With the large reputation of Genshin Impression bringing an open world sport to cellular and PC, it was solely a matter of time earlier than different video games tried to get a chunk of that pie. That is the place developer Hotta Studio and writer Degree Infinite are available with their newest title, Tower of Fantasy.
The comparisons have been there from the start. A easy on-line search will web you hundreds of thousands of outcomes of avid gamers and journalists evaluating the 2. We even made a couple of comparisons of our personal throughout our preview of the sport.
So the large query for Tower of Fantasy is that’s it genuinely a very good online game pressured to stay below the shadow of a way more widespread sport, or is that this only a weak cash-in try on a significant development? Learn our evaluation to search out out!
Tower of Fantasy
Developer: Hotta Studio
Writer: Degree Infinite
Platforms: iOS, Android, PC (Reviewed)
Launch Date: August 11, 2022
Gamers: 1
Worth: Free-to-play
Proper as the sport begins, you may already see the similarities. The artwork type, though Genshin Impression didn’t invent the type, the presentation, even the half the place you choose your gender is completed in a really comparable method. Chances are high there are quite a few different issues those that have performed the prior sport may level out was executed in Tower of Fantasy.
One distinct distinction I can simply level out is the setting of the sport. Whereas Genshin Impression is a fantasy world, Tower of Fantasy is nearer in the direction of to that of sci-fi, regardless of its title. The primary enemies thrown at you might be robots and there are ideas equivalent to teleporters and jetpacks proven to you within the first hour of gameplay.
So I’d like to start with the a part of the sport that doubtless caught the eyes of many who received upon its first exhibiting. That is naturally the cel shaded artwork type that many would name right now as “anime-style.” I can’t disagree, particularly given the 2D art work is aligned with lots of the Japanese gacha video games which have existed over time.
Unsurprisingly, this artwork type is the primary level the place just about everybody made their comparisons to Genshin Impression. To be honest, it’s not like that sport got here up with the idea, it’s been round for many years. Nevertheless, as Tower of Fantasy additionally occurs to be an open world on-line sport that appears comparable, folks had been going to note.
Fortuitously, that is the place the type of the setting helps provides it a little bit of an edge by way of variations. As famous earlier, Genshin Impression is a extra conventional fantasy world, whereas Tower of Fantasy as an alternative takes a sci-fi, almost post-apocalyptic world the place issues are extra digitized. This additionally helps clarify why you’re capable of become completely different characters, however extra on that later.
Different notable options visually is that I fairly benefit from the filters, which change the colour palette so you will get no matter really feel you would like within the sport. Nevertheless, I do want the sport was extra optimized on PC as enjoying even on excessive settings led to low FPS regardless of me having the really helpful system specs.
Now regardless of as stable as the sport seems, it received’t matter with out stable gameplay to again it up. In spite of everything, it is a stay service sport with gacha parts. So there must be a stable basis for gamers to need to come again typically to check out new occasions or roll for brand new stuff.
Fight is pretty easy in Tower of Fantasy. As somebody on PC and utilizing mouse and keyboard, combating is so simple as simply clicking the mouse. Every weapon does have its personal distinctive particular assault, the place urgent 1 on the keyboard means that you can hit with one thing highly effective. There’s additionally a neat mechanic the place attacking costs up a meter the place switching to your different weapon additionally unleashes one other cool assault.
Issues are fairly easy and naturally there’s additionally an elemental perform to the weapons as properly, one other level for these evaluating this sport to Genshin Impression. Nevertheless weapons, and subsequently their parts, are usually not tied to one of many many particular characters you may roll for. Due to the simulacrum, as they name it, characters in gameplay are extra akin to skins.
It is a somewhat good factor in my eyes. On this type, you may play as whoever you need, together with the personalized character that partakes within the story. There’s no purpose to be pressured to be a personality you don’t like for no matter purpose, whether or not you need to stick to only your waifus or husbandos, or no matter else would possibly come alongside sooner or later.
In fact, characters are nonetheless tied to the gacha component on this sport. It’s no secret that you simply roll to get characters and the weapons they arrive with.
A few of these drops are tremendous uncommon with absurdly low possibilities of dropping, which suggests there’s nonetheless the usual outdated gacha component that the majority would possibly get turned off from. And for many who aren’t, they nonetheless endure from lacking out on characters they actually need.
The basic elements of weapons don’t simply finish at fight. Exploration of the world additionally takes a big a part of Towers of Fantasy. You’ll run round, climb up mountains, and uncover many objects scattered throughout the land. A few of these areas require parts equivalent to hearth to burn via or electrical energy to interrupt.
Although whereas the concern of not having sure weapons because of dangerous luck would possibly fear gamers exploring each bit they discover, a few of the areas do have little “cores” which additionally solves the basic situation. So there’s nothing conserving gamers out from having the ability to absolutely discover the world.
Tower of Fantasy sports activities a large world by the way in which. Even with the hours I’ve put into the sport to date, I do know I’ve solely managed a tidbit of what’s absolutely on the market. Given it is a stay service sport, there’s doubtless extra to discover sooner or later.
That stated, as a lot enjoyable as I’ve had going round choosing up collectables and battling the enemies scattered about, all of it feels a bit empty. This sort of goes on in a variety of Ubisoft video games the place I’ve this situation the place there’s a ton to do, however not a lot substance.
That is the place the story ought to come alongside to assist in giving issues some steering and construction, in addition to extra epic set items in comparison with the laid-back exploration.
The plotline does give some intrigue that makes you marvel what’s happening and a few of the characters are likeable sufficient for me to care. Nevertheless, I really feel just like the story is usually there to drive you additional into the world and offer you main bosses to battle.
It’s arduous to evaluate the story in Tower of Fantasy at this level given it is a stay service sport. There will certainly be updates sooner or later that add extra story content material and extra characters to satisfy and hopefully fall in love with. Contemplating this, it makes saying outright whether or not the plot is one price following troublesome to say for now.
Finally, that’s what makes it troublesome to come back to a conclusion on the standard of Tower of Fantasy. It’s a sport that’s not full by design as one following the live-service mannequin. There’ll most actually be future updates that add onto the plot and provides extra gameplay mechanics.
What I can say now could be that I consider the muse for a very good sport is right here inside Tower of Fantasy. It primarily comes right down to the assist by Hotta Studio to make it a powerful title that may cope with the now established Genshin Impression. I don’t consider Tower of Fantasy may ever topple that, however it may flip into a very good various for these losing interest of the previous.
Tower of Fantasy was reviewed on PC (through the sport’s personal launcher) as a free-to-play title. You could find extra details about Area of interest Gamer’s evaluation/ethics coverage right here. Tower of Fantasy is now obtainable for IOS, Android, and Home windows PC through its personal launcher. Variations are anticipated to come back to Steam and Epic Video games Retailer later in 2022.
