Dwarf Tower

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Fun little game, which I imagine would be a lot better playing against other people. Unfortunately it seems as though the multiplayer is a broken feature that's not going to be fixed anytime soon, if ever.

I could have sworn I wrote a review already. Why? Because I fucking love this game. This game is so goddamn fun to play with a friend, I love it so much. Sadly I believe that connecting isn't really possible anymore. I might be wrong though! If it's possible, then get this goddamn game, it's fantastically fun!

Fun little strategy game I used to play a bunch on mobile years ago. Simple, yet it can easily pull you in, the game rules are intuitive as well. Felt so good to revisit. Chievos don't work tho.

Achievements are broken. You will get none for all your effort. If you hunt achievements like I do this game will lower your complete games %. But hey the dev's moved on to another game while this simple one is still broken. Will not be buying any other games from them.

Too easy a game in single player mode. NPC does not even try for your support rooms so it can collapse everything above it. You do this and win easy.

This game is cute and a novel idea for fun and engaging gameplay. I enjoyed it at first, but since some update to Windows or the game in the last 2-4 years, I cannot see my cursor in the game so it is unplayable :(

After the latest update (18th of may 2022) the game runs smoother, got better visuals, even a new room and so far no crashes.

Its a fun game to play with friends. The game lengths are very short but it is now extremely prone to crashing. Most matches playing with a friend just crashed. With the state of the game it isn't worth it anymore.

Was such a great game but now it is crashing all the time. Online multiplayer isn't working.
Once this is solved this game is really amazing!

EDIT: The things I griped about has since been addressed with the last update. There were hang ups/optimation issues at first but they seemed to disappear after many games.

Im quite happy that the dev finally fixed the multiplayer(havent tried it) and also removed the stupid link. I normally play solo and it has been more fun since.

========================================================
Replayable 5-10 minute game.
Everything else is broken( ie. More games link directs you to a spam site, Online game asks for email address that probably sends you spam).

Its cheap and easy. Like a 10-dollar hooker.

Its not a bad game, but I wouldnt recommend it either. There's no option to be neutral so...

Very cute little card game, used to play it with the GF when we wanted to burn 5-10 minutes.

It's been a while since launching it, but now I seem to be unable to start a private lobby without giving my email. Thought it was a little strange, and tried to use steam invites to get around that. Didn't work.

I decided to give my email, and it redirected me to a page that claims I'm "our next jackpot winner" at some sus website. Then the game closes.

I'm not sure what is going on at iosoftware, but the game is literally unplayable, and redirects to some kind of adware.

I really liked this little game, I'm hoping for a developer response.

9/10 This game is really fun. kind of buggy though. you have to mess around with who is going to invite who for multiplayer and it often crashes or glitches when starting up a game but once you get it it runs fine for the rest of the time you play. other than that, fun strategy, cool graphics and art and a wonderful way to release pent up anger at life by toppling towers and collapsing tunnels. Make sure you have some friends to play with the single player is kinda boring but multiplayer is really fun.

I'd pay $5 for this game.

There's not much to it, its the kind of thing you would probably find on a flash dedicated web page, and while it has multiplayer functionality there wasn't anyone on when I was playing, Sold PVP could make this a $10 game but as is I still recommend it as a quick, casual, castle wars like game.

This game is surprisingly good, the gameplay is smooth and fun, the music is calming, and the AI seems to get increasingly harder.

BUT, the lack of online multiplayer makes this game really boring, really fast.

You can't play with another person unless they are on your friends list (and own the game).

If this game would have some sort of online multiplayer, the game would be amazing.

But I do love this game, Whenever I feel stressed I can just turn on some music and play this, It's very relaxing.

In conclusion, for a $.99 game it's simplistic and fun, but the lack of online multiplayer ruined it for me.

If you do buy this game, I recommend getting a copy for one of your friends, or convince them to buy it.

This game IS good if you like the classic game of battleship, and you have friends to play with. But even then, it can get boring quickly if this isn't your thing.

But the single player game is lacking, and I found the AI not challenging at all.

Recommended for some, but not for most, so I have to go for a thumbs down on this one.... but, if a sequel comes out (there's a little bit of talk about it), I for one will definitely check it out.

Dwarf Tower is a simple game where you try to build your tower faster and better than your opponent while throwing spells at eachother. With simple gameplay and a small price, you will likely not be disappointed by it. While the gameplay is pretty good, and if you grab a friend you can have a good time together, it's not that big of a game that you can keep playing it over and over

The gameplay is simple and mostly intuitive. Build stuff, avoid getting wrecked, and sling spells at the opponent. The few issues are mostly ones that are a comfort issue. A lack of quick ways to select rooms and spells(The menu shows numbers, yet pressing number buttons on my keyboard does nothing, for some reason), and issues of being able to see just what is going on. Not the inteligence gathering way, that is, as you have spells and a room that help you identify rooms in your opponent's tower, but rather that as your tower is in front of your opponent's tower, your attacks will hit and the camera is trying to look at the action, but instead just zooms in on your own tower.
For some reason the screen goes completely black and shows only white text - quite a contrast with the normal bright sky behind your tower, and pretty annoying if you dont have mana or library/worker space. I'm not sure how that got through any sort of playtesting. At the same time, the options menu is severely lacking. They very clearly did not spend a lot of time on usability for the player.

With the rooms and spells that you get being randomised, you may experience a mild frustration as your tower burns down and there are no firefighters coming up at all for several turns. Luckily, with doors and clever building you can usually stop or slow the fire long enough to draw into what you need.
The graphics, as the screenshots show, are nothing to write home about. But they're functional and show you exactly what you need to know. The music is selected pretty well and overall it's a pretty good experience to play Dwarf Tower

That said, it is cheap, and it is small. Don't expect a huge game here, or a challenging AI to outsmart you. But if you grab a copy or two pack and share with a friend you can have a pretty good time for a few hours and get your money's worth

A really fun and simple strategy game with loads of replayability.
Games can last anywhere from a few minutes to up to an hour depending on how vigilant and stubborn you are.

I definitely recommend finding a friend/s to play with as the AI are a bit underwhelming.

Multiplayer has always worked pretty perfectly for me, regardless of where in the world my friend lives.

Overall this is such a unique game that you probably won't find anywhere else, and at such a low price what have you got to lose?

This game is a great playing game. Quick and to the point. No bugs as far as I can see. The online community is very small though. Maybe the online life would be restored with a level system and adding new content, unlocked by levels? Prestige and what not.. Has real potential of being a winner. Very fun single player, would be outstanding if online community thrived ;P

Pros:
+ Concept is great, building up in the air and down in the earth, while still trying to prepare for a fallback in case of a fire is great.
+ While your tower expands, so does your options. This game is great at training you to make the best of the resources at hand.
+ There's a good range of both abilities, but also items (/dwarves) that can counter those abilities. It leaves many opportunities to turn the game by moving your most crucial assets around, extinguishing fires, pumping out water, etc.

Cons:
- Not very original music, gets annoying quite fast (which is of course entirely subjective)
- No options menu whatsoever (including the possibility to turn off the music (I'm looking at you, devs)).
- Unfortunately, the multiplayer seems to be abandoned. It is probably best reccomended to play the game with some friends, since (even with the randomized aspects), after some time, I can imagine it will get a bit repetitive.
- Fires will fuck you up.

All in all, I recommend the game for those of you who likes having to deal with the worst situation the best you can. With the missing options and died out multiplayer, I would normally not recommend it, but at the price of 2,99, it still have had more than enough replay value to make it worth my while.

//First review. Thanks for reading.//

This game does not have very many complex mechanics and feels unfinished. Even the tutorial is bugged (as of now) and impossible to complete. So, without information, you wade in against the AI and the game is over in a matter of minutes, either in your favor or against it. It just doesn't feel very substantial at the moment and victory feels hollow when it seems like sheer randomness determines the victor.

Dwarf Tower was a total disappointment. Not only if Facebook integration required for basic gameplay, the menu interface is complete chaos.

Gameplay is bland at best, as all building and attacks are menu based. With no clear cut goal other than the destruction of the enemy tower, Dwarf Tower seems like little more than a lackluster adaptation of Battleship.

This is a fun game. You are basically trying to build your archmage tower while at the same time trying to destroy your rival's and keep them from destroying yours. Interesting dynamics involved in figuring out how you want to build your tower and also in managing your spells and mana to cast spells.

You are given a random selection of cards each round, which you must use or lose. The cards are the spells, rooms, and tools that you need to build up your tower and your attack (and defense) capabilities. The spells are put in your library inventory until you use them, which requires mana points, which accumulate from crystals you build. (One thing that I would like to be able to do is remove spells from libraries. It can happen that you put a spell in there and later lack the space for a better spell available.)

I had some confusion at first how to play, but I gradually realized how the play is broken into segments. While it is obvious when you enter Build or Combat phase that it is time to build or attack, some of the sub-segments weren't so obvious: for example, that "Pumping" was to assign some dwarves with this capability instead of actually pumping water out of a dungeon at that time. I think the game would be a lot more accessible to new players if there was a clearer demarcation between the segments of play, with perhaps a Help button to click on that describes what is happening in this segment of play.

All the basic information you need to play is in the game, even if it the information is presented in a manner that is a little rough around the edges. There is a tutorial that walks you through at least part of a game: my tutorial actually got stuck for some reason at some point, but I had seen enough to jump into a game. From what I did see, a little more direction from the tutorial on what is going on would be helpful.

The aesthetics of the game are simple but pleasing--I quite enjoyed the music and the simple artwork. I do kind of wish that you could see the little dwarves and archmages, especially when one of the archmages is defeated. But that is a very minor point and probably just a matter of taste on my part. (Actually it probably wouldn't work to show the archmage before the end because finding out where the archmage's quarters are is one of the points of strategy in the game.)

I would definitely buy the game again after having played four rounds (each takes about ten minutes to play, I think). I can see this game as one that I come back to from time to time for a quick archmage battle.

New Review:

The devs weren't sitting on their asses and actually did work. Well done! All issues i had were adressed and i can finally change the review to a positive one.

The utterly repulsive idea about FB integration was removed and tutorial made good and accessible, removing the confusion and allowing for somewhat enjoyable gameplay.

Developers have plans to improve the game, like many other progressive ones, like FTL or DOE at by the looks of it no additional cost. Raising their credibility and faith in them.

Notice that the patches arrived very early - clear sign of devs working to improve, maybe it was slow for some, but for small studios with limited personel thats absolutely fine.

So far ive seen the content to put the game on 4.5/10 or 5/10. And with the promise of improvement that will be easy 6/10.

Now to the core gameplay -> so far i have seen little change, but the gameplay mechanics were fine to begin with. Its not an AA type product but it has earned its space on steam. And i can only hope the developers will continue to strive for excellence.

Only thing left to improve upon would be perhaps sound? While Kevin produces high quality music, i feel that perhaps there should be a difference within the music depending on how the game is going. You know how in FTL there is exploration and battle music? In Payday there is stealth/assault/stealth blown but no assault/planning style, - since the days of old there were changes to music in games differentiating depending on how the game goes. What im talking about is perhaps something like in Democracy 3 where there is vastly different music depending on how bad your situation is. I know its kind of a bitch to ask but when tower is in flames, things are crumbling left and right and there is "Vivacity" playing doesnt really set the mood. Then again the player who's base is up in flames and that track playing might still keep the positive spirit up.



Here is the full transcript of dialog wit the devs at 08/01/2015:
iosoftware: Q8IRB-P8XXH-X38BJ
Desert Flower: what
iosoftware: this is access to Dwarf Tower beta versions for you
iosoftware: fixed the tutorial and the Reflector already
Desert Flower: ugh must i really? i got other things to do oh? Nice! very very good!
iosoftware: Got crashes to fix now
Desert Flower: there were no crashes before its like one of the finer points of the game, then agian i played too little with all the ragequitting : )
iosoftware: we do plan a single player rogue mode alike for it by the way
iosoftware: similar to ftl
iosoftware: grand enemy tower out there, you walk to it hex by hex
Desert Flower: oh man now THAT sounds exciting!
iosoftware: other enemies can be destroyed or 'talked into' helping you
iosoftware: so the final battle will have more towers in the background, some helping you
Desert Flower: Oo you guys were very busy by the looks of it D: sounds amazing
Desert Flower: but yeh i can see why there would be a lot of bugs with all those improvements
iosoftware: not for the next update, but we had that idea for quite a while

Old Review:

Chaotic mess in dire need of tutorial and descriptions.

Bought it mostly because there was 'music by Kevin MacLeod' i was thinking - i love that guy he makes great music! And what did we get in the game? Use of his previously made songs. Are his music pieces available for commercial use for free? If not did they even license this? If the answer is yes - thats probably the big chunk of the cost right there. If the answer is no i have no fucking idea what did people expend money on to create this to justify the cost. Strippers and coke? Hell if i know.

Very not recommended. At least untill there is a comprehencible tutorial.

Edit: Allright i went through the tutorial which didnt explain much. It was tunnelvision click this to proceed. At the end of which is a check mark, which does nothing but light up. Spamming it 20-40 times resulted into nothing aswell. So i had to manually get out of the tutorial. Did you even test this? What about combat sequences/build ones? We get items every turn... are they random? What is going on? What if i dont place one? Do i miss out on construction or perhaps i get more options next turn? Fuck if i know.

Then it got to a 'Reflector' item which i cant place, not because i lack space to use it on, no no. I cant place it because to be able to do that i have to go to Facebook and like thier game. Really now? Some people dont use facebook. Im supposed to go over there and make account and then synch the said account with steam just so i can get item which is already in the game to work? This is cancer like on disk dlc, however here it out fucking right says its there but fuck you, cant do that. Go like our shit.

Sometimes enemy starts with base already build, sometimes he builds at the same time as you do. How is any of it determined? How long did this take to make? Weeks?

Question to the devs, suppose you could play some average game or Dwarf Tower that you created. Which one would that be? If the answer is DT then didnt you playtest some of this shit? Have you shown it to your friends to ask oppinion? How was this developed? Christ almighty. I would ask for a refund but steam would take ages and i believe in supporting indie developers. And at the moment Deveopers of this game need some hash loving support.

Dont buy this till its patched and dropped in price.

To devs: get your shit together, come on. I dont care if this is your 1st release ever learn from mistakes of others, ask second oppinion, be open to criticism, your game is not all bad... ok its bad. 2/10 tops bad. Drop the ridiculous requirement, fix the tutorial and explanation of how game works, and let some other people OTHER THEN CONSUMERS playtest this. I came to have a good time not tell you how to do your job. Peace.