Towerborne Arrives on Xbox Game Pass: A Deep Dive into Stoic’s New Action RPG
Towerborne, the much-anticipated action RPG from Stoic, the creators of the acclaimed Banner Saga trilogy, has officially launched on Xbox Game Pass today. This marks the game's debut for Xbox Series X|S players and PC Game Pass subscribers, offering a fresh RPG experience in the Game Preview stage. Delayed from its initial launch date last year, Towerborne is now available for players to explore, either solo or in co-op with up to three friends.
Developed by Stoic, Towerborne places players in the role of an Ace, a warrior imbued with powers from the spirit realm, tasked with protecting The Belfry and the City of Numbers. Players will venture beyond the safety of the walls, battling monsters and confronting a looming threat. The game promises an evolving world with seasonal content, including new enemies, regions, and abilities to master. According to John Watson, CTO & Co-Founder of Stoic, unlike Banner Saga, Towerborne prioritizes gameplay mechanics, offering a flexible RPG progression system and a wealth of loot.
One of the key differentiators highlighted by the developers is the focus on hope in the game's story. Daniel McLaren, Game Director, describes Towerborne as a "post-post-apocalyptic story" centered on the restoration of humanity, contrasting with typical post-apocalyptic narratives. The game features a rich lore involving a connection between humanity and "the other side," the Ebb, where special humans known as Aces bond with creatures called Umbra to gain power.
The combat system has been carefully designed to be both approachable and deep, with influences from games like God of War and Devil May Cry. Isaac Torres, Lead Live Designer, emphasizes the variety of combos and tactics available, including dodge cancels, jump cancels, and special move cancels. Umbra, reminiscent of assist characters in fighting games, add another layer of complexity to the combat.
Stoic has also taken a player-friendly approach to the game's monetization. Daniel McLaren says that the progression system isn’t the common linear system that is stacked with rewards you must get. The rewards in Curio are cosmetics, stickers, and emotes, rather than gameplay-impacting items. The developer says that the items in the Curio, or the Curios themselves would make a return in the future so that all players may acquire things that were available at day-1 of the release.
As Towerborne enters Game Preview, Xbox players can now join the adventure. While its release has been highly anticipated for game pass subscribers and PC alike, the developers are keen on player feedback to inform the game’s continued development moving forward.
Will you be venturing into the world of Towerborne? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
