Tanner Stokes - StokdTV
11 April 2023
Scarlet Tower
Time to straighten your hair, put on your mascara, scream “Because tonight will be the night I fall for youuuu” and buckle up because this gothic RPG will have you hunting during the day and being hunted at night! Developed and published by Pyxeralia LLC, this game focuses on leveling up and building talent points so you can build a stronger character for when you fight the monsters in the night. Scarlet Tower is a rogue-lite bullet-hell that was officially released into early access in October 2022.
As you can see, the graphics for the game look like they come straight out of a 1990s street fighter arcade machine, which I believe was the whole purpose as the feel of the game makes the nostalgia kick in as I think back to putting a 20c coin into the arcade. The thick pixels seem overwhelming at the start until you realize why they have been used, in order for you to have a sense of nostalgia you need to be taken back to the early days of going to the arcade with your pocket change and spending the whole day on your favorite game and by making Scarlet Tower like this, they have brought the early nineties gaming memories back to the front of your mind.
As you kill each monster you begin to pick up coins and XP which you later utilize to upgrade your character. When I first saw the game I thought this was going to be somewhat like Age of Empires or games of that caliber, but once I started playing I noticed that it was more like Galaga or Space Invaders, you have wave after wave of enemies coming at you and they keep coming until you can’t take them anymore.
I must admit, I was a little skeptical when I first laid my eyes on this game but once you start playing, you do get hooked. Running side to side, dodging attacks, sending attacks yourself, collecting XP to level up. It reels you in very quickly and you don’t want it to stop. One of the things you will notice that has this effect on you is the early nineties fighting musical score that goes along with the game. It puts you in the zone and makes you want to win, it is a power ballad if I have ever heard one.
At the start you have a choice of two characters Vylat and Ninn, both have two different fighting styles, one is a warrior and the other is a mage. As you begin to level up through playing the game you start to unlock more characters, each having a different main weapon to use on the monsters.
I personally think that one of the best parts about this game is that the controls are so easy that my two-year-old could play it. The only keys you need to worry about are W, A, S, and D, all the attacks are automatic; you just have to move your character around. So if you are lazy like me, you can play the whole game with just one hand and not have to worry about key binds on the other side of the keyboard.
The only real area that this game is lacking is the storyline. The game has no story, yes you collect XP and coins to level up your characters, and yes you fight monsters wave after wave, but there is not much more to the game than that. There are no side quests, there is no damsel in distress, there are just zombies, wasps, and blobs of slime trying to kill you.
Let me light the mood for you, another positive to Scarlet Tower is how they lit the game up. With all of these enemies trying to eat you, you need the game's lighting to be in league with the overall objective, and Pyxeralia LLC has done just that. Not only do you feel trembles run down your spine, but with the right brightness and contrast they have set, you feel as though you are in the midst of a battle. A battle that will keep going way into the night. Pyxeralia LLC has made great use of the lighting throughout this game.
At the end of the day Scarlet Tower is not a game, it’s more of an experience. Pyxeralia LLC has produced something that is very easy to learn, quick to be hooked on, and something that is easily affordable to everyone out there. This game ticks a lot of boxes for me, and it is something that I could use to cure my boredom without hesitation. From the nostalgic graphics to the easy controls, this is a game that your whole family could enjoy.
8.5
10
The Bad
- Nostalgic arcade graphics
- Suitable audio score
- Great lighting
- Easy to learn
- Lack of storyline
- Automatic attacking