When I saw BioShock in action way back in the day, the first time one of the creatures tried to break into the elevator and set the tone of terror for what I was going to experience in an underwater broken world of warped creatures, I knew it was going to be something special. The same with Resident Evil 4, where I saw a sneak peek at CES before the GameCube launch and saw how Capcom brought a new way to terrorize gamers without cheap camera movements and jump scares. I didn’t even play that game when I saw it, but I knew it was an entirely new way for Capcom to take its series. Sometimes you just know when something is going to turn out to be good without even touching a controller. Both of those games set in motion later games in their series and established some horror norms that carried through other series. Again, they were something special.
That’s where I am with Atmos Games Twisted Tower, a game we had the opportunity to preview amid its development.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Five Nights at Freddy’s and BioShock, this tower horror game puts the player in control of a contestant who won the right to see how far they could get through Mister Twister’s ever-changing tower of horrors. What a way to make it to television, right? To put it lightly and simplified, the game is twisted (duh), sadistic, and certainly an interesting one to watch in the coming months once the development is wrapped. What we found during our preview time showed us that this small development crew was onto something and what it wanted to create was ambitious as it was exciting.
Sit back. Relax. Choose a door. And let’s step through it together.
Weird and wonderful gameplay
The time spent during the preview was well worth the price of admission. The game starts with showing off its atmosphere. And it’s as thick as fog on a summer/fall temperature transitional day. The first thing we noticed in Twisted Tower is the creepy atmosphere that was inspired by BioShock. The preview we saw started on a beach, where you made your way slowly into the Twisted Tower that was moving and shaking in front of you. Seeing the girth of the building and all the special levels that are alive and kicking set the tone for what was to come in the preview. It was bold, brash, and alive with uncomfortable terror. It’s akin to the plane crash that starts BioShock or the lighthouse scene at the beginning of BioShock Infinite. You know you’re about to step into this uncomfortable world and whatever lies ahead of you, this calm moment will be the best you will get before the true terror begins.
Run and gun
Once the shock and awe of the tower wore off, the character then walked slowly towards the tower’s entrance, led by small creatures that were straight out of a Half-Life game, and equally as nasty, and started the adventure in a dimly lit 40s-50s-like hotel room. Upon entering, the thick layer of BioShock inspiration began to sink in and the entire introduction to the inside of the Twisted Tower was unnerving, uncomfortable, and a perfect fit for what was to come next. And that next bit was warped-looking Teletubbies that greet you with weapons and try to eliminate you like you were on a game show, which you are, as that is the premise of the game.
As we continued through our preview, we were introduced to two big pieces of gameplay. The first is gunplay, where you’re trying to outgun these creatures that are screaming and running at you from the shadows. While the very early version of this game didn’t seem too much like a challenge in this area, nor did a tremendous amount of variety with enemies, as the game was still very much in the works, the sheer number of enemies trying to hunt you down made the entire process intense with no downtime to think, at least while the enemies were still alive. You never knew when you could take a breath and gather yourself for the next round of gunplay, so nothing truly felt stable about the situation, which was perfect for what Atmos Games appeared to be trying to accomplish with Twisted Tower. They seemed to want to make this wave of enemies a constant and looked to intentionally hide a few enemies to surprise and remind you that you were never truly safe. It was a familiar and well-executed gameplay move that paid off during the preview.
From what we saw, the game was a straightforward shooter, something that drew inspiration from early Doom titles or Unreal Championship Edition. Point and shoot, run and gun, this appeared to be the premise of the gunplay portion of the game. I loved watching it in action, as it harkened back to a more fun 90s type of shooter experience. Even the finite amount of cool weaponry went down the same 90s path, as 10 total guns would be the number to expect in the final version of the game. Simple is better sometimes and I didn’t want complications in this type of gameplay. The preview showed that would certainly be the case.
Unique puzzle experiences
When the game wasn’t throwing enemies at you, it was throwing puzzles. This is in the same vein as a Resident Evil title, where your downtime with the horror and action means that you’re given a puzzle to figure out so that you can progress to the next phase of the game. Much like RE puzzles, you’re given several visual hints to progress to the next room, maybe it’s finding keys, or maybe it’s looking around rooms for an exit that may not be obvious. Whatever the case might be, the preview showed us that the devs put a lot of thought into giving players a challenge.
We were told that each level of the tower would feature unique puzzles, and what we saw didn’t disappoint. One level specifically showed off the three-person developer team’s moxie, as the challenge was to figure out how to turn the entire floor upside down to solve how to exit it. That was something special to behold, especially when everything was put into motion and how it changed the puzzle design dramatically. It was a bold puzzle triumphant that visually paid off during our preview time with Twisted Tower. It has been nearly a month since I saw it, and it’s one puzzle that stood out. I can’t wait to see more of these types of challenges in the final product.
Beyond puzzles and gunplay, the devs also discussed their in-progress parts that we didn’t get to see in full bloom. One such idea played off a Disney resort theme, whereas you go from level to level in the game, you will find floor themes that bring a unique and pointed side to them with enemies, style, and puzzles following suit. Our host kept mentioning that these themes would drive the level’s design and purpose, which is fantastic that they were thinking specifically about how to make each level a work of art of its own. If Atmos Games can pull that off, then this game will indeed be something special.
Another cool factor we were shown that ensures the longevity of the game, was how each level features multiple doors to walk through to begin the next level. The game allows you to choose a door before you begin the next floor, keeping with the game show theme, and that door is locked and closed once you go through it. That means no backtracking without first going back through the game. That will certainly motivate players to return to the beginning once they complete their initial adventure to see the other unique floors, they didn’t get a chance to play through the first time. And we were told each level will have a unique design, so you’re just not getting a throwaway secondary adventure. From what we saw during the preview, it seemed like it would ensure an entirely new experience for gamers ready for another go at it.
On that note, let’s wrap this preview up.
Conclusion
The time we spent with Twisted Tower during this preview showed that the gameplay was entertaining, unsettling, and encouraging. Atmos Games looks like they’re working on a good concept that, if they continue with their plans, will probably pay off in the end. Only time will tell and sometime in 2024, we will hopefully see their full vision come to fruition.
Until then, we’ll keep an eye on it.
