TowerFall Ascension gets incredible mileage out of a simple but exhilarating four-player archery deathmatch formula. Each round unfolds at a frantic pace, and I was pushed to come up with clever bob and weave tactics that take advantage of the 2D map layout to avoid attacks and return fire.
These colorful sprite graphics lend personality to the eight character skins, but are almost painfully primitive and depend on nostalgia for the early days of 2D platformers for appeal. That simplicity makes it especially surprising and fun when a screen-warping visual effect triggers mid-match to set off panicked reactions during battle. My friends often flailed and shouted trying to avoid incoming arrows, creating some of the most hilarious moments.
A big part of what keeps things feeling so fast is the finite ammo supply. You have just three arrows to start, and it’s balanced in a very smart way: every shot fired creates a risk-reward opportunity to gain the upper hand by gathering the wayward arrow before an enemy. And of course, the competition for power-ups is even more intense.
But even if your quiver is empty, you’re not entirely defenseless – a well-timed forward dash into an oncoming arrow can pull it out of the air and into your ammo count. With a little skill, it’s a move that allows stunning reversals of fortune. That, or you die. This and other tricks, like firing an arrow through a candle to set it on fire, can give you a big advantage if you’re thinking about your position.
Developer Matt Makes Games unfortunately didn’t include an online mode, and the single-player and co-op modes against waves of simple-minded enemies don’t stand out significantly except as practice. But TowerFall’s selection of match modifiers and over 120 maps allow you to tweak this couch-multiplayer game in fun ways that kept me and my friends playing and laughing for hours.
