"A feast for hardcore RPG fans" – tactical RPG 93% off on Steam, now just $1.80
If you’ve played through Dragon Age: Origins and similar titles more than once and still crave strategic combat, Tower of Time might be just what you're looking for. Instead of exploring an open world, you'll descend into a massive, upside-down tower, where each floor grows more intricate, not just in design but also in gameplay. Your party can include up to four active heroes, selected from seven distinct classes – including ranged specialists with area control, melee tanks with shield walls, support mages and tech users who deploy turrets. The real standout is the combat system: abilities can be stacked or combined, letting you shut down entire enemy groups with a well-timed mix of control and damage.
The story centers on a lost, advanced civilization, forgotten technology and a mysterious force hidden deep within the tower. Still, Tower of Time puts its focus less on the narrative and more on its battles, which are especially demanding on higher difficulties. Instead of turn-based combat or mindless action, the game uses a tactical real-time system enhanced by pause and slow-motion features, rewarding careful planning and punishing careless moves. At the core is the Arrow Time system, which lets you slow down or freeze time with a single button press. This gives you a chance to unleash abilities with precision, reposition your team or respond to unexpected enemy reinforcements. Fights aren’t predictable either – enemies often attack in waves, flank your squad or launch area attacks that force you to stay sharp.
Reviews: Challenging and diverse, but may overwhelm casual players
Tower of Time, developed by Event Horizon and released in 2018, has been well received overall. With more than 2,000 user reviews and 83% positive ratings, the tactical RPG currently holds a "Very Positive" label on Steam. On Metacritic, it earned a Metascore of 77 and a User Score of 7.9. In its review, the German magazine GameStar praised the game’s challenging combat, highlighting the smart use of slow-motion and pause mechanics. The deep character system and varied gameplay – driven by unique abilities and creative mission objectives – also received positive mentions. With a long runtime, plenty of quests and optional challenges, Tower of Time offers a lot of content. According to HowLongToBeat, players can spend up to 55 hours with the game on higher difficulty settings.
However, the sheer number of mechanics can feel overwhelming at times. Deep customization of gear and character progression isn’t just a feature – it’s essential. While this might deter more casual players, dedicated RPG fans are likely to appreciate the depth. That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. The fixed camera can cause issues, especially in tight combat arenas, making navigation tricky. GameStar criticized the mouse controls as somewhat clunky, making it harder to stay on top of things during intense battles. The story also left a mixed impression, coming across as arbitrary and emotionally distant.
93% discount on Steam
Tower of Time is normally priced at around $25 on Steam. However, until April 15, it's available with a 93% discount, bringing the price down to just about $1.80. According to SteamDB, the game goes on sale fairly often, but it’s never been this cheap before.
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
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