When Hotta Studio’s Tower of Fantasy (ToF) first came out on August 11 (Malaysian time), I wrote an article about it that was quite enthusiastic about the free-to-play game. At the time, my playing time was barely an hour or so, and I was high on the hype.
But I’ll be honest – I hadn’t had the inclination to keep playing since then. Come to think of it now, I just wasn’t that invested in the characters or storyline (yet), something decent gameplay just can’t make up for for me.
But over the weekend I decided to give it another try. This time I tried it out on PC because I really couldn’t bear to uninstall even more apps (Cough, Genshin Impact, Cough) to make room for additional content.
Previously, my editor-in-chief, Sade (die-hard Genshin Impact enthusiast), had also tried the game on PC and made some damning comments about it.
Based on online reviews, it seems that ToF, like many other games, has been a hit, depending on personal preference.
Some describe the game as a “little bite that’s hard to overlook,” while others say it’s “something really special,” and in a good way.
So, despite Sade’s cutting words, I blocked her criticism and dove back into the game with a hopeful outlook (warning: minor spoilers ahead).
First an overview of the game
An open world role-playing adventure, ToF’s plot is one we’ve heard before (probably through various media).
The main character, which you can customize, loses his memory in the opening sequence and ends up in a hideout called Astra.
Here we soon meet Shirli and her brother Zeke. Some misfortune ensues and Shirli overloads Omnium, a product of human folly and greed that turns living creatures into zombies (or deviant creatures, as this game calls it).
Aberration is rife in the cyberpunk, dystopian world of Aesperia, and suppressors help keep the aberration at bay, although Shirli’s couldn’t handle the overload, hence her illness later.
But high above the shelter is Hykros, where the nouveau riche live. For whatever reason, these people can live free from the dangers below.
This status quo is challenged by a rebel group called Heirs of Aida, a group that Zeke joins after Shirli falls ill.
Somehow already super attached to this sibling duo, the main character sets out with a little faulty and sweet smart robot, Mi-A, to find Zeke and rescue Shirli. With that, the true Tower of Fantasy story begins to unravel.
Admittedly, a little worse than I remembered
I hate to say it, but after a somewhat captivating start, the game started to get a little too boring a little too fast. The intro I just summarized was slow but didn’t have a good build up.
As much as I personally find Shirli cute, the game isn’t good at fostering a real friendship between our character and the others. We are meant to be naturally involved in Astra’s drama, for no other reason than… kindness, perhaps?
Allow me to make a quick comparison with Genshin Impact. In HoYoverse’s hit game, I immediately felt an affinity with the characters because I knew their ambitions and (some) reasoning behind their actions from the start.
But with Zeke and Shirli, other than the brother’s possessive streak over the sister, I couldn’t really tell what it is that drives them as people.
At first they just seemed… to be present in Astra with no real purpose. Forget challenging the status quo, they didn’t even seem concerned with improving their own lives in the first place. It wasn’t until Shirli got sick that things started moving.
In addition, I found that certain cutscenes were pointless and the vocal lines were starting to feel stale (Zeke’s monotone voice in particular chafed in my ears).
Coupled with the fact that you can’t skip the dialogue until the text has finished playing, the “skip” button I usually avoid is starting to look more and more appealing.
There is also an inconsistency with the main character where sometimes they would speak, and sometimes we are asked to select the answer (not even multiple choice) and they don’t speak the lines at all. I take it the voice actor didn’t include those lines?
Another thing was that I really didn’t enjoy playing on PC. This surprised me, because I’m usually 100% PC girl.
I’m not sure if it’s because my laptop couldn’t handle it, but the game ran pretty bad on my laptop, which Genshin Impact can handle just fine, by the way.
I’ll explain more about the gameplay pitfalls later, but one of the biggest things that really pissed me off was the animations of the characters in the cutscenes.
This didn’t happen on mobile, but on PC the inactive animation of the characters suddenly cut out during dialogues, making it so shocking to experience. It instantly pulls me away from the immersion, and I can’t help it.
It takes effort to appreciate, but it can be worth it
When I decided to take a break from the main mission and explore some light, I rediscovered the charm of the game.
ToF does the open world quite well, allowing players to explore a lot of things. I am reminded how much I love the design of the world. Plus, I really have to commend how the developers have made each NPC so unique and fun to watch.
Overall, the cyberpunk vibe is so charming, even if the world building is… a little contrived to say the least.
This is most apparent in the loading screens where the game vomits out a chunk of text about the state of the world.
The game also throws this lengthy video (which looks hilariously like an old movie the size of my phone) which is essentially a trailer of the game’s main conflict – the standoff between Hykros and Aida’s heirs.
I would have preferred it to be seamlessly integrated into the plot, rather than just showing us in the form of an Heirs of Aida PR video. But I have to say that the dialogue in that video was good – with that speech I would join their cause.
After this, when you finally understand the premise of the game, things start to look better. Reaching Hykros has also made me much more interested in diving back into the game. While the plot is a bit generic, I’m excited to see more of the world.
A moment of appreciation for the struggle
Surprisingly, the combat feels trickier on PC than on mobile. It doesn’t quite click on the nearby enemy, but instead attacks directly what is in front of the character. This extra difficulty may appeal to some, but I found it frustrating at best.
Aside from that, the variety of weapons we have in our arsenal is exciting. The relics, which include things like a Missile Barrage and a Jetpack, are nice if you remember to incorporate them into your gameplay, and the Phantasia feature is interesting too.
Phantasia is a phenomenon that occurs when you dodge an attack perfectly. When activated, the world slows down and your other weapons are fully charged, so when they switch to them, they release a powerful attack.
It’s an extra layer in the battle, which is new and refreshing. I like that there’s a little more strategy and skill in it, even if that means I suck more.
Most recently, after pulling the Pummeler with the gacha system, I have enjoyed using the big old icy hammer. But I can’t wait to try out more weapons, funnily enough.
I got the first taste of the tower gun that we can use in the game in the fateful battle where Shirli crashed. It’s exciting to be able to hold a button and just blast enemies away. I’m glad there’s no friendly fire, because Shirli would have died sooner for my purpose.
Hotta wants me to stay
When I logged back into the game after my short break, I was amazed at the insane amount of rewards waiting for me. I felt very valued by the game and like an early adopter when I was showered with all these gifts.
Like others, the game also offers compensation for maintenance and various issues.
Speaking of other games, you can’t help but make a comparison with the other wildly popular Chinese game, Genshin Impact. It’s just how the entertainment industry is, I guess.
There is no doubt that Genshin Impact offers a smoother, more refined experience. The graphics and animation and even the storytelling are arguably more polished. After all, it has taken almost two years since its worldwide release to reach this level of quality.
But from what I’ve seen so far, ToF has the potential to one day come into its own. In my opinion it is best to play a game when it is popular.
A bigger community usually means more and better content around it, and I think once that happens, ToF will become a more engaging and exciting world to frolic in.
But I don’t hate the slow burn I’m experiencing now with ToF. Sometimes good things just take time.
- Read more about Tower of Fantasy here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about gaming here.
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