TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity review

Was it Heraclitus who said, “You never set foot in the same tower twice?”

With the ubiquity of traits like procedurally-generated stages and permadeath, there’s a good chance you might be fatigued by the deluge of recent roguelikes. But developer //commentout (aka @saebashi) makes several inventive design decisions with TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity, making the title a worthwhile trek for platforming fans. And if you appreciate adorable visuals, this twelve-dollar digital download will undoubtedly delight.

Tower of Perpetuity’s main hook is a map that changes every twenty-four hours. The game’s stages are built around a ‘seed’ linked to a real-world calendar. That means that the vertically-oriented dungeons are the same for everyone around the world. If you are online at the end of the game, you’ll see your ranking measured against other TOKOYO players around the world as well as those who are geographically adjacent.

Together, We Climb

That means you’ll probably want to be online when you play The Tower of Perpetuity, which isn’t always the case for a portable system like the Switch. Sure, you can play offline, but you’ll have access to a limited subset of features. The upside is that TOKOYO incentives daily competition. Although there’s a strong sense of accomplishment found in competing a dungeon, getting a high ranking on the online leaderboards is the real reward. Cracking the global top 50 feels like an achievement. Mercifully, there is no limit on the number of daily attempts.

The game’s other signature quality is a taut balance between racing up the tower’s floors and taking a slower, more careful approach to the game’s devious platforming. This tension is rooted in the game’s offensive attack. Unlike most platformers that allow you to eliminate all adversaries, you’ll need to prudently pick your battles. Each of TOKOYO’s five playable characters lack a basic weapon. Instead, each is endowed with a super attack, from blades that rotate around them or magic that summons dozens of homing projectiles.

We Must Ascend

But you’ll have to be sensible when using your ability. It can take up to thirty seconds to recharge and sluggish tower climbing is discouraged by the game’s karma meter. Allow this gauge to deplete and the tower will send a procession of increasingly hostile foes after you. But there’s a lot of countermeasures built into TOKOYO, and occasionally you’ll stumble upon an item that refills some karma.

That’s hardly the only the helpful piece of equipment you’ll encounter. You’ll begin each run by selecting one of three perks. Some items return a bit of health every time you ascend a floor, while others reduce the amount of time it takes to recharge your special. On your expedition, you’ll also pick up a multitude of other beneficial bonuses that might increase the height of your double-jump or reduce the amount of damage you receive from certain types of traps. But know that they all offer slight assists. TOKOYO isn’t going to let a random number generator let you off its hook.

The Only Reprieve? Soft Drinks at the Rewards House

Everything from disintegrating platforms, spikes, and zones where the level is translucent will make things progressively challenging. Similarly, The Tower of Perpetuity’s enemies start as meandering monsters that are easily avoided to projectile-throwing pests. You’ll need to dodge the kisses of succubae launching kisses your way, or else you’ll fall for their charms which reverse the game’s controls. Other enemies will launch you in a state of excitement, causing your character to inadvertently pogo around platforms. Although you’ll probably keep an eye on the action, many adversaries deliver text-based taunts displayed in a small window, which are reliably amusing.

Yes, you’ll face more than just meandering monsters across The Tower of Perpetuity. From disintegrating platforms, jutting spikes, and jumps that will test your platforming prowess, adversity is pervasive. But it’s also disarmingly gradual, offering fifteen-to-twenty minute runs that are long enough to provide a sense of progress but short enough that defeat isn’t too disheartening. Persevere long enough and you’ll see headstones where other players have perished.

Rest in Perpetuity

Unquestionably, you’ll find a few tombstones near each boss room. These enclosed spaces offer a pleasing change of pace, as you dodge waves of projectiles and wait until your adversary’s shielding goes down to launch at attack. Whereas every other opponent can be evaded, these showdowns force you to use your offensive abilities as you deplete the bosses’ health bar. While simple affairs, they can be tense since the confrontations tend to consume your supply of health. Should you perish, you can select from a couple of preset messages to leave on your own headstone.

But that’s if you’re online, of course. Some of the game’s other components require internet access, too. There’s a generous collection of skins that can be applied to the game’s five animal girls, turning them into everything from Vtubers to creations crafted by owners of the Steam version of TOKOYO. Sadly, Switch owners don’t get a chance to make their own character designs.

Conclusion

Visually, the journey up The Tower of Perpetuity is a delight. In-game, there’s attractive pixel art. The spire itself is a series of color-coded regions, navigated by tiny maids and fox-girls. Every time you trigger your attack, you’re treated to a screen-filled portrait of your girl in a stylish action pose. But the best part are the game’s full screen illustrations, which offer hints of fan-service. Pleasingly, there’s a gallery to peruse these portraits later. Sonically, the game offers some delicate piano-driven melodies as well as chiptunes that manage to mix baroque with modern pop.

Many games stimulate a sprint toward completion. But TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity persuades for daily play, offering longevity as you take on challenges. Although the construction of towers doesn’t radically change and there’s no separate mode with meta-game progression, what’s here is absorbing and well worth the reasonable price.