Tower of Doom is a side-scrolling arcade game featuring four different characters (cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter) fighting iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters. Bosses include a troll that regenerates unless burned, a large black dragon, the dreaded Shadow Elf (Mystara’s equivalent of the drow), a beholder, the optional superboss Flamewing (a great wyrm red dragon) and the final boss Deimos (an archlich).
At points in the game the players are presented with a choice of paths to take to continue progress. Each path goes to a different area, and it is impossible to visit every area in a single play.
The gameplay is more technical than the average on beat’em up games. In addition to the usual basic attacks and jumping it includes blocking, strong attacks, turning attacks, dashing attacks, crouching and evading. It also requires the use of careful tactics, as most enemies have the same abilities as the heroes and can out-range them, too.
Daggers, hammers, arrows and burning oils can be used as throwing weapons, and many enemies have similar weapons. Spells can be used by means of magical rings or by the two playable spellcasters (a cleric and an elf).
Sound FX- great sound even for an arcade game. Pulse pounding, vibrant sounds that bring out the characters, enemies, and everything in between.
Innovation- as far as beat em ups go, this was a HUGE step up from any variation before it. So much more capability across the board.
Ease of Use- could at times be a slog of a challenge to get through, especially when you're pumping quarters into it just to stay alive.
A REALLY long arcade game to play, but had quite a few innovations above the typical beat em up. At least it had some sort of epic story and plot to follow even if it was bare bones. The combat was hard and varied but I liked it overall.
Score Breakdown
“The Tale”
Story- 7
Pacing- 7
Characters- 8
Originality- 8
Linearity- 9
Length- 7
Epicness- 8
“The Presentation”
Visuals- 8
Display- 8
Music- 7
Sound FX- 10
“The Mechanics”
Ease of Use- 5
Innovation- 10
Replayability- 8