While we continue to wait for another masterpiece from the makers of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Brazilian developer Swordtales captures their spirit perfectly in the achingly beautiful Toren.
Nathan Grayson was right to call out the similarities between those classics and this strange and wonderful indie from a relatively unknown developer. Had I not seen Swordtales’ name in the opening credits, I might have confused this for a game in the same series. The crushing sense of isolation, the sprawling architecture overrun with vegetation, the strange, alien language that guides our lonely heroine on her journey—it’s all so very Team Ico.
From the game’s Steam description:
Experience the mysterious, timeless world of Toren, the first adventure game from Brazilian indie developer Swordtales. You are Moonchild, destined to climb the tower (known as Toren) on a hauntingly solitary journey to find your purpose. You must solve puzzles and face monsters as you struggle to climb to the top of this beautiful, yet treacherous environment, driven by the will to find your freedom.
I’m a little bit in love with this game, and the more I play the more the feeling grows. Who needs The Last Guardian?
Okay, we all need The Last Guardian, but in the meantime this is very nice.
The First Five is the first five minutes of a game with light commentary. Once the five minutes are up, so am I.
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