e’ve talked about the renaissance of local couch play and its recent comeback thanks in large, to the efforts of passionate independent developers—and one particular pair of games that have raised the bar. Matt Thorson’s Towerfall has breached into new territories on the PS4, and has pushed the bar even further, but Teknopants to the frenetic kill-or-be-killed sensibilities to a whole new level; well, at least that’s what Andrew thinks, because George thinks he’s full of shit.
Welcome to the newest edition of VS, there are no friendships, no feelings, and no mercy—only compelling discourse that will determine a winner or accomplish nothing more than a bunch of entitled white dudes arguing over nebulous horseshit. So here's Andrew to lead things off.
Samurai Gunn- I vividly remember playing Samurai Gunn for the the first time at PAX Prime 2013, the roar of the crowd gathered around the tiny section of the Indie Mega Booth. The crowd was so large at times it would spill out into the show floor, everyone trying to get their hands on the controller. The game and the presenters showcased above anything else that sometimes less is more. I don't even think there was a presenter by the game, I truly think that the game was left unattended the whole time. No one needed to be present to answer questions or point out specific mechanics. The rules of the game are simple; four players compete against each other in a fight to the finish using only their acrobatics, a katana and a gun with three bullets. No special powerups, no finishing maneuvers or environmental attacks. The action was pure chaos and even when we were not playing, it was impossible to keep your eyes off the screen. And the best part was when two players would have to battle in sudden death, the sun setting in the distance as two warriors clashed like some kind of crazy mashup of The Matrix and Kung Fu. It was an epic experience to watch, and more epic to play.
Now that the game in available on Steam, everybody is able to relive those frantic multiplayer moments around the computer monitor or utilize the Big Screen mode in the living room. The best part about Samurai Gunn is that any computer can run it, and I'm sure that almost anyone can get to a computer. It's not like you have to buy a specific device or system just to play one game. Is there even anything else you're supposed to play on the Ouya besides that other game George likes so much? It's not surprising that Towerfall now has to be made available on devices like PC and Playstation 4, something a gamer may actually buy or have in their house. The other great thing about Samurai Gunn is that it utilizes the keyboard and mouse, Xbox 360 controller or Playstation 4 controller to play. Samurai Gunn is the perfect local multiplayer game, it's fair in it's mechanics, brutal in it's gameplay and action and most importantly you don't have to buy some kind of ridiculous tablet-system with a horrendous controller to play it.
When I first saw Towerfall in action at the annual IGN indie mixer of GDC 13, I was tempted to completely forsake the idea of walking around and checking out all of the other games being demonstrated just from the sheer realization that it would mean walking away from Towerfall. At some point, I hooked up later with Matt from the contacts we exchanged at the Mixer, and all I wanted was to see the finished product of the game that had me cursing such joyous profanity.
Reviewing Towerfall in and out the way I did, I can still stand firm to this day, with confidence I might add, that the brilliant nuances and controlled elements of chaos at work in Towerfall, easily flushes Samurai Gunn out to be the superficial carbon copy that it truly is.
“oh, but George, Samurai Gunn is so fast and frantic, it makes Towerfall seem so slow and boring” is usually the first rebuttal that gets launched at my claim, and to that I say this—that’s one of the stupidest outlooks you could ever apply when contrasting the two that I’ve heard yet. Towerfall is brilliant in that it can be completely impulsive and deliberate in its play, that 
players can go in with a clear strategy in mind, and that the real test to their mettle is their ability to improvise a quick response to any shortcoming their initial tactics may have fallen short of.
Like, for example, shooting an arrow at the opposing side of the stage in order to throw off an opponent into immediately evading it’s initial trajectory, only to have teleport back from the other side from a looping portal. However, let’s just hypothetically say that my target was too savvy for that ploy, then if that’s the case, I will have already set in motion to cave their fucking head in as I come crashing down on top of their dome from their air; these are the moments that set Towerfall apart. So I ask you, just what kind of depth does Samurai Gunn exactly facilitate in its combat—who can shoot and slash the fastest, and even then, blind luck will normally favor the least deserving play with it’s horseshit. Samurai Gunn doesn’t reward strategy or perseverance to conquer insurmountable odds, instead, pays games back with style and flash suffering from a dearth of personality or skill, and everyone enamored with it is are busy being fooled by its glitz and glamor to see that they’re all just stupidly hammering on a bunch of buttons with no rhythm or life. So ask yourself this, the next time you want to get your friends together to play a game full of excitement intrigue, ask yourself which game will most likely have the most shelf-life with you and your group of pals, Samurai Gunn may seem nice but the, it's more stale than Nicholas Cage's career; Towerfall is the gift on giving, and your friends will thank you for it.