Tower Of Guns
Developer: Terrible Posture Games
Publisher: Terrible Posture Games
Platforms: PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: March 4th, 2014
Price: $14.99 – Available Here
Overview
The title Tower Of Guns is a unique piece of work where flying chainsaws, explosive bullets, and Hugbots are the norm. A twitch FPS-style game that utilizes quick reaction times, double jumping, and precise aiming to progress through levels. The game is advertised as a “lunchbreak FPS”, meaning that you can play the game at any time you want in short windows, while still allowing you to develop some progression in the form of levels and weapons. In all honesty, the rounds aren’t that short, but they are short enough for you to play during a quick break. If you wanted to unlock everything in the level and explore every nook and cranny, the rounds might take a bit longer but if you’re just in it to blow things up, you’ll be able to play a good two to three rounds during a lunch break. The game is nothing like Call Of Duty: Ghosts or any of the other new FPS titles recently created, so if you’re checking this game out, be prepared for a completely different experience.
Gameplay
The FPS nature of this game is based on a fast-paced, twitch aiming style of gameplay. The shoot-em-up feel of the game really gets the adrenaline going when you’re in the middle of a metallic chamber filled with rocket launchers, turrets, and exploding robots. There is a variety of weapons for you to choose from when you begin the game, and each of these weapons have the capabilities to upgrade. For example, there’s a weapon called the “Peas-And-Carrot Shooter” that shoots little pink bullets at the beginning. However, as you progress and pick up these little blue power-ups, your gun will upgrade itself, providing you with better damage, new effects, or some other benefit that will prove very useful. For the case of the “Peas-And-Carrot Shooter”, the gun begins to fire a larger shot, with multiple rounds in one shot. After a little bit of leveling up your guns, you can one-shot certain turrets and mobs, making the levels a lot easier, until you hit the higher tiered levels.
One of the main things that I had to remember when playing this game was that movement was one of the most important tools in this game. Jumping, or bunny-hopping, is a really important aspect of the game because of how much it affects your survivability. The game capitalizes on your movement as you try to avoid all the incoming bullets and robots flying at your face. The gameplay is incredibly fast-paced. The amount of enemy AI that tries to attack you slowly increases as you progress through the level. The beginning starts off with a few turrets and robots here and there, but as you get to the later levels, you easily have a dozen or so baddies trying to gut you per room.
An interesting part of this game is the “Secrets” of each level. As you make your way through the stage, there are secrets that can be uncovered as you crawl through the steampunk-esque floors. Sometimes the walls might be fake, and you’ll be able to walk through it. Others are hidden around a corner out of view. This system adds a new level of depth to every round you play.
Every round is also different. The levels are constantly different as you start new rounds. While the layout of the room might remain similar, the types of enemy you’ll face and where they’re located is always in new positions. As I played the round, I got used to the basic layout of what’s going on, but it still fazed me when a new robot popped up instead of a previously encountered one.
One thing that newcomers might have difficulty adjusting to is the gameplay and how to accommodate the playstyle. Not everyone is familiar with the bunny-hopping, circle-strafing FPS fun that certain gamers all know. It takes a while to understand the mechanics that the developers wanted us to utilize in order to beat the game. The game also has a pretty steep learning curve, and completing the levels takes more than a little luck to completely finish without getting close to the brink of death.
Visuals & Audio
The visuals in this game are surprisingly refreshing. The tone and atmosphere that’s set by the game completely matches the overall theme of the game. The environment that the game takes place in is a little bit dirty, loud, and dark. Also, the graphics of the bullets and the weapons all fit the bill. When you’re running around with your gun, which varies between a small little pea shooter to a huge bazooka-like firearm, it’s hard not to notice the detail of the levels and enemies.
The music is really good in terms of matching the mood of the game. The ambience of the music really helps create this atmosphere where a certain level of intensity needs to be upheld. I felt that the visuals and the audio in the game really meshed well to create a wholesome experience for the FPS lover or the casual shooter fan.
Overall
Overall, there’s nothing more you could ask for from a FPS title that prides itself on being a “lunchbreak” style game. It’s not meant to be played at long spurts. It’s a game where you can turn on when you have a small break, and still enjoy everything it has to offer to the fullest. Tower Of Guns is surprisingly addictive and extremely rewarding when you really get into it. I’m still playing it now and I’m still not close to finishing a quarter of what’s possible. If you’re looking for a FPS title that you can get into without taking too much time out of your day, make sure you check out Tower Of Guns.
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