Tower of Time

Tower of Time provides a detailed combat system that requires plenty of tactical thinking, so you get good value for money. There are points which could be refined, but as it stands, this is a good game for strategy/RPG fans.

85%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

85% User Score Based on 1,384 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $2.31

Buy NowGet on Steam€20.95

About

"Tower of Time" is a narrative-driven, real-time tactical RPG set in a beautifully designed fantasy world. Assemble and lead a party of heroes to challenge the ancient Tower, where time has been imprisoned and the past, present, and future are intertwined. Experience a rich and compelling story, make impactful decisions, and engage in strategic combat against formidable foes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+33

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,384 reviews

story537 positive mentions

grinding51 negative mentions

Engaging story with intriguing plot twists that keeps players invested.
Unique real-time combat system with the ability to slow down time for tactical decision-making.
Beautifully designed environments and character models that enhance the overall experience.

Combat can become repetitive and lacks variety in enemy encounters as the game progresses.
Some characters and story elements feel underdeveloped or clichéd, leading to a lack of depth.
Technical issues such as crashes and performance drops can detract from the gameplay experience.

story
1,309 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The story of "Tower of Time" is generally well-received, with many players praising its depth, engaging narrative, and unique blend of fantasy and sci-fi elements. While some find the pacing slow and the dialogue occasionally clichéd or disjointed, the overall plot and character development keep players invested throughout the game. However, there are criticisms regarding the linearity of the story and the lack of meaningful player choices, which some feel detracts from the overall experience.
- “The story is incredible, battles are very difficult and challenging (if you play on the last difficulty), the characters are also well made with unique personalities.”
- “The story kept me going until the end, with 'battles' getting boring at about 50% of the descent.”
- “The story is engaging and unique.”
- “The story is mediocre at best, the point of it being that you have to reach the last level of the tower of time in order to save the world (yawn).”
- “The story is there, but not much more than a driving force pushing you forward into an incredibly well-built adventure.”
- “The story is convoluted, but cliché.”
gameplay
417 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The gameplay of "Tower of Time" has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its tactical combat mechanics and engaging exploration, while others criticize it for being slow-paced and repetitive. Many appreciate the unique blend of real-time and tactical elements, as well as the depth of character management and crafting systems, but some feel that the combat lacks variety and can become tedious over time. Overall, while the game offers a solid RPG experience with interesting mechanics, it may not hold the attention of all players due to its pacing and encounter design.
- “The gameplay is a unique mix of Diablo-style exploring and loot with a crafting menu that's similar to Diablo and Dota-style combat.”
- “The tactical gameplay is very enjoyable, the crafting fun, and the story very engaging.”
- “Overall, the gameplay of Tower of Time is rich, deep, very varied, and damn satisfying, one of the best formulas that can perfectly blend tradition and innovation like very few other games can.”
- “The gameplay and quests simply aren't varied enough to keep the average player hooked for this amount of time.”
- “What we have here is an 8-10 hour game, painfully stretched out to 25+ hours with purposefully tedious mechanics, such as nonstop in-game text-block 'cut scenes' which arrest control from you every 3-10 minutes in order to info dump bloated chunks of story the creators were far too lazy or untalented to intuitively tell throughout the game itself.”
- “The gameplay loop begins to get stale even on the hard difficulties as you will overpower the opposition pretty quickly if you utilize the different item/buff/abilities at your disposal.”
graphics
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
44%
2%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising the beautiful art style, detailed environments, and immersive visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some reviews noted that the graphics may not reach AAA standards and can feel somewhat dated or dark, the unique level designs and vibrant aesthetics were highlighted as standout features. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing significantly to its appeal despite some minor performance issues and a lack of voice acting.
- “The game's graphics and sound design are impressive, with detailed character models and environments that create a rich and immersive gaming experience.”
- “The graphics for an isometric RPG were nothing short of gorgeous, with each section of the massive dungeon having its own style.”
- “Absolutely stunning graphics!”
- “The fact that it is not a big-budget production is particularly noticeable in the lack of voice-overs for the characters and the graphical quality, which is not up to scratch, but it is also far from being an ugly game.”
- “The graphics and textures compare to a budget indie title from 10 years ago.”
- “While the story is okay it is told in a rather dull way and the way the graphics blend into each other just doesn't work for me.”
music
197 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and memorable qualities that enhance the storytelling and overall experience. While some players find the soundtrack beautiful and fitting, others criticize it for being repetitive or generic. Overall, the music is often described as a strong point of the game, contributing significantly to its ambiance and emotional depth.
- “The music really is beautiful, memorable, and is almost part of the storytelling.”
- “The soundtrack was very fitting and supported the game all through.”
- “The atmosphere created by the world and the haunting music is great.”
- “The audio is forgettable and I found myself turning off the audio (except during cinematic scenes) and the same more or less on the musical score.”
- “I know for a small game like this, the music composition shouldn't be a thing to criticize harshly, but it just is so boring and lackluster.”
- “The music is so empty and lifeless that I just muted it.”
atmosphere
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack, rich lore, and detailed level design. Many players appreciate how the music and visuals work together to create a melancholic and engaging experience that draws them into the story. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as beautifully crafted, with a strong emotional impact that resonates throughout the gameplay.
- “The atmosphere created by the world and the haunting music is great.”
- “From the intro on, the atmosphere captured me... the hopelessness... the 'end time feeling'... and the wonder of ages past... the heroic deeds of the champions...”
- “The game excels in the atmosphere it creates, enhanced by the very interesting lore and story and the way they are presented; this was one of the few games where I was impatiently looking forward to discover new journals and notes to find out more about the lore.”
- “This slows the game down heavily and while in some games that may be the point, I think it creates a pacing issue that had me focusing on mousing over everything instead of experiencing the atmosphere of the rooms.”
- “No, it is a lovely looking game in parts, it's a pity that there wasn't more effort put into creating an audio atmosphere.”
- “The real issue is one of atmosphere.”
grinding
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
7%
86%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the combat repetitive and tedious, particularly as the game progresses. While some appreciate the lack of traditional grinding mechanics, which allows for a more streamlined experience, others feel that the limited character customization and monotonous battles detract from overall enjoyment. Overall, the game is criticized for its drawn-out gameplay and lack of engaging content, leading to a sense of frustration among players.
- “There is a lot to read, leveling is simple and not grindy; gear is not grindy as well.”
- “Unlike most of its kind, it simply has no grinding as there's a set number of encounters per floor, which is a very nice change.”
- “There's no grinding; there's a set amount of battles with extra optional challenges you can pursue for extra resources.”
- “Your limited gold supply is a major reason you are not incentivized to freely switch up party members - gold being the currency used to level up any party members of your choosing, you are bound to prioritize the characters you use and leave others under-leveled with less stats and skill points, unless you want to grind out extra gold from challenges (which are even more tedious battles).”
- “What we have here is an 8-10 hour game, painfully stretched out to 25+ hours with purposefully tedious mechanics, such as nonstop in-game, text-block 'cut scenes' which arrest control from you every 3-10 minutes in order to info dump bloated chunks of story the creators were far too lazy or untalented to intuitively tell throughout the game itself.”
- “Tower of time is an RPG with a boring/cringey story, flat characters and most unforgivably, tedious combat.”
optimization
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing significant frame rate drops and performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems and certain platforms like Linux. While many users report smooth gameplay and minimal crashes, others highlight the need for better optimization, especially in exploration and graphical settings. The lack of incentive for gear optimization and the game's performance inconsistencies suggest that further improvements are necessary to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game runs smoothly, and I encountered virtually no crashes or instabilities in my entire playthrough.”
- “Out of all the fights in the game, only one of them feels unwinnable if you're unlucky with your loot drops, but beyond that, you could realistically beat this entire thing with enough careful planning and proper build optimization.”
- “The developer is on the right track with this game, and the optimization is pretty good.”
- “In my opinion, the graphics were great, but the music was a bit generic and elevator-sounding. The game certainly needs some performance optimization, as some areas caused significant frame rate drops for no real reason.”
- “However, performance on the Linux build is really very poor—low framerates and very sluggish compared to the Windows version.”
- “Sadly, I have to report that the game is not optimized properly at the moment I am writing this review. The game suffers from huge FPS drops and stuttering for unknown reasons, even on the lower settings.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
62%
15%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it highly replayable due to different character choices, skill combinations, and challenge modes, while others criticize it for limited replay value after the initial playthrough, particularly in terms of story content. Many reviews highlight that while there are options for replaying with different strategies or difficulties, the lack of a new game plus feature and minimal incentives for a second run detracts from its overall replayability.
- “I've only played through once and am nearing the end, but it seems like it would be replayable with different characters or different skill combinations that would alter the game considerably.”
- “Great story and the roguelite elements make it very replayable.”
- “I highly recommend this game, there is tons of content and replayability.”
- “Great storyline, good world-building lore, good graphics, average combat experience, low replay value (once you have played through once there really is nothing worth going through it again for).”
- “Sadly, there is little replay value currently.”
- “Replay value is nonexistent in my opinion, as to progress, start on easy, see what things do and then if you want to, replay the game at a harder level later.”
character development
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
44%
19%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and variety, allowing players to explore different builds and make meaningful choices that impact the story. While some reviews note that character interactions may be limited, the individual story arcs and motivations of the characters are engaging enough to foster player investment. Overall, the combination of solid writing, character design, and RPG elements contributes to a compelling narrative experience.
- “Your heroes have actual character development.”
- “It really has a lot going on with character development which makes you actually consider choices based on what the results will be.”
- “Character development is deep without being ambiguous, exploring feels open and direct, you don't find yourself wandering around aimlessly wondering what to do next.”
- “Storywise, there's not much interaction between the characters, but they do have their own story arcs and character developments; just not that much interaction with others.”
- “The character development of party members is a little bit brief, but it is enough to make the characters interesting enough that you will understand their motivations and care about them individually.”
- “Character development is deep without being ambiguous; exploring feels open and direct, you don't find yourself wandering around aimlessly wondering what to do next.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
79%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing crashes, audio glitches, and minor freezes, particularly during combat. However, others report a smooth experience with minimal bugs and commend the developers for their responsiveness in addressing issues. Overall, while some users face stability problems, many find the game to be well-optimized and largely bug-free.
- “Bug-free and just a great game all around.”
- “Puzzles make sense, and the game ran smoothly and bug-free.”
- “Runs great on Linux.”
- “The game also crashes/freezes every now and then on my high-end system, which is rather annoying, so I am now quick-saving every time I do anything really.”
- “After a battle, the audio glitches and repeats itself about 8 times in rapid succession.”
- “But there are also some FPS issues and mini-freezes at certain points.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
While some players found the game's story and combat to be boring, many highlighted its stunning visuals and a deeply emotional ending that left a lasting impact. The characters' poignant interactions, particularly regarding death, resonated strongly with players, making the experience both challenging and thought-provoking. Overall, the emotional depth of the conclusion sparked a desire for a sequel among fans.
- “When I finished it, the ending made me both very emotional and made me want to instantly play a sequel to this game.”
- “By the way, the way Maeve and Kane greeted death was heartbreaking.”
- “Gorgeous game with a stunningly emotional ending and great value for money.”
- “Boring story, boring combat; the game is just so pretty, but boring.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its witty dialogue and amusing interactions among party members, often leading to unexpected laughter. Players appreciate the blend of subtle and overt humor, particularly in the context of old-school RPG mechanics, which adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that enhances player engagement.
- “The dialogue, while sometimes excessive, made me laugh out loud far more frequently than I expected any game to do.”
- “Seeing the interaction between your party members is pretty humorous at times, and it's nice that you can step in if you so desire and make them do certain things or just let them argue it out themselves.”
- “Great old school RPG with funny battle mechanics.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as genuine, focusing on creating a meaningful experience for a dedicated audience rather than exploiting players for profit, which contrasts with typical cash grab tactics. However, some players note that the characters feel clichéd, suggesting a lack of originality in certain aspects of the game.
- “One thing made clear is that the developers made this game for a specific audience, a game for a gamer to fall in love with, and not just another cash grab to fill a developer's wallet.”