If your game immediately makes me think of one of Fumito Ueda’s games in any way, chances are I should play it. There are only so many Ueda games (three, by my count) and there will only be so many (I hope the upcoming fourth isn’t the last), so when something comes along that fits that vibe like TALON TOWERS, a parkour platformer set on dilapidated structures that rise above an endlessly spreading fog, I’m going to be drawn in.
TALON TOWERS is the next game from Jan Malitschek, the developer behind the brutalist first-person climbing platformer BETON BRUTAL, this time getting help from Blanksword’s Quinn K. and If Found’s Hyphinett. The uniqueness of it all comes from the setting, these towers look old, as if they have a storied history. A story, I might add, which perplexes as much as it impresses; why are there so many intersecting parts to park on? I don’t know the answer, but that doesn’t worry me because the platform looks grand.
You have many movement tools at your disposal. You can run, climb, swing on monkey bars, run and kick, walk tightropes, crouch and crawl, it feels incredibly expressive and difficult to master. A lot of these platforms are very narrow, and the way down seems…well, I don’t know, there might be a bunch of pillows there, but I guess it’s not great. You can check it all out above in a nice, lengthy showcase for a game that was only just announced.
It’s not just about navigating difficult platforms, one particular section of the showcase sees the player character being chased by a character reminiscent of the second chapter of Celeste, where you are chased by Madeline. There’s also an Ico vibe there, like when the dark creatures try to catch Yorda. You can even play like a bird at times! Neat! You can TALON TOWERS on Steamand it will come when it is done.
