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LETHALgames: Tricky Towers Review (Nintendo Switch)

Back with another game review! This one is something a little lesser known, but it’s one of my favourites when it comes to killing some time or getting into some local multiplayer. I can’t remember how I stumbled onto Tricky Towers, but I’m so glad I did!


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To sum the game up in one sentence: 
It’s like Tetris... but with gravity!
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So what even is Tricky Towers? If you follow me on Twitter you’ve seen me share a good amount of clips from when I’m playing, but I’ll still break it down through my three usual categories: concept, content, and gameplay. I don’t think there’s much difference across platforms, but for the sake of clarity: I’ve been playing this on Nintendo Switch, though I’m pretty sure it’s also available on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam.



Concept:

So we’ve all heard of Tetris, right? Yeah! It rules! The original puzzle video game! Obviously there’s some force moving pieces down in Tetris, but what if it TRULY had the element of gravity?! What if in addition to that blocks were sometimes oversized, made of ice, wind came into play, or other wild shenanigans took place? Well if you add all that, my friends, you have Tricky Towers. 

They deliver 3 different puzzle types which require a different strategy:
  • Puzzle
  • Race
  • Survival 
Puzzle requires you to place as many pieces on a pedestal without going past a certain line, and in my opinion is the hardest of the three. Race is exactly as it’s described being a race (either vs the clock or opponent(s)) to get your tower to a certain height. Survival allows you to drop 3 blocks off the side, and once you’ve burned your three strikes you’re done. Seems simple right? Not always - when the gravity, elements, and special blocks come into play it can be a nightmare. For example, here’s a little clip of me getting hit by the nonsense while being less than a second away from beating a race trial.

Content:

This is where the game lacks. There’s no online, and outside of the 3 modes, there’s nothing. They did a great job of making it a great game to have for both solo and sitting down with friends, but it can leave you wanting more. They’ve done some DLC with block designs and characters, but they’re all aesthetic and don’t add much from a gameplay perspective.

EDIT! There *IS* online play, I just always seemed to skim past it in menus. That in mind, I have even more reason to play the game now!


Gameplay:

With the game not being overly complicated in concept, there isn’t a whole lot to get into here. The game functions exactly how you would expect it to. When blocks are made to be icy - others will slide when placed on them insecurely, when there’s wind - towers will get blown over if you don’t account for it. I haven’t once run into anything from a gameplay perspective where I thought “you know what, that shouldn’t happen like it did” or “this could work a little more optimally”. I think the gameplay is PERFECT on this game for what it is.

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Be it some casual solo play, or when I’m having drinks with the guys and we want to get competitive on a video game this is 100% on of my go-to titles right now. The best part is it’s super affordable being under 20 bucks, and it frequently goes on sale. In terms of indie games, this is easily near the top of my list.

For other game reviews check out this archive of other titles that I’ve given my thoughts on!

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