Late To The Party: Tower of Fortune

hen you ingrain yourself in the culture of video games, giving in to the lifestyle it can manifest, then there’s one consistent rule of thumb that should be understood if anything else; video games do not stop for you, they stop for no one, and they will continue to move by the numbers with every passing day. There’s no shame in it, even the most privileged individuals who can afford the time and money for their favorite past time will find themselves cast on the sidelines when it comes to certain games; it’s honestly one of the best assets from the gaming community and how connected we all are with each other.

That’s why we ‘re introducing this new feature, Late To The Party: a feature profiling our impressions and overall thoughts on individual games that we initially missed on our radar during their launch run, and why they’re worth mentioning now. It just so happens that I have a game for this inaugural feature too; Tower of Fortune, it’s something else.

A concept that sounds absurd on paper before curiosity even scratches at the button that leads to the boot-up screen, Tower of Fortune manages to defy the barriers of its own conventions while embracing all of the finer points that they have to offer. The opening introduces us to the nameless warrior’s plight as his only daughter is whisked away to a treacherous stronghold to remain captive, awaiting rescue from players who take the role of her hapless but devoted father. The presentation behind the visuals is one of those rare synchronies in where they give back to one another.

The classic LED inspired take hearkens back to the years when Game and Watch style games was a thing, along with those dumb Tiger Electronic games and wrist-watch titles with the complexity that consisted of three frames of gameplay. Most peculiar of all is the musical score that’s being orchestrated within the background, yeah, you read that right, orchestrated…From the soft chorus of a melancholy violin to the heavy strikes on piano keys breaking down the buildup, the magnitude of the  soundtrack manages to be both stark and refreshing to what’s going on screen. The dichotomy of that liquid-crystal resolution casted again red-book audio is a strange fucking way to package your game but as you keep playing, the idea of selling the idea of a slot-machine driven RPG doesn’t seem so obtuse when casted behind this perspective, Tower of Fortune elates at being the melting pot that it is.

Much like a traditional slot machine, you spin the reels, and whatever result you get is the one that plays out with multipliers affected by matched lines from slots and the wager spent on the spin, only Tower of Fortune is a bit more flexible than your standard Vegas coin-trap. The action doesn’t require a lot to get rolling, regardless of the other two reels and what they land on, there will always be an outcome based on whatever the first reel lands on, with the matching multipliers enhancing the effect—basically slot machines for babies, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard.

Everything you do requires a buy in, money finances your actions and the progression of the game. Advancing to each section of the tower you gradually climb will have a price that climbs with you—in value; so naturally you have to grind, but the grind is frenetic and mostly luck, it’s basically work that doesn’t require the mental input supports the label of “work.” Finances earned doesn’t just go towards buy-ins and gate fees, equipment, you are able to purchase equipment along the way that’ll affect your success, and when you’re in need of increasing your stats outside of the tower, there’s the local bar. Going to the bar will net you the chance to heal up through some liquid-bread, and if you’re lucky with the slots,you’ll be able to increase other stats that you would normally have to level in battle to raise. These outcomes range from increasing your luck stat by getting a kiss from the barmaid to growing your max HP through some roasted bird leg, but you can have a run of bad luck too, and get into a fight with some assholes so you’re not exactly safe from total harm when visiting the tavern.

If someone sitting in on a Gambler recovery group meeting in some beat ‘up-ass community center suddenly stood up and declared aloud, “this all started after I played that damn Tower of Fortune game”, I could honestly say that I wouldn’t doubt it one bit, its fluidity can awaken this addictive behavior that you never thought you had. Pull after pull, I risked my chance for that last attack or coin to appear on that reel, if I was down to my last few hit points, I’d go drown my sorrows at the watering hole, where I could recuperate with all of the mead, turkey legs, and smooches that I needed to go back to that damn tower. I just needed to get closer to reaching her, and every minor success slowly built up to that with every foe and monster I encountered, micro managing where my cash became more and more vital to my success the higher I got.

I never would’ve imagined that after spending .99, that I’d spend even more time on it, something so humble and yet, so much charisma in all the right areas. You could do a lot wrong on iOS, but believe me when I say that Tower of Fortune is a gem that you shouldn’t pass up on, and then when you’re done with that, then grab the sequel; it’s ten times better.