Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is already a rather sinister affair, but Twisted Tower, revealed at this year’s Realms Deep showcase, is determined to take that concept and dial it up a few more notches. It’s a game that looks to mash together a generous helping of BioShock’s 1920s art deco setting with Roald Dahl’s eerie novel, swapping out confectionery for toys and a disturbingly deadly game show.
Now why anybody in their right mind would want to willingly enter a place called the Twisted Tower is beyond me, but protagonist Tiny seems well up for the challenge. After being devastated by his crush getting engaged to his school bully, he’s managed to convince himself that securing a spot in toymaker Mr. Twister’s game and winning the grand $10,000,000 prize will somehow turn the romantic tides in his favour.
It’s a bold assumption, but claiming one of 13 velvet tickets means there’s a chance of it actually paying off. I have no doubt there’ll be an awful lot of bloodshed in the process though. Twisted Tower promises an FPS chock-full of “deadly traps, locked doors,” and “frightening enemies inspired by children’s shows,” all while unravelling the tower’s mystery and the protagonist’s “dark and twisted past.”
Twisted Tower comes from Thomas Brush’s studio Atmos Games, which has previously found success with Kickstarter games like Neversong—the sequel to Flash game Coma—and Pinstripe, both of which smashed their initial funding goals. Both games are sitting at Very Positive on Steam too, which gives me good hope for what Twisted Tower holds. It certainly helps that I’m an absolute sucker for a BioShock-like, though admittedly, I’m already having to prepare myself for the inevitable onslaught of clowns seen in the trailer.