There aren’t many great party games on the current generation of consoles. Even basic local multiplayer has died out, although the Wii U has a few good bits and pieces. Fortunately, Towerfall Ascension on the PS4 bucks this trend by being fairly brilliant in my opinion. It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s a lot of fun. Also I’m nowhere near as good as my friends are, much to my endless frustration.

It seems I’m not alone in my love of Towerfall, as the game is currently sitting at 87 on Metacritic and was generally well receieved by Gareth when he took a look at it for Indie Focus, describing it as a game that delivers “some truly hectic and immensely enjoyable sessions with friends”. I think he pretty much hits it the nail on the head there, particularly when he mentions playing it with friends.

For my money the local multiplayer is where Towerfall’s true fun lies, with the single player and co-op elements not really holding all that much appeal. Sure, there’s the Trials mode, which Gareth describes as a test of “your speed by killing straw dummies as quickly as possible”, and the new Quest mode where you battle enemies, but neither has the same kind of sheer lunacy that a good round of versus does.

While the simple eight way aiming and 2D levels might not seem like much to get excited about, it’s the way that game’s “simple mechanics all combine into fast, frantic battles” that will have you on the edge of your seat for big chunks of matches. As Gareth points out, moments like surviving with “no arrows by grabbing your enemy’s out of the air and then killing them before even landing” are what really make the game, and often leave me cheering (or despairing if they don’t quite come off).

On the other side of the coin, Gareth does note that “the lack of online multiplayer” limits the game somewhat, which I can only agree with. It’s great when you have people over, but will likely sit idle the rest of the time. In fact this is exactly what Gareth mentions in concluding his thoughts on the game:

If you want to play multiplayer but are unlikely to have friends around regularly or the single player pursuits aren’t something that will hold your attention, then you are probably better off waiting for a sale. But if you have a few friends who you can regularly play the game with, then £11.99 is likely worth it for you. Similarly, if you are likely to enjoy a horde mode alone or with one friend, or even the single player only trials then you are also probably going to find the price reasonable.

Of course, what we want to know is whether you feel the same way or not. Do you agree with Gareth and I that the local multiplayer is fabulous, or do you have no love for its fast and furious action? Perhaps you feel that the single player drags it down a bit, losing the game a little love.

It doesn’t matter if you simply adored the game or hated it, we’d still like to hear from you. If you want to share your thoughts on Towerfall Ascension all you need to do is drop a comment below. Remember to include a rating for the game on the Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, Avoid It scale so we can tot up the community’s verdict in Monday’s verdict article.