Towerborne blends whimsical Zelda-style monster slaying with side-scrolling arcade beat-'em-ups, and it's the definition of chaos

GamesActionGamescom 2024Towerborne blends whimsical Zelda-style monster slaying with side-scrolling arcade beat-‘em-ups, and it’s the definition of chaosWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesActionGamescom 2024Towerborne blends whimsical Zelda-style monster slaying with side-scrolling arcade beat-‘em-ups, and it’s the definition of chaosWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios) I start my Towerborne journey on the show floor with Senior Staff Writer Heather Wald at my side. Together, we set out across a stunningly rendered 3D side and vertical-scrolling fantasy world teeming with monsters, and it’s our job to cleanse the lands of these Bokoblin-like brutes and give humanity one last shot at survival. For Whom the Bel(fry) Tolls (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios) Gamescom 2024 GamesRadar+ is in Cologne playing the most anticipatednew games of 2024, and speaking to the developers bringing them to life. For more of our hands-on previews and exclusive interviews, visit theGamescom 2024coverage hub. Towerborne’s combat is as intuitive as it is simple and fun. Mashing the X or Y buttons deals light or heavy attacks in turn, while a toolbar on the upper left corner of the screen details each of our special attack combos unique to our ready-chosen avatar, so you can imagine a fair bit of trial and error has to go down before we could consider ourselves total masters of the Belfry. It’s not until later, at the guided hands-on demo session, that I learn my default class on the show floor: the war club-wielding Pyroclast. It speaks to one of the biggest changes made to the game since last year’s Gamescom, implementing four set classes with default weapons that can be swapped out for ARPG-style loot drops over the course of each individual run. I’ve only had about 35 minutes total with Stoic’s fast-paced roguelike-meets-multiplayer adventure, and I’m already looking forward to sitting down to try it couch co-op style when it eventually makes the jump to Xbox Game Pass after a stint in early access. That won’t be for some time, but with an unspecified 2025 release date pencilled in for the new year, I’m hoping it won’t be long before I can return to the Belfry and teach those Zelda-like monsters a lesson — sword and shield in hand. Pass the time until Towerborne’s launch with thebest Xbox Series X gamesyou can play right now. 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