Rocky Towers is one of those games that you really want to like. It’s an interesting mix of a lite RPG, a color-matching puzzler and a tricky balancer. But those parts don’t quite click together the way you want them to, and there are some other problems underlying the mechanics that are likely to put people off before the game even gets a chance to get under their skin.
The game sees you in charge of a team of four different warriors, perched on a balcony above a pile of colored blocks. Those colors match the colors of your fighters. Tap the portrait of one of your characters, and you can clear one of the blocks of the same hue from the pile.
Sure, that sounds counter-intuitive, since it’s going to destabilize the structure, but the blocks are being used to build a bridge to help some kids get to safety. So it sort of makes sense. The more blocks you clear, the more children escape, the more stars you earn at the end of the level. But there’s always the chance – especially with the way you’re only given a choice of three blocks to clear – that the tower is going to collapse.
Your soldiers also have special moves that can protect them from the attacks from the void creatures – take too much damage and they’ll die – as well as making them more powerful in other ways. You’ll collect new characters as you play, and upgrade them with extra cards. It’s a pretty familiar system, but the balance does feel a little off – it takes a while to get new characters, and they’re pretty expensive.
Then there’s the energy system. It costs 5 energy to play a level, and when you run out there’s no way to recharge other than waiting. That pretty much stops you in your tracks, and while there is another mode you can play, it’s essentially random and isn’t going to fill the time.
Rocky Towers has some solid ideas, and when you’re actually playing it, it’s a lot of fun. But there’s a lack of polish and balance elsewhere that keeps you from really getting into it. That’s a shame, because with a few tweaks it could be an interesting diversion. As it stands, it’s one to miss.
