The Tower on the Borderland

I'm frustrated reading steam reviews because apparently I'm the only dunce that had this problem. I did not understand that soldiers can only be looted once a scripted enemy threat is dealt with. As a result I went through a good portion of the game including an entire boss fight with no gun. After some scraping I did figure out the problem and was able to progress... until I wasn't. Unclear progress points and bland, samey looking zones make it hard to find the way forward. General lack of polish and jank put me in a position where I'm dropping the game and I can't recommend anyone else pick it up.

This game uses assets ripped from the Dark Souls series, the first boss _very clearly_ has the exact same rig and animations as the Titanite Demon from DS1.

A wonderful little game, it has a bit of a learning curve, inconsistent difficulty and somewhat janky gameplay but it's a good and very creative experience with a lot of soul and passion poured into it.

The Tower on the Borderland is an ambitious independent horror title developed and published by DascuMaru that embraces the spirit of late-1990s survival horror while forging its own path through a bleak and mysterious setting. The game places players in the role of Erin, a military operative who finds herself trapped in a bizarre dimension dominated by an impossibly massive tower. What begins as a mission gone terribly wrong quickly evolves into a descent into cosmic horror, where reality itself feels unstable and every floor of the Tower conceals new dangers. The narrative leans heavily into mystery and discovery, encouraging players to slowly unravel the truth behind the world around them rather than presenting straightforward answers. One of the game's strongest qualities is its atmosphere. DascuMaru effectively captures the unsettling charm of classic PlayStation-era titles with intentionally retro visuals, limited visibility, and an oppressive sense of loneliness. The Tower itself is an excellent backdrop for the adventure, serving as more than just a setting. Its sprawling halls, forgotten chambers, and hostile inhabitants create the impression of an ancient structure that …

Concept of this game is captivates me very much: mystical tower, strange friends, іntertwining of fantasy and classic survival horror, retro graphics - i can go on. But in reallity, game strugles from a lot of problems. I haven`t see any tutorials about healing (so the first time I used aid kit was already after first boss) and dodge timings (this one i figured out on 4th or 5th boss). Navigation through the map and tower is pretty uncomfortable: most enemies can be skipped, "compass" is useless and when you need to find next boss - you just walk around until you randomly reach them. Although, I marked this review as positive, and I stand there even despite all the negative moments. I enjoyed the game, i wanted to play it and i was having fun most of the time. Difficulty balance is good - bosses is hard enough so you made an effort to defeat them, but not too hard so you was frustrated. Music is very simple most of the time (until you reach save zone and it`s become both creepy and fun), but it works. Looking forward to play other projects from this author (and also hope not to see any more art from terrorist states)

This is the kind of game that falls in the same category in my eyes as something like Bullet Witch; it's janky, has long stretches where you walk through long spaces without actually doing anything (and I mean LONG), clearly made by someone punching way above their weight class. And at the same time, I still kinda respect what they were aiming for. When the game's slow, it slogs significantly, and most of the time the hitboxes are a complete joke. But it makes up for its limitations, or at least tries to, with a unique graphical style and some occasional impressive setpieces. And if there's one thing I like about this more than Bullet Witch, it's that there's no messy physics engine to wrestle with. No sudden falling instant-kill cars in here, no sir. It's all fresh enough in my head that I still remember a lot of the jank I experienced, both good and bad. Like the boss who throws out smoke grenades that disable your ability to lock on to him, making him harder to hit since the lock-on doesn't fix the camera on them, it just determines where your attacks are aimed. The way that same boss has a shotgun attack whose hitbox misses you if you're in melee range. The way every single …