TITAN Escape the Tower Review
PROS
- Nice twist on the brick-breaker genre.
- Power-ups stack.
- Catchy music, if a little repetitive.
CONS
- Initial lag on controller input.
- Freedom of movement highlights issues with the genre.
VERDICT
This block-breaking remake is an interesting idea that needed a little more time at the concept stage.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
The original Titan on the Amiga was fairly innovative when it was released back in 1989. It took the brick-breaker genre's paddle and ball, and set them inside labyrinths which allowed the paddle much greater movement. This resulted in a new approach to the standard brick-breaking gameplay.
Titan: Escape the Tower is both remake and homage. The question is, of course, whether this innovation is enough to create a great game - especially twenty four years later.
When watching videos of the original Amiga release, it seems that there was not only greater control over your paddle, but the physics of the ball seemed to be much tighter as well.
That said, we'd argue that the premise wasn't flawless to begin with. One of the biggest criticisms of any brick-breaker is that a lot of the gameplay based on luck, especially as you near the end of a level. This fortune factor is exacerbated by having to track your paddle across the floors of what can be quite expansive levels, trying your best to angle the ball to hit that last couple of blocks.
Sadly, there are sections of levels that feature traps, and constantly spawning enemies, adding yet more variables to the mix. However, the ability to collect power-up offers a partial solution to these issues. You can turn the paddle to lightning, create fireballs that burn through anything in their path, and even duplicate your ball. Best of all, there is a small window of opportunity to stack two power-ups before the original fades away (with the flaming multi-ball being our personal favourite). The aforementioned luck is still very much at play, however, these are more of an amusing distraction than an outright solution.
While the idea is sound, Titan: Escape the Tower becomes a little too unpredictable to be completely enjoyable. Even with the power-ups and the fairly decent paddle controls, escaping these towers is more trouble than it needs to be.
Screenshots
$1.99
