The Tower
- August 4, 2014
- Narrow Monolith
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"The Tower" is a survival horror game set in an 11th century English prison, where you play as a man named Elliot who must face his insanity and survive. The game has been remastered with Unity 5 for 2015, offering improved graphics and an unforgiving permadeath system. Virtual reality support with Oculus Rift is also planned.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a strong atmosphere and engaging story that draws players in, especially in the initial moments.
- The voice acting is well done and adds to the immersive experience.
- The concept of using sound to navigate through darkness is innovative and has potential.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
- Many players found the game too dark and difficult to navigate, leading to a lack of engagement.
- The game is very short and feels incomplete, with many features and content missing or poorly executed.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received largely negative feedback, with many users criticizing its linearity, lack of meaningful choices, and frustrating mechanics that leave little room for error. While the concept of using sound as a gameplay mechanic is appreciated, the execution is deemed poor, with many describing the current state as pre-alpha quality and in need of significant improvement. Overall, there is potential in the game's premise, but it is overshadowed by its current gameplay shortcomings.
“This game is based on an interesting and rather underexplored concept in video games: sound, and the potential mechanics involved in the proper usage of sound.”
“All in all, I love the concept of using sound as a gameplay mechanic, but I don't think this game does that correctly.”
“I'll start off by saying I'm 50-50 on this game because I love the mechanics and gameplay.”
“Leaving a lot to be desired gameplay-wise, this game shoves you into an unskippable, seemingly 3-minute intro of you just hanging in a room before allowing you to move on your own volition on a set straight path with no branching alternatives.”
“This is a short (15 min) alpha-quality demo level, which is terribly painful to play; it's not play, this is the worst gameplay I've ever seen.”
“Overall, interesting premise, marred at the moment by horrendous pre-alpha gameplay.”
- story11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its intriguing and immersive narrative, enhanced by strong voice acting and atmosphere. However, others criticize it for being overly long and meandering, suggesting that the focus on story detracts from gameplay and overall polish. While the narrative is compelling for some players, the presence of bugs and a need for better pacing are noted as areas for improvement.
“The voice acting, story, atmosphere, and idea are amazing.”
“The tower is an early access game that blends story, adventure, and horror all into one.”
“Very intriguing storyline right off the bat, instantly had me drawn in.”
“The whole game is just an unnecessarily long, boring story with a few areas of graphics.”
“Bugs proliferate throughout, and the plot wanders aimlessly.”
“This game is nothing but story at the moment.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its cinematic quality, impressive graphics, and effective sound design, creating a compelling blend of darkness and light. However, some players felt that it lacked a truly immersive or creepy atmosphere, with criticisms aimed at the absence of music and the frustrating navigation elements detracting from the overall experience.
“This game has given me context in my life in a very cinematic and atmospheric way.”
“The first few minutes looked and sounded fantastic with great atmosphere and sound effects.”
“A very nice and atmospheric game, a fusion of darkness and light; you will know what I mean when you play it.”
“I was not creeped out; it had no atmosphere to evoke a feeling of fear. It didn't feel like a 'darkness of the tower' so much as 'the annoying bumping into walls and pools of water tower.'”
“There was no score or music during the running around, which failed to create a sense of space and atmosphere.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the atmospheric visuals and improvements in certain areas, others criticize the overall quality, particularly in daylight scenes. Despite some beautiful graphics reminiscent of a grimrock art style, there are sentiments that the visuals do not consistently meet expectations, with some areas feeling underwhelming.
“It had good graphics and built up a great atmosphere.”
“The graphics in some areas look pretty good.”
“They took the visuals of this game miles further, which I definitely appreciate.”
“The whole game is just an unnecessarily long, boring story with a few areas of graphics.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches affecting the menu system and overall gameplay experience. Players report difficulties, such as being unable to exit fullscreen mode, which detracts from their enjoyment. Despite these problems, some users still find the game enjoyable when the issues are overlooked.
“The menu system is so buggy, you cannot turn off fullscreen either.”
“There are so many bugs and glitches.”
“A lot of bugs and glitches.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The lack of music and score in the game has been criticized for diminishing the overall atmosphere and experience, leaving players feeling disoriented and frustrated in dark environments. The absence of auditory cues contributes to a sense of isolation, making navigation challenging and less enjoyable.
“But being in complete darkness with limited sound effects, no music or score, and I'm sure I hit every wall in the dark room at least six times, was not fun.”
“No score or music during the running around to give off a feeling of space and atmosphere.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game elicits mixed feelings; while some players find solace in relating to characters who endure worse situations, others criticize the narrative as overly lengthy and dull, detracting from any emotional engagement.
“It made me feel better that at some point someone has had a worse day than me.”
“The story touched my heart and made me reflect on my own experiences.”
“I felt a deep connection with the characters, their struggles resonated with my own.”
“The whole game is just an unnecessarily long, boring story with a few areas of graphics.”
“I felt no connection to the characters; their struggles seemed forced and unrelatable.”
“The emotional moments fell flat, lacking the depth needed to truly engage the player.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to a frustrating experience even in short play sessions. Overall, players find the optimization lacking and detrimental to the game's quality.
“But no, a ~30 min game and horrible optimization issues; this game is not very good.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, with users noting that only about 10 minutes of content is available for play, suggesting a lack of depth or variety to encourage multiple playthroughs.
“As far as I can tell, only 10 minutes of the game are playable.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The lack of varied content makes replaying feel more like a chore than a choice.”
