Pandora's Tower - Nintendo Wii

Having only heard of the success of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story, somebody told me to give Pandora's Tower a try. As I experienced through the story, plots began to unveil and a world like no other was to be revealed. In other words, this game is so awesome that after completing such a masterpiece I wanted more. With various endings to explore, visually stunning environments, and an emotionally moving soundtrack, Pandora's Tower should be in every RPG collection. I gave it 5 stars out of 5 and would add more if possible because my experience was nothing but positive as the challenges continued to push the character in creatively unique situations. So if you own a Wii/Wii U and want a game that is worth your money then check out one of Operation Rainfall's successors Pandora's Tower as well as The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles.Speaking of Xseed, if you are a Psp owning horror fan then give Corpse Party a play. "It is Worth A Deuce" ~ KISS

I have to admit, I went into this game expecting something similar to its Operation Rainfall brethren (Xenoblade and The Last Story). Not necessarily in gameplay, story, or anything else of that sort. I guess the only way to articulate it would be in it being an overall fun, enjoyable and positive experience.Not saying that this game isn't fun, nor enjoyable, nor positive...it's just not so to the degree those other two titles are.More specifically, this game seems to be a mash up of God of War and Castlevania Lords of Shadow with some VERY light RPG mechanics. The graphics are quite wonderful, music is appropriate, and the general look of the game is quite grand.Where this game stumbles, for me at least, is the time limit. Yes, I know this is the entire point of the game and is an important story element. However, I hate the feeling of being rushed as do I quite dislike the prospect of having to back track to the game's hub to give the female character an item to extend the game's time limit. It's just a pain.Not to mention, I found myself having to block out a chunk of time which I knew I could dedicate solely to gaming in order to knock out each tower without interruption and without having to seek time extensions. Sorta inconvenient.That being said, if you can live with the time limit, this game's quite good. The time limit is just a bit of a deal breaker for me.

IYKYK. Look it up if you're unaware, it's pretty nasty and made me worry about having to reset my save file, but you can avoid it if you're careful. Otherwise this is an outstanding game with kind of a Twilight Princess meets Ico vibe, which is something I never knew I wanted. Very unique gameplay, some really creative bosses, all around pretty great game. Highly recommend. Just beware the softlock!

I imported this one months ago because I was certain we wouldn't see a release, but it looks like we were all surprised! XSEED has released this game in the USA.Pandora's Tower is one of the most enjoyable games that I've played in years! And even though it doesn't quite match up to all of these games, it reminds me of a unique blend of Neir, Shadow of the Colossus, and Castlevania SOTN, all of which have been excellent games that I found to be a blast to play. Even though I already own the import, I've also purchased XSEED's US release as well, to support them for giving fans what they've been asking for.This game is a highly story-driven and emotional epic that will grip you for 20-30 hours. You really feel a sense of urgency and concern for the fate of the characters. Tidbits about the back story are uncovered throughout letters and diaries that are discovered throughout the towers, slowly providing insight as to the cause of Elena's ill fate. The overall tone of the game is bleak and depressing, yet hopeful. Certain moments in the story really do a fantastic job of portraying this, and really attaches you to the characters and their situation.I found the gameplay mechanics to be fun and worked well. It borrows elements from several other action games, though is not going to win any awards for innovation aside from some of the ways that the chain is utilized in combat and navigating the environments. There are many games with smoother combat mechanics, but I never felt inhibited by the game's controls. The chain is both a weapon that damages enemies as well as a mechanism of incapacitating some (particularly stronger types). It's best used in conjunction with your blade.Music is well-done, inspired by several classical tunes that some might recognize. Common themes are reused in spite of having a pretty large score, similar to the way the Nier score was handled (though Nier has a better score, in my opinion. Many of Pandora's tracks still borderline on sounding a bit synthesized.). Some may not like this reuse of themes, but I find it to be enjoyable and it does a good job of highlighting a particular mood or plot device.Graphics are excellent for a system that is around 7 years old and limited to anamorphic 480p. I like HD systems as much as anyone else does, but I still play just as many Wii games these days as Xbox 360 games. It honestly doesn't make or break a game for me. I found that the environments were varied and well-detailed. Levels are well-designed and fun to explore. There are 27 basic enemies in total, and unique bosses at the end of each tower. Most are typical action-RPG fare but provide enough variety to keep things enjoyable. Bear in mind that this is just half as many as Xenoblade has (not counting palette swaps), which is a game that is 3-4 times longer.If anything, my only real complaint about Pandora's Tower is that I would prefer it to be a bit more difficult. The game lacks the ability to crank up the difficulty, as far as I can tell. Only during a handful of scenarios did I find that the battles were very difficult and I had urgent need for health items. The game tries to compensate for this by limiting the number of items that you can carry. I suspect that one could force themselves to be ultra hardcore and play without carrying these, but it still only matters most against boss fights once you have the mechanics mastered.This game is going to appeal to gamers that really get wrapped up in the narrative. I was personally impressed with the writing and loved the old school gameplay. Casual gamers that are interested in only graphics and flashy battle mechanics are probably not going to like it, hence the mixed reviews. It is not a technical marvel, but I don't believe that it is intended to be. This doesn't mean that it is any sort of slouch, from these perspectives, but some may find this unforgivable when they've been spoiled by modern systems and high budget titles. If this game were released several years ago, it undoubtedly would have received rave reviews. Like Nier, some people will simply have a hard time looking past its faults to really see what makes it so excellent. You can really see how much of a labor of love this game is for the team that developed it. And it will likely only be years from its release that it is recognized for its contribution to gaming.Pandora's Tower has multiple endings. These are generally based upon the level of affinity that Aeron has with Elena. I achieved the "best" ending on my first play through. Again, as with Nier, you get to resume gameplay with a new game plus. This, however, is even more forgiving. Rather than starting at a predetermined point, you can select any chapter. This allows you to manipulate the affinity with ease and achieve all of the endings as well as extra items that could not be obtained the first time around. This added touch contributes to replay value. I've clocked in about 35 hours so far and still have not reached 100% completion. Ironically, I've found that the "best" endings are actually achieved through lower affinity. These have the saddest and most memorable plot elements and also tell other aspects of the story that could be missed with just a single play through.Don't pay heed to only what the big review sites say. This is a fantastic game full of great writing and fun gameplay. Of the original three Operation Rainfall games, this one probably was the most influential for me in spite of the fact that it was probably the lowest budget of the three titles. It has such a sad and memorable plot that really pulls you in, much like the ill-fated Nier which was panned by professional critics. I have a hard time choosing between this and The Last Story as my Op Rainfall favorites, for different reasons. I wasn't all that fond of Xenoblade in spite of investing 110 hours until it (I am a big fan of the director as well). But there are many people who loved it as well. It just goes to show you that there are varying opinions about these games. Each one will have its share of fans.Please give this great game a chance and you might enjoy it as much as I did. Support Xseed and support Ganbarion so that we see more great games from this small, but talented company.

i am currently at the 10th tower but my wii broke 5 months ago and i was very disappointed i was so much into this game its unlike anything ive Ever played..i found the controls to be good,the storyline unique,had challenging gameplay,and it has a great atmosphere to it,much like a shadow of the colossus or nier. cant wait for the day i get another wii to finish this game and i have played all the classic action rpgs ranging from the SNES and playstation eras. please buy this its a melancholic work of art unto the highest order