I really wanted to like Towerborne, but my experience with the game left me feeling disappointed. Towerborne is a free-to-play action game with MMO-lite elements, similar to Destiny. The story is centered around a medieval world in chaos, where players are resurrected as immortal fighters to protect the central tower city from monsters.
However, the gameplay experience fell short for me. The combat mechanics, reminiscent of games like Castle Crashers, felt clunky and unresponsive due to latency issues. The delay between pressing buttons and seeing the effects made the game frustrating to play. Even the parrying mechanic, meant to stun enemies, was difficult to execute because of the latency.
I attempted to troubleshoot the issue by changing controllers and monitors, but the problem persisted. Living in regional Tasmania, Australia, with servers potentially located hundreds of kilometers away, likely contributed to the latency problem. This geographical distance made the online gameplay experience unenjoyable for me.
Despite the game’s beautiful art style and promising premise, the reliance on online play hindered my ability to fully enjoy Towerborne. As a solo player, the constant back-and-forth communication with distant servers made the game feel disconnected and unresponsive. While MMO-lite games like Towerborne are designed for online play and collaboration, the current latency issues make it challenging for players in less optimal locations.
In conclusion, while Towerborne has potential, the current online gameplay experience leaves much to be desired. As the game continues to evolve and address latency issues, it may become more accessible to a wider audience. For now, however, I will be taking a break from Towerborne in the hopes that future updates will improve the overall gaming experience.