Tower for Windows

A free 2D retro top-down game

Tower is a retro-styled fantasy game about a princess and her cat. Explore the world, open chests, and find your way into locked areas. The story takes elements from the X-Files, Zork, and the Princess Bride in order to tell an unconventional story.

This 2D retro game uses a top-down perspective and is very similar to older Zelda games. There is also a dash of Pokemon Crystal Clear in there without the creature battling. It is a very short game and is well-paced so that you don't become bored.

Explore and unlock areas

This retro game could have easily extended gameplay with battle grinding, but the developer kept it all about exploration and finding secrets. The story and the walking portions of the game are broken up with characters talking at you, so the traveling sections do not become boring.

Certain levels have far less detail

Many of the starting areas in this Zelda clone are lovingly crafted and very detailed. Some of the later areas, especially one of the dark dungeons and an ice area, are rather lacking in love, care, and detail.

Unnecessary themes get in the way of the narrative

The creator had a political agenda, and its devices are forced into this fantasy story game, which is a shame because they are the weakest part of the game. In terms of 2D retro Zelda clones, it holds up pretty well for a solo indie game.

Getting stuck in the game is a big problem

This 2D pixel art game has some very strong game elements, but it suffers from the same difficulty curve problems that retro games always have. If you do not know where to find a certain item or how to unlock a certain door, then you are stuck forever because the designers didn't offer hints or a fail-safe mechanic.