Surprisingly, Hell Maiden marks a massive shift for the team. They’re taking the famous setting from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy to create a horde survival rougelite deck-builder. It will be interesting to see how the team approaches this new genre. This is where we asked them about the game’s features, its tarot-inspired card system, when to expect the first demo, and if their iconic anime graphics will still be present.

In Hell Maiden, you play as Dante who inexplicably finds herself back in Hell after already reaching Paradiso, her memories completely wiped. Determined to claw her way back to Heaven and uncover the truth, she’s joined by the wise Roman poet Virgil and the saintly Beatrice. Your journey takes you through the nine Circles of Hell, where you’ll face swarms of fiends and bosses. You’ll build your arsenal by collecting, stacking, and merging tarot-inspired cards.

The game is set to release on PC via Steam with no current date, and the developers describe it as “Touhou meets Vampire Survivors”.

Hell Maiden is described as an original retelling to Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. What inspired you to reimagine this classic work as a horde survival deck-building game with an anime-inspired twist?

The idea was initially proposed by our creative director, Kira (António Lopes), based on his own original character designs for two of the main characters of Dante’s Divine Comedy — Dante and Beatrice. This spontaneous character design exercise was what kicked everything off and led to the creation of Hell Maiden.

As fans of the horde survival genre and games such as Vampire Survivors and Halls of Torment, we decided to pair it with another much beloved genre among our team members, deck-building, to create an unlikely combination of mechanics that work surprisingly well together.

Anime being an integral part of our artistic expression, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reimagine Dante’s Divine Comedy with an all-female cast, which lines up perfectly with our studio’s previous titles. More than a retelling, Hell Maiden is mainly a sequel that picks up from where the original poem left off.

Your previous titles Pocket Mirror and Little Goody Two Shoes leaned heavily into horror and narrative-driven RPGs. What motivated the shift to a more action-packed genre?

The team had been itching to explore other genres that involved more action and fast-paced gameplay ever since the development of our previous title, Little Goody Two Shoes. While we’ll forever love the horror RPG genre and would be happy to revisit it in the future, we consider it’s the right time to expand our horizons and explore other genres, ideas and possibilities for our small studio. Personal taste and creative vision weren’t the only factors going into Hell Maiden’s creation and genre choice.

As an independent game development company, we feel ready to explore not only different creative avenues, but especially the possibility of self-publishing. After Little Goody Two Shoes, we decided to aim for a project that makes the most of our in-house strengths, skills and abilities in order to develop a game that’s more in line with what we can accomplish independently at this point in time.

Dante is portrayed as a female character who has lost her memories and is back in Hell after reaching Paradiso. What can you tell us about her character?

Hell Maiden’s Dante is rather different from the original poem’s protagonist: from her motivations to her circumstances. Contrary to the original Dante, our protagonist isn’t solely motivated by the prospect of meeting her beloved, Beatrice, in Paradiso and instead is moved by a strong sense of justice and determination to get to the bottom of why she was cast out of Heaven.

While the original poem’s protagonist personality encapsulates common and universal traits, our Dante is unreasonably determined, passionate and incredibly willful. She isn’t easily swayed by her emotions, nor is she intimidated by her opponents — no matter how tough. The one trait she does have in common with the original Dante, however, is her prideful nature.

The game features a cast of characters like Virgil, Beatrice, and the Poets of Limbo. How did you decide which figures from Divine Comedy and history to include?

Virgil and Beatrice are integral characters of the original poem and we couldn’t go without including them in our main cast. All other characters, however, were directly mentioned by Dante.

Right at the beginning of Inferno, Dante lists a series of virtuous poets, polymaths and philosophers (among others) from antiquity whom he admires. Virgil, Ovid, Homer, Lucan and Horace are among the most virtuous of all which made our decision to include them as the five main Poets of Limbo rather straightforward.

While Dante’s list is quite extensive, we’re taking our own liberties and including others with similar characteristics to the canonically included historical figures as well. The same doesn’t apply to the antagonists, however, as they’re all canonical residents of Hell.

The graphics feature that unique anime style you showcased in Little Goody Two Shoes. Do you now consider this your signature style, or is it simply a style you’re comfortable working with?

Our visual identity is very much intentional and unique to our studio — more specifically to our creative director, Kira, whose personal style in illustration and design shapes our games’ visuals. In that sense, it is very much our signature style although we collaborate with different artists for our games and often enjoy working with mixed media elements as well.

We’ve been experimenting with 3D as of recently, so there’s still plenty of room to experiment with and explore our signature style!

What’s the current state of the game, when can we expect its release, and when might the demo be available?

While we don’t have a release date yet, we’re currently working hard on a demo version of Hell Maiden which we’re hoping to release soon. In a general sense, the game is still in early development, but we’ll be keeping everyone updated with our every move!

Moving onto the gameplay, can you walk us through the process of designing the tarot-inspired card system? How do Spirit Cards, Weapon Cards, and Mod Cards work together?

Hell Maiden’s card system is meant to provide players with unique skills throughout each run. There are two types of Spirit Cards — Weapon and Mod Cards.

Weapon Cards empower players with unique skills and abilities. For example, Dante’s signature Weapon Card, “Blazing Quill’, unleashes a close ranged attack upon players’ targeted enemies. Other Weapon Cards include different abilities such as periodically summoned lightning bolts and spikes, energy spheres that surround Dante’s character sprite and damage surrounding enemies, projectiles, among others.

In order to enhance the chosen Weapon Cards, players will be able to equip them with Mod Cards which, as the name suggests, modify that weapon’s attacks — from increasing attack speed, damage and area, to imbuing them with status effects such as poison, burn, slow, etc.

We’re also developing other ways players can influence and diversify their runs with meta-progression mechanics, Spirit Cards you can acquire after defeating certain bosses, a perk system and more! We believe Hell Maiden’s deck-building will be exciting for players to tinker with and explore.

The Poets of Limbo, like Homer and Ovid, provide Blessings and Signature Weapons. What do these characters bring to the gameplay?

In one word — complexity. All Poets of Limbo have their own Signature Weapons which are unique to them. These open up a myriad of possibilities throughout each run by allowing players to experiment and tinker with different card combinations. The same applies to their Blessings which are character-themed card pools which offer Mod Cards that are unique to each Poet.

As such, players will be able to mix and match Weapon and Mod Cards from various different pools to create truly unique combinations. The more Poets players rescue from the depths of Hell, the more cards they’ll have at their disposal!

Do you plan to make Hell Maiden highly replayable to keep players returning, and since it’s releasing in Early Access, how often do you intend to update it?

Yes, we’re focusing a lot on replayability and making sure the game remains fun throughout with new cards, features and characters to unlock!

This also applies to the narrative’s progression — from side quests that further expand on the lore, to new interactions with the Poets of Limbo after each run and even new dialogue every time players revisit bosses they’ve already defeated.

Our plan for Early Access is to update the game regularly and keep a close relationship with our community to make sure we’re maintaining a good pace while simultaneously addressing players’ concerns, bug reports and suggestions. At this point in time, we cannot say how often we’ll be making updates, but we’ll most definitely keep everyone updated!

Is there a unique mechanic you’d like to highlight, something you’re particularly proud of?

Just like all our other titles, Hell Maiden is very near and dear to our hearts.

One of our flagship features for the game is its deck-building elements which bring a new and fresh take into the horde survival genre. We’ve been having a ton of fun playing around with the different combinations of attacks, buffs and enhancements this system allows for. It’s a really magical experience when the game you’re making turns out to be genuinely fun and compelling!

The addition of a complex and gripping narrative is also one of Hell Maiden’s unique features we’re most proud of as it’s something we haven’t seen being done before in the genre.

Dante’s Divine Comedy is the perfect fit for something like this and we’ve been having a lot of fun deconstructing and redesigning its narrative into something that’s playful and lighthearted while also retaining all the passion, earnestness and sincerity we’ve weaved into our previous titles’ storylines. All in all, we’re very excited about Hell Maiden as it’s allowing us to explore new possibilities while still retaining 100% of our identity, self expression and signature style.

Why did you decide to go with Early Access? What can you tell us about bosses and enemies we’lll face in the game?

There are two main reasons why we think Early Access is the right choice for Hell Maiden.

Having worked alongside publishers for previous two titles, we’ve reached a stage in which we feel ready to follow our own path and release a game independently. As such, our fans’ support is now more essential than ever as we’re relying solely on our growing community to take AstralShift further.

In that same vein, working alongside our community is priceless to us and Early Access allows us to do just that by involving players in the development process to a certain extent. As independent developers we’ll be able to freely take in and implement feedback from fans and keep a closer relationship with everyone on our own terms.

As for the opponents you’ll fight throughout the game all we can say is that we hope you’re good at bullet hell games!

What’s your view on the gaming industry overall? Are you seeking a publisher for Hell Maiden, or will you self-publish it?

Our goal is to self-publish Hell Maiden for both the sake of independence and autonomy, but also for financial reasons.

Game development was never easy, but it has recently become even tougher to stand out even when we do our best every day and we’re very glad that AstralShift’s charm continues to reach so many people even in today’s climate.

Now more than ever we need our fans’ support to be able to further grow our studio and continue to deliver what’s expected from us and what we love doing the most — creating immersive, visually stunning and narrative-driven gaming experiences!

The post AstralShift Reveals More About Hell Maiden, Project Which Combines Anime and Vampire Survivors Gameplay first appeared on IndieGames.

In Hell Maiden, you play as Dante who inexplicably finds herself back in Hell after already reaching Paradiso, her memories completely wiped. Determined to claw her way back to Heaven and uncover the truth, she’s joined by the wise Roman poet Virgil and the saintly Beatrice. Your journey takes you through the nine Circles of Hell, where you’ll face swarms of fiends and towering bosses. You’ll build your arsenal by collecting, stacking, and merging tarot-inspired cards.

What sets Hell Maiden apart are the Poets of Limbo, legendary figures like Homer, Ovid, and Lucan, who lend their Blessings and Signature Weapons to your cause. Each poet offers unique perks, abilities, and ultimate attacks, letting you mix and match for unstoppable builds. The game’s visuals are amazing too, brilliantly merging nostalgic 2000s pixel art with a modern flair.

Hand-painted environments and dynamic 2D animation really make combat stand out, while the all-female cast, inspired by the charm of Touhou Project, adds a playful edge to The Divine Comedy’s themes. With multiple bosses, branching paths, and endless card combos, it’s a game built for replayability.

The post AstralShift Leaves Horror Behind for Hell Maiden, a Deck-Building Trip Through Dante’s Inferno first appeared on IndieGames.

Elsie takes you to the planet of Ekis, a place filled with natural beauty and incredible scientific wonders, but one that’s now on the brink of disaster. The story kicks off with a scientist named Dr. Grey. He created high-tech androids called Guardians, powered by something called the Arclight Core, to handle the planet’s wild natural disasters. For a while, they were like superheroes, bringing peace by controlling the elements.

But then, without any warning, the Guardians just vanished. That’s where Elsie comes in. She’s a one-of-a-kind android built for one mission: track down the missing Guardians and save Ekis from completely falling apart. The gameplay in Elsie is a mix of intense bullet-hell action and the endless replayability you expect from a roguelike. You’ll be dashing, diving, and shooting your way through neon-drenched levels, needing lightning-fast reflexes to parry enemy attacks.

The team at Meridiem, who are putting out this physical version, are even making it extra special with a unique case, a sticker sheet, and a character book.

The post Elsie – Magitek Edition donosi neonom nabijeni kaos na konzole u srpnju first appeared on IndieGames.

You’ll be drawing cards to see what kind of monster hordes you’ll be facing, and as you play, you’ll unlock new heroes, weapons, and encounters. The mysterious Dealer from the original games is back too, making things even more challenging. It’s like they took the deckbuilding from Hand of Fate and mashed it up with a top-down shooter where you’re dodging tons of bullets.

Get ready to build your deck to earn tokens and unlock more cards, so your arsenal keeps growing with each run. There are also text-based events and quests that can have surprising outcomes, and they can even give your weapons powerful buffs. From axes that set things on fire to crossbows that explode, you’ll be collecting and upgrading gear to unleash serious damage on enemy waves as you explore familiar and new places from the Hand of Fate universe.

The post Hordes of Fate Brings Bullet-Hell Deckbuilding Action, Demo Out This Thursday first appeared on IndieGames.

What happens when you mix a cozy vibe, classic arcade-style gameplay, simple yet engaging dodge-focused combat, and the thrill of stacking tons of spaceships on one screen? You get The Art of Flight. I first tried the demo last year, and it was a mess plagued by bugs and unbalanced gameplay. But the full release? It absolutely delivers, exceeding my expectations.

Tun twist on the shmup genre

The Art of Flight is a singleplayer and local co-op arcade shooter with roguelike twists, featuring modes like Endless, Defend, Pacifist, Slalom, and Versus. Its unique hook, controlling multiple ships at once, delivers fast-paced, strategic moments as you dodge enemy waves, grab power-ups, and chase high scores on leaderboards.

You pilot a squadron of ships as a single unit, each equipped with standard fire, lock-on missiles, and a boost for swift movement. The unique “Solo” mechanic lets you pause time for all but one ship, letting you reposition them individually to dodge bullet-hell patterns or sacrifice ships to save others, creating heartfelt moments of sacrifice and camaraderie. But some levels can feel unfair, overwhelming you with enemies that decimate your squadron, often leaving just three or fewer ships to face tough bosses. This balance of feeling powerful yet vulnerable is compelling, but the frustration builds as you progress through more episodes.

The core of The Art of Flight is the Endless mode, a roguelike campaign where you fight through randomized stages. Other modes spice things up: Defend has you guard a central ship, Pacifist Mode emphasizes dodging without shooting, Slalom challenges you to fly through rings, and Versus Mode pits two-to-four players against each other. While these modes are enjoyable, they don’t match Endless Mode’s depth, and Versus Mode’s multiplayer focus can feel limiting for solo players.

“There are multiple modes to play and check out.”

Multiplayer shines way more than singleplayer

In the game, you face everything from tiny drones to rockets that follow you, with randomized waves and stage orders keeping each run new, thus the rougelike structure. Power-ups like shields or multi-shot upgrades, grabbed during combat, add risk-reward choices which are rare but impactful. You can also fly through rings to boost your score or destory everything around you, which matters when you die, as your final tally, based on enemies and bosses defeated, ranks you on a shared leaderboard.

The Art of Flight supports both controller and keyboard, letting multiple players jump in for local co-op, where each controls separate ships for a genuinely fun experience. If a player loses all ships, teammates can revive them by rescuing captured ones. However, the lack of online co-op limits its multiplayer appeal. It’s not a game you’ll play for hours on end, but one you’ll happily return to now and then. Surprisingly, it captures a cozy, nostalgic arcade vibe with its chill atmosphere, despite lacking high-energy music.

It embraces a minimalist, retro 2D art style with a vibrant sci-fi look, designed for clarity to match its fast-paced gameplay. Small yet distinct ship sprites in neon colors (red, blue, green) stand out against enemy waves, while varied enemy designs and dazzling bullet patterns and explosions steal the spotlight. Still, the sprite work feels a bit basic compared to modern shmups, and the absence of dynamic backgrounds or environmental hazards beyond asteroids misses a chance to boost immersion.

“The Art of Flight supports both controller and keyboard.”

Definitely worth checking out

Let me pause to share what I think The Art of Flight is missing. The game throws you in without clear guidance, there’s no text explaining your goals or what to do. Pacing is all over the place too: one moment you’re cruising calmly, the next you’re swarmed by hundreds of enemies, followed by a weak boss, only for later bosses to spike in difficulty. Most modes are not as fun as the main one. Sure, trying to stay alive as much as possible could be engaging, but every single side mode just misses something special to hook you in.

The Art of Flight is a bold, chaotic arcade shooter that shines with its unique squadron mechanic and local co-op. It’s a budget-friendly game for arcade fans, especially if you’re looking for something to play with friends. However, it lacks the content depth for long-term play, making it ideal for short, nostalgic sessions rather than sustained solo playthroughs or for players craving more complexity.

“Great if you’re looking for a game to play with friends.”

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.5

The post The Art of Flight – Odličan arkadni shooter za više igrača first appeared on IndieGames.

The currently available playtest on Steam offers over 30 hours of content, including 14 dungeons to explore and unique bosses to battle. By collecting loot, gear, and abilities, players can build their own “runner” and customize them to match their preferred playstyle. For those seeking an extra challenge, Corrupted Dungeons provide progressively harder encounters with even greater rewards.

Wyld Land stands out with intense, projectile-filled combat, where mastering enemy attack patterns and dodging bullets is essential. Players can use a variety of weapons, including guns, cannons, and lasers, to survive. The game is designed for both solo play and real-time co-op, with dedicated servers ensuring smooth gameplay even during the most intense moments.

However, death in Wyld Land is not the end. While gear is lost upon death, permanent upgrades known as Echoes allow players to gradually grow stronger and better prepared for future attempts.

The post Demo Version Released for Bullet Hell Roguelite MMO Wyld Land first appeared on IndieGames.

The game’s signature morphing system allows you to transform into scanned creatures or objects. Some transformations are highly useful in combat, enabling you to deal significant damage or leap great distances. Boss fights are also a highlight of the game, providing challenging encounters that test your reflexes and precision.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Project Tower was released at the beginning of January on PC via Steam and PlayStation 5. You can read the entire interview here.

The post Project Tower was initially more ambitious, but budget limitations forced developers to scale back and cut content first appeared on IndieGames.

The story begins with the Hiks, an alien race, invading Earth to capture human survivors as prisoners. In order to conquer the universe, they created a program titled Project Tower, which forces prisoners to fight their way up through various towers, so the Hiks can build up their army from the tries of the prisoners. You play as one of these inmates, with the sole chance of regaining your freedom being to reach the top of the tower.

We had the opportunity to speak with Yummy Games, where they shared insights on the morphing mechanic, boss battles, inspirations behind the game, their development process, and advice for other indie developers.

Project Tower is now available on PC via Steam and PlayStation 5.

Can you tell us more about your studio? How many people worked on Project Tower and what other projects can we expect from you in the future?

We started about ten years ago, just making small experimental games on itch.io for fun. At one point, we tried to develop an MMORPG, which didn’t quite work out. That experience taught us a lot, and we decided to focus on smaller projects, making several mobile games along the way.

After that, we wanted to move into PC and console development, so we started learning Unreal Engine and building prototypes. Project Tower was our first full release on Steam, developed by a team of four people, with music composed by Jacob Lives.

As for the future, we’re already working on something new! We’re taking everything we learned from Project Tower and using it to make an even better game. We can’t say too much just yet, but we’re excited to keep going.

Project Tower is your debut game on Steam (not counting your previous mobile releases). Are you satisfied with its reception, especially considering how ambitious the project is?

Steam is a tough platform, especially for indie games without a big marketing budget. Visibility depends a lot on wishlists before launch, and since Project Tower wasn’t a highly anticipated title, getting noticed was a challenge.

That said, what really matters to us is that the players who found the game seem to enjoy it. Seeing people have fun with something we worked so hard on is incredibly rewarding. So while it’s not easy, we’re grateful for the support we’ve received.

What led to your decision to use Unreal Engine 5 for the game? How challenging was it to achieve the stunning graphics in Project Tower across both PC and PlayStation? Were there any notable differences between the platforms?

We actually started with Unity but ran into some limitations when trying to achieve the visual style we wanted without sacrificing performance. Since we’re a small team, we couldn’t afford to spend months optimizing everything manually.

Switching to Unreal Engine made a big difference. It gave us powerful tools out of the box, and the free Quixel Megascans library helped us a lot by providing high-quality assets without extra costs. That saved us a ton of time.

The game incorporates a variety of mechanics, such as platforming, puzzles, and morphing. What inspired the design of these features?

We drew inspiration from several games:

• Uncharted for its mix of combat, puzzles, and cinematics.
• Returnal for the 3D bullet-hell combat style.
• Super Mario Odyssey for the morphing mechanic.

We wanted to create something that felt dynamic and engaging while keeping things fun and intuitive.

Before progressing to the next floor, players must defeat a boss. Many of them share similar attack patterns, was this a deliberate design choice to keep the gameplay approachable and not overly demanding?

Yes! As a small team, we had to be realistic about what we could achieve. We focused on making each boss fun and engaging while keeping the mechanics manageable for us to develop. Reusing and slightly tweaking attack patterns allowed us to keep things balanced and polished instead of overextending ourselves.

The game’s narrative, centered on climbing a tower as part of an alien experiment, is intriguing. What inspired this story, and how did you balance the emphasis between storytelling and gameplay?

We’re big fans of sci-fi, so the story naturally grew from that love. Our priority was always gameplay, but we also wanted a way to tell the story without slowing things down too much. Cinematics were a good way to give players a break while progressing the narrative.

In fact, we even cut some cutscenes and an entire level late in development because we felt they slowed the pacing too much. It was a tough decision, but in the end, we think it made the game better.

Were there any features or mechanics you originally planned to include but had to cut due to time or resource constraints?

Yes, quite a few! Some of the bigger ones were:

• An open-world-style level at Floor 4, featuring a prisoner camp. It just didn’t fit well with the rest of the game, and refining it would’ve taken too long.
• A morphing system where players could store and switch between forms, but it made level design too complicated.
• A boss fight where multiple prisoners helped the player, but we didn’t have time to make it work properly.

It’s always hard to cut ideas, but we had to stay focused on finishing the game.

What are some of the key lessons you learned during the development of Project Tower, and how will they influence your next project?

• Keep the scope small and only expand if time allows.
• Test more often. Building and playing the game frequently helps catch problems early.
• Be ready to make tough decisions. Sometimes cutting content makes the game better in the long run.

We’re taking these lessons with us into our next project!

What is your opinion on the French gaming industry?

France has a great mix of indie and AAA studios, which is really inspiring. Right now, the industry is going through a tough period, but we hope things will improve soon.

Do you think as an indie developer it’s difficult to succeed in today’s saturated market? Any experience you’d like to share?

Yes, it’s very difficult. There are so many games coming out every day, and standing out is a challenge. One thing we realized is that having a realistic art style made it harder for us to stand out as an indie game. Something more stylized might have helped us get more attention. It’s definitely something we’ll think about for future projects.

Finally, what advice would you give to other indie developers who want to create their own unique gaming experience?

The hardest part isn’t starting, it’s finishing. Take things one step at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so break tasks into small goals. Don’t overthink it. Perfectionism can stop you from finishing. Sometimes “good enough” is exactly what you need. And most importantly, have fun with it! Game development is tough, but it’s also an amazing journey.

The post Project Tower – Yummy Games first appeared on IndieGames.

ZPF is a retro-inspired shooter Inspired by classics such as Lords of Thunder, Elemental Master, and the Thunderforce series. Blast your way through a cosmic gauntlet of epic boss battles on this adventure through fantasy, sci-fi, and alien-themed worlds. Dodge and weave through intense bullet patterns, unleashing a barrage of firepower upon unique and challenging enemies. Finish every stage and discover a treasure trove of hidden secrets.

The lore trailer, which raised over 1000% of its Kickstarter funding goal, is narrated by an extraordinarily cozy Quibley, taking players deeper into the strange world of ZPF while offering an exploration of the game’s characters and realms. Each world is filled with bizarre landscapes to navigate, strange enemies to encounter, and unforgettable bosses that will put players’ skills to the test.

The post Retro-inspired horizontal shooter ZPF got a new lore trailer first appeared on IndieGames.

I guess I’m a big sucker for titles like Project Tower or Moon Mystery, which bring a unique futuristic setting with third-person shooting and puzzle elements to keep you engaged. However, Project Tower stands out slightly, it’s a game that combines bullet hell combat, platforming, and, best of all, a unique morphing mechanic as you climb a mysterious alien tower. Yummy Games did a fantastic job portraying the world, but the gameplay leaves a bit more to be desired.

Let’s start by saying that Project Tower runs really smoothly. The Unreal Engine graphics are great, smooth and polished. The monsters and bosses you fight, as well as the different types of characters, look really good. Visually, the game is incredibly appealing, and who would have thought an indie game could feel more polished than some AAA titles?

Likewise, the different biomes boast unique aesthetics, so you’ll find yourself exploring a snow biome, an underwater biome, desolate alien landscapes, puzzle rooms and more. That said, the cutscenes are slightly choppy. While the animations are decent enough, the cinematic scenes are blurry and can be a bit confusing for the eyes.

Morphing is the best part of the game

The gameplay is fairly straightforward. In addition to shooting and aiming, you can also dodge, which is crucial since you’ll face a barrage of fireballs, bullets, and lunging enemies. Keeping this in mind is key to survival. The gunplay is solid, offering a variety of weapons, each with different fire rates and damage outputs. However, you’ll likely find yourself relying on the machine gun more often than the others.

Boss fights are a highlight of the game, providing challenging encounters that test your reflexes and precision. That said, the difficulty can spike with certain bosses, such as the one in the underwater biome or the final boss. These fights can feel slightly frustrating rather than fair, mainly due to the lack of consistent healing options or ways to mitigate unavoidable damage. While you do heal when reaching a checkpoint, that’s essentially the only way to recover health.

The game’s signature morphing system allows you to transform into scanned creatures or objects. Some transformations are highly useful in combat, enabling you to deal significant damage or leap great distances. However, outside of combat, the mechanic feels underutilized. While you can use certain morphing forms to solve puzzles, like turning into a pylon for a specific challenge, these moments are often sparse. You might use a particular transformation once and never again. There are some genuinely cool ideas, such as morphing into an alien to teleport across dimensions.

Platforming and puzzles offer an intriguing perspective

The inclusion of platforming puzzles offers a refreshing break from combat, requiring you to wall-run, shoot moving targets, and navigate environmental hazards. Some puzzles introduce creative mechanics, like using a specific weapon to move blocks, placing blocks into designated holes, or jumping between moving platforms. While these moments are fun, occasional janky platforming, especially around ledges, can undermine the experience. Some platforms are difficult to land on or move too quickly, forcing you to repeat sequences due to the game’s unforgiving nature.

Exploration in Project Tower is minimal, as the game follows a linear structure whether it’s story progression, combat, or boss fights. There’s little incentive to search beyond the given objectives. Unlimited ammo and health regeneration only at checkpoints simplify the gameplay, and the story lacks depth, with only occasional characters making their presence known.

Project Tower is relatively short, offering around 6 hours of gameplay. Each floor introduces a new biome, but the number of enemies between boss fights is limited, making the levels feel sparse at times. While some sections may feel slightly repetitive, it doesn’t fully break the experience. That said, the addition of a weapon enhancement system could have provided more incentive to experiment and replay the game.

Ending thoughts

In the end, Project Tower is a commendable effort and a genuinely solid game. Its engaging boss fights, distinct biomes, and clever morphing mechanic showcase the potential it could have achieved with a larger budget. However, its shortcomings, such as underwhelming weapon variety and the limited use of its unique mechanics, hold it back from reaching its full potential.

That said, if you’re someone who appreciates games like this, ones that aren’t boring and offer a decent amount of fun, you have nothing to lose by giving Project Tower a try.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.3

The post Project Tower – Transformirajte se u razna stvorenja first appeared on IndieGames.