Towers of Chaos - REVIEW

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Trantor
Duke of Banville
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Towers of Chaos - REVIEW

Post by Trantor »

Ok, so here is my review of PaulH's custom dungeon Towers of Chaos. I am referring to version 3.0 - The Fortress.

Gameplay: 9/10

This dungeon just has it all - great, innovative puzzles, tricky riddles, nasty traps, and tough fights. It is not as linear as described, and sometimes can indeed be a bit confusing; some things like the entrance to the Wild Wood is a bit obscure, but that is all you can criticze here. Great gameplay all in all.


Originality: 9/10

Having a whole town and realizing the shops in it is very nice, as well as numerous of the puzzles. "Double your money" is highly innovative, as is the now famous bridge puzzle. The DM engine is really used very creatively.


Difficulty: 7/10

What I did not like about the difficulty level of ToC was the beginning. The church in which you start was, at least for me, one of the hardest parts of the whole dungeon! Apart from that, the difficulty level is ok; it gets slightly harder as you progress. The dungeon isn't easy, but what's nice about it is that the difficulty doesn't come from tough fights alone (though those are there as well).


Puzzles: 10/10

This might just be the dungeon with the best puzzles ever. There are tons of highly creative and unusual puzzles. I have already mentioned the great "double your money" and bridge puzzles, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes, you might need a seemingly useless item which you didn't even bother picking up; throwing tests are also taken to new levels. There are also great versions of classic DM-style puzzles, like the teleporter maze and the "Time is of the essence" part. My favourite puzzles were the Couatl trapping and the iron bar doors all around you with no obvious escape. And the bridge puzzle of course!


Size: 10/10

In my opinion, Towers of Chaos has the perfect size - about as large as DM, maybe slightly bigger. This is of course only good if all of the dungeon is filled with fun stuff to do, and luckily, ToC doesn't disappoint here.

Replayability: 8/10

The random item placement is probably the only thing that really makes a second visit to the dungeon different. But since it is so good, you will still enjoy playing a second or third time.


Craft: 8/10

Nothing too complex going on, but the engine is really used very creatively to achieve some very nice effects. The invisible teleporters that transport you to a completely different level are not noticable, which is great. I did encounter a little problem, though, that lets you skip one of the two towers; this should be changed.


Game Ending: 9/10

Ok, it is the same old "Fuse Chaos" thing again. But actually getting the Firestaff isn't exactly easy to do, and the finale plays very intense with lots of shooters, monsters, pits and not much space to move around.


Atmosphere: 10/10

This dungeon just sucked me in completely. Though the walls always look the same, I really had a different feeling when walking through the town, the woods, the towers or the fortress. The layout of each section is different enough to emit a certain unique feeling; the new monster and item graphics certainly help as well.


Overall: 10/10

This is a masterpiece. It is at least as big as DM, but much richer in what you have to do. The dungeon isn't easy, especially in the beginning, but it is well worth it. The new graphics go a long way to create a unique atmosphere, and the puzzles are probably the best ever found in a dungeon. In my opinion, Towers of Chaos is at least as good as the original games, and I don't think I can give higher praise. Play this dungeon, you won't be disappointed!


Best part:

The numerous innovative puzzles, especially the bridge puzzle and the Couatl trapping. Also discovering the "Severious" weapon and what it is capable of...


Worst part:

The beginning, especially the Crypt, is quite hard, which might put some players off.
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