TowerFall

This article is about the video game. For the waterfall, see Tower Fall.

TowerFall
Developer(s)Maddy Makes Games[a]
Publisher(s)Maddy Makes Games
Director(s)Maddy Thorson
Designer(s)Maddy Thorson
Programmer(s)Maddy Thorson
Artist(s)
Composer(s)Alec Holowka
EngineMicrosoft XNA
Platform(s)PlayStation 4, Windows, Linux, OS X, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Ouya
Release
June 25, 2013 (June 25, 2013)
  • Android
  • June 25, 2013 (June 25, 2013)
  • PlayStation 4, Windows
  • March 11, 2014 (March 11, 2014)
  • Linux, OS X
  • May 29, 2014 (May 29, 2014)
  • PlayStation Vita
  • December 15, 2015 (December 15, 2015)
  • Xbox One
  • January 25, 2017 (January 25, 2017)[1]
  • Nintendo Switch
  • September 27, 2018 (September 27, 2018)[2]
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

TowerFall is an action indie video game created by Maddy Thorson through her company Maddy Makes Games.[a][3] In the game, players control up to four archers in a multiplayer platform fighter. It was released on the Ouya microconsole in June 2013 and was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux, OS X, and Windows as TowerFall Ascension and to the Nintendo Switch under its original title of TowerFall.

TowerFall was Thorson's first commercial game. It followed from a June 2012 game jam single-player prototype. Thorson tested the game on her indie developer colleagues with whom she lived, and developed its capacity as a party game. Its mechanics were inspired by games of Thorson's youth, such as Bushido Blade and GoldenEye 007, and influenced by demo feedback at the Evolution Championship Series fighting game tournament. TowerFall was known as the standout title for the Ouya at the console's launch. In its first year, the game sold around 7,000 copies on Ouya, resulting in a gross revenue of about $105,000.[4] When the Ouya exclusivity expired, Thorson signed another exclusivity agreement for the PlayStation 4, where Ascension received an expanded single-player mode, and new levels, weapons, and gameplay variants. A PlayStation Vita release followed in 2015, and Xbox One and Switch versions have been released as well. A standalone eight-player edition for Windows released in 2016.

Ascension was met with generally favorable reception. Critics recommended it as a party game reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. and praised its balance. However, some felt that its single-player mode was a low point, and lamented the lack of an online multiplayer mode.

  1. ^ "TowerFall Ascension is coming to Xbox One next week". Eurogamer. January 18, 2017.
  2. ^ "TowerFall arrives on Nintendo Switch this September". Polygon. August 28, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mobygames listing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Polygon: feels was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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