Tower Hunter: Erza's Trial
- September 28, 2018
- IceSitruuna
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Tower Hunter: Erza's Trial" is a 2.5D side-scroller roguelite game with smooth controls and soul-like actions. Erza, the heroine, fights her way up in a giant tower with random modules and different terrains, restarting at the original start each time she dies due to a contract with a demon. Each weapon has its own combo, and the classic order system from Castlevania is featured.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and character designs, particularly the protagonist Erza.
- The combat system is engaging, with a variety of weapons and skills that allow for different playstyles.
- The upgrade progression system is rewarding, providing a sense of growth and improvement as players advance.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including poor translations and unresponsive controls.
- The level design lacks cohesiveness, often feeling random and uninspired, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The enemy AI is simplistic and repetitive, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement during combat.
- gameplay67 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the basic mechanics and upgrade systems, while others criticize it for being simplistic, clunky, and plagued by bugs. Many noted that the game borrows heavily from titles like Dead Cells but fails to execute its mechanics effectively, leading to a repetitive and unpolished experience. Despite its potential and appealing visuals, the lack of clear instructions and the presence of game-breaking issues detract from the overall enjoyment.
“It's gorgeous, the music is wonderful, and the gameplay is very smooth.”
“Awesome experience and fun gameplay.”
“The gameplay is simple enough to just jump right in, but with the mix of chips, different weapons, and the upgrade system, I feel I am only scratching the surface.”
“The translation is clunky, the mechanics are not adequately explained, and occasionally breaks your file with a game-ruining bug.”
“Half-implemented roguelike mechanics, lack of normal combat timings, broken animations, random sets of walking in crowds, clumsy enemies, incomprehensible hitboxes of objects merging with the environment, broken map rendering, rooms piled up with platforms, lack of balance, and a lot of bugs, with graphics, collisions, as well as with the above.”
“The gameplay itself is not much better though; there are so few options as far as weapons, and the kicker is they all feel exactly the same.”
- graphics55 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the vibrant art style and colorful visuals. While some describe the graphics as "fine" or "decent," others highlight issues such as inconsistent art design and broken animations. Despite these criticisms, the aesthetic appeal and character design are often praised, suggesting that the visuals contribute positively to the overall experience, even if they are not without flaws.
“That being said, the graphics are amazing!”
“The artwork style is amazing.”
“The graphics are looking great, to be honest!”
“Half-implemented roguelike mechanics, lack of normal combat timings, broken animations, random sets of walking in crowds, clumsy enemies, incomprehensible hitboxes of objects merging with the environment, broken map rendering, rooms piled up with platforms, lack of balance, and a lot of bugs, with graphics, collisions, as well as with the above.”
“Graphics are okay... ish?”
“Art style is inconsistent.”
- music39 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as a standout feature and highlighting its enjoyable and upbeat nature. However, many players criticize the repetitiveness of the tracks, particularly during long play sessions, and note that not all audio elements are of high quality. Overall, while there are moments of brilliance, the music often fails to leave a lasting impression and could benefit from more variety.
“The soundtrack has some real bangers and the combat animations are brilliant.”
“It's gorgeous, the music is wonderful, and the gameplay is very smooth.”
“The soundtrack for each stage that I have played thus far is beautiful.”
“Instead of making sure the music tracks have decent length and enough quality to not get repetitive after hours of playtime, the game just plays them over and over again for extended periods of time, ultimately making them extremely tiring to listen to.”
“The music in the first boss battle I found very distracting; these are flaws which need improvement and should be fixed or at least noted while developing the sequel to this game.”
“Music is annoying, sounds are horrible (hearing 'are you okay???' for the hundredth time is really irritating).”
- story35 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered shallow and underdeveloped, with many reviewers noting translation errors and a lack of coherent plot progression. While some elements show potential, the narrative often feels like an afterthought, primarily serving as a backdrop for gameplay rather than an engaging experience. Overall, players are advised not to expect a compelling story, as the focus is more on gameplay mechanics and character customization.
“I did enjoy the few story parts it had, but I wish there were more of them.”
“Now to the story.. well I'm sorry guys but at this moment, I haven't gotten too far into the game, so I'm not sure.. the opening story is brief and simple, which is okay.”
“The game's story felt like it had a lot of potential that it didn't utilize.”
“There were hardly any story sections during the whole game, except for a bit of dialogue here and there, and then there was a story dump only at the end of the game.”
“The dialogue for the story is way too self-aware, and I couldn't be bothered to even read after the first 20 minutes of gameplay because of how cliché and repetitive these types of games are.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention among players, with many noting that it can be excessively tedious and repetitive, especially towards the endgame. While some players appreciate the grinding as a core mechanic, others find it frustrating and lacking in engaging content, leading to a monotonous experience. Overall, those who dislike grinding or seek a more varied gameplay experience may find the game disappointing.
“It's not really grindy; you get early unlocks pretty fast and can beat the first two bosses easily on your first run.”
“The progression feels rewarding, and the grind is balanced with plenty of opportunities to advance quickly.”
“I appreciate how the game allows for efficient grinding, making it enjoyable rather than tedious.”
“The main game doesn't last long, but allows secondary 'grinding' experience which I'll surely go through!”
“What I got was a poor attempt at a roguelike, with crazy amounts of grinding for little payoff; the 'randomization' of the rooms is barely noticeable too.”
“With all that, the core of grinding that the game is about is just not fun at all. Without any exploration or interesting things to do, it's die, respawn in town, walk to tower, spam attack from whatever weapon; it doesn't matter, repeat.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches that can hinder gameplay, such as freezing issues and problematic controls. While some users have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, others have encountered significant problems that prevent them from playing altogether. Additionally, there are concerns about the developer's responsiveness to reported bugs.
“Second bug glitches you into the wall so you can't properly jump off it and forces you to double or triple jump to get away from the wall to continue climbing up or to simply fall down.”
“-dev is unresponsive to bugs or glitches from what we've experienced.”
“The game now freezes on the 'icesea team' logo at the very beginning, so I cannot play at all.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a cheeky and relatable tone, enhanced by a hilariously poor English translation that adds to its charm. Players find amusement in the quirky AI interactions and unintended gameplay moments, making for a fun and lighthearted experience despite some technical shortcomings. Overall, the humor serves as a delightful complement to the rogue-like, metroidvania gameplay.
“The extra humor added in this game is a nice addition.”
“A fun and simple rogue-like, metroidvania combo with a hilariously bad English translation.”
“Just some funny, probably unintended interactions happening.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it high due to upgrades and achievements, others feel it lacks depth despite its roguelike elements. Fans of sidescrollers may enjoy the replay value, but the core gameplay may not sustain long-term interest for everyone.
“Upgrades are the chemistry to replay value.”
“Game is pretty good and has high replayability.”
“Replay value appears to be extremely low based on the core of the game itself.”
“As a result, the replayability of this game is lackluster, despite having roguelike elements.”
“Unlocking the achievements also offers some replay value.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally lacking, leading to issues like frequent stuttering during gameplay and slower loading times than expected. While it runs adequately on lower-end hardware, players express concerns about the lack of a reliable save system, which adds to the overall uncertainty regarding performance. Overall, while not terrible, the optimization could be significantly improved for a smoother experience.
“The gameplay is actually really fun; it doesn't strain my graphics card too much. It manages to run on a Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD5850, and while it's not perfect, it runs butter smooth on my ASUS GTX 1070 Ti.”
“Lastly, let's take a look at graphics and performance, which is based on my personal experience with my setup.”
“The game isn’t optimized very well, so it could run better and load faster considering what it is.”
“There is a bit of stuttering that happens frequently when you jump.”
“Lastly, let's take a look at graphics and performance; this is based on my personal experience with my setup.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been criticized for its reliance on caricature-like designs, which detracts from deeper character exploration and emotional engagement. The focus on aesthetics and art style seems to overshadow meaningful character growth and narrative depth.
“Even the character designs themselves come off more like caricatures or puppets.”
“Moving away from combat, I'd like to go into aesthetics, art, and character design.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is reminiscent of Castlevania, with graphics that hold up well in comparison to Bloodstained, creating a rich and engaging environment for players.
“The game immerses you in a hauntingly beautiful world that feels alive and filled with mystery.”
“Every corner of the environment is crafted with detail, creating an eerie yet captivating atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is very similar to Castlevania, and the graphics actually compare quite well to Bloodstained.”
“The game lacks a distinct atmosphere, making it feel generic and uninspired.”
“Despite the potential, the atmosphere feels flat and fails to immerse the player.”
