Atmos Games’ Twisted Tower is the perfect shooter to play during this spooky season. It may not be a long journey, but it is quite a memorable one. It respects your time as a player, as it’s all killer no filler here. At a low price point, an engaging albeit short story, and just good meaty shooting, I simply cannot recommend Twisted Tower enough.
You play as Vincent, a man who’s fallen in love with a woman named Charlotte. However, she gets taken to the mysterious Twisted Tower and it’s up to you to climb to the top and get her back. Information about the two are limited, but you get to know Vincent and Charlotte over the course of the game. You’ll learn why Vincent would put himself through this.
There’s a mystique to the narrative that keeps the experience gripping from start to finish. You don’t know what Twisted Tower’s tyrannical nature has in store for you. Combined with some great voice over work it’s a vastly entertaining ride. The voice acting makes me feel like I’m playing a lost episode out of Alice: Madness Returns.
On the subject of gaming homage, the game very much so takes a lot of inspiration from the first BioShock. Vincent ends up in a drab and dreary abandoned Twisted Tower which to our eyes looks like it’s pulled out of the 1950s. That old school aesthetic smeared in blood combined with the quirkiness of the tower and its inhabitants lends to that BioShock vibe. Given that BioShock is one of the greatest shooters ever made, it’s a hell of a compliment.
I adore Twisted Tower’s art direction. Once again drawing up a bit of that Alice inspiration with the twisted carnival aesthetic. But the game itself is vibrant and appealing to look at at all times. The game also runs smoother than a knife through runny butter. While this is a smaller game made by a smaller team, the larger than life presentation of Mr. Twister’s tower lends to easy intrigue at every angle.
Twisted Tower features plenty of weapons and all of them feel very good to use. While they all fall into standard archetypes (pistol, machine gun, shotgun, etc) they’re aesthetically pleasing as they match that carny vibe. For example, the shotgun is the Shart Gun and you can see the gas take its toll during gunfights. Combined with the puddles of blood you form and gibbing sound effects that sound like a full water balloon was thrown at the wall, combat is always gratifying.
It’s worth noting that Twisted Tower is not a long game. In fact, there’s an achievement to beat the game in four hours or less (and I got it). Admittedly I didn’t look for as many secret areas as I should’ve, of which there are only 25 in the whole game. However, in old school Resident Evil fashion, you can replay the game once you’ve completed it but different paths unlock in the tower. A different path to the top opens up, plus since it’s a short ride why not see what’s changed?
Indie shooters have just been on a roll lately, and Twisted Tower is no exception. In fact, you can purchase Twisted Tower at a discount right now just in time for Halloween. If you own MOUSE: P.I. For Hire (which I reviewed earlier this year and is also excellent) a discount bundle is available as well.
I’ll always choose a shorter game with more impact compared to bloated gameplay over 30 hours in a world I’ll get sick of. Twisted Tower deserves a playthrough from anyone who considers themselves a fan of indie games or shooters. A short review for a short game. Go buy it. Seriously, it’s really good.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Twisted Tower
There is no better game to blast through this Halloween than Twisted Tower. It's bloody, it's intriguing, it's just a damn good time, just not a long one.
