading to concerns about the game's future.
- “Release 0.0.5 is stable and bug-free as far as I can tell so far!”
- “Fun game, pretty buggy and huge lack of communication from the devs to the point where people think it has been abandoned, but apparently a massive patch + DLC is coming this month.”
- “Others range from damage formulas being in raw code, numerous misnumbered % per talent point errors, boss/elite enemies just freezing up, and my favorite...buggy chests.”
- “Upgrades are buggy.”
replayability
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game attempts to enhance replayability through achievements and progression mechanics, introducing new characters and enemy types. However, it is criticized for offering significantly less content and replayability compared to similar titles like Vampire Survivors, suggesting that further updates and improvements are needed to attract casual players and boost longevity.
- “Basically just Vampire Survivors with a couple of cool ideas and an attempt to add replayability through achievements and lots of progression mechanics.”
- “New characters, new enemy types, boss fight types, and map visuals can be worked on to enhance replayability.”
- “The game is getting updates, and with some changes, it could attract casual players, which would significantly increase its replayability.”
- “Although this game is graphically better than Vampire Survivors and includes some cool features such as being able to turn off auto aim, it offers less than 1/10th of the content and replayability of that game.”
- “All in all, the game is getting updates; however, it needs some changes to attract casual players, which will increase its playability and replayability.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its effective integration of music, character design, and weaponry, all contributing to an immersive and engaging experience.
- “You did a stellar job creating the right atmosphere, music, characters, and weapons for a game like this.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by clever and unexpected elements, such as the amusing concept of using the Bible as a paladin weapon, which adds a comedic twist to the gameplay by allowing players to "bible bash" their enemies.
- “The Bible is a paladin weapon, not a priest weapon (though it doing physical damage is hilarious— I guess you're literally Bible bashing your enemies).”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy includes promotional content highlighting visual changes to the forest map, suggesting a focus on seasonal or time-based updates to enhance player engagement.