Review of Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower: summoning technique
Our Verdict
Though its champion system could use a little work, Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower is an excellent turn-based strategy game with plenty of potential
There are many different strategy games available on mobile devices. We have micro-strategies that use the platform to enhance their inherent simplicity, such as Bad North and Kingdom: Two Crowns. However, there are also massive strategy games like Civilization VI and Rome: Total War, which were developed for the PC but were almost entirely transferred to mobile devices. Even while some of the top strategy games on mobile devices originate from other platforms, they were not designed with mobile devices in mind, regardless of how well they play or translate. That's the reason I get thrilled whenever I come across a mobile strategy game.
The way Perchang's mobile adaption of the board game Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower makes advantage of the platform to produce a simple yet entertaining strategy game is one of my favourite things about it. The several levels in Silver Tower resemble flashpoints, brief bursts of turn-based combat that you can pick up and put down with equal ease.
With its bite-sized levels and basic champions who, despite their simplicity, do provide some degree of strategic complexity and synergy, Silver Tower really seems like it was designed for mobile devices. This is how it is set up.
As one would expect, Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower takes place in the enigmatic and lethal Silver Tower, a dungeon ruled by the demonic Gaunt Summoner. From all throughout the Mortal Realms, heroes of every colour and group converge to the tower to take on its various challenges and discover wealth. The plot of "mismatched band of adventurers seek treasure in deadly dungeon" is largely the same as in traditional fantasy literature.
The game Silver Tower is a turn-based strategy game. You assemble a group of champions and choose three to go through the tower's trial by trial process. These mini-games include some fighting, but their main objectives are to take down obelisks, beat opponents, or just get away from the enemy as quickly as possible. That's the role of your champions.
As of right now, Silver Tower features 10 champions, and more are on the way. These champions exemplify the diversity seen in Age of Sigmar. There are Chaos-aligned characters like the Chaos Sorcerer and the Darkoath champions, as well as Stormcast like the Raptor Prime and the Knight Questor, ogres with cannons like the Leadbelcher, and more. But they all have a champion skill and a class ability, which is what unites them.
There are three types of class abilities: magic, melee, and ranged. Reaction Shot, for instance, is a ranged class skill that functions similarly to overwatch by enabling you to utilise any remaining actions to instantly fire and halt nearby foes. Deathblow is a melee ability that gives you a 40% chance to strike again after each strike—I mean, *every* time—though this ability may sometimes become a touch ridiculous. strength Up is a magic ability that increases attack range and strength every time you do not attack. Yes, it is as strong as it sounds. It's important to keep in mind that opponents might also possess these skills.
Conversely, each character's champion talents are distinct, giving them a distinct taste. The Leadbelcher covers 3x3 tiles with strong rounds from his cannon, igniting them. The Chaos Sorcerer uses daemonic power to enhance his companions' assault and accuracy. Additionally, the Raptor Prime fires a long-range shot with their crossbow. But be advised that certain skills have limited uses or cooldowns.
Although some are superior to others, the talents are a wonderful addition and provide some diversity to the champions. For example, the Tenebrael Shard's ability to walk eight squares away and change into smoke seems to be lacking a follow-up move, which often results in him being isolated and slain. Due to their one-use only each stage, several of the more potent one-shot abilities—such as Leadbelcher's Thunderous Blast—become far less effective while seeming to be formidable at first. For more ideas on champion selection, however, check out ourWarhammer Quest: Silver Tower tier list for more information!
You must call these champions in order to get them, and as in Fire Emblem: Heroes, doing so has a cost. The preferred form of payment is summoning stones, which run you 100 for a standard champion summon and 250 for an epic. These stones may be obtained by daily challenges on Blot, levelling up, or purchasing them from the market; a standard summon will set you back around $3. A plethora of other currencies are also available, such as gold, which can be used to purchase goods, experience points (XP) for champion levelling, and four distinct kinds of tokens: chaos, order, destruction, and death. These are used to elevate champions from those particular groupings over level 10.
Additionally, there are goods like boons that provide a stat benefit, weapons that alter damage and the amount of strikes, and decorative armour. Although it seems complex, the mechanism is really rather simple. However, there are a few problems I do have with the champion summoning. Summoning stones become increasingly difficult to get at a certain point, and the more champions you summon, the greater the likelihood that you'll summon a duplicate of a champion you already own. I find it weird that players have to labour to gain money, and then they could not get what they desire in return.
A mechanism that allowed you to shred champions for a fraction of the summoning stone cost would be incredibly helpful for Silver Tower, if only to discourage you from filling your inventory with duplicates of the same basic character. If each champion had a unique quality or more cosmetics to set them out from one another outside of level and numbers, things could be a bit different, but they aren't. It is quite counterproductive to have duplicates of the same fundamental character as it destroys the intimate atmosphere that the game makes such an effort to create.
The idea of Silver Tower is that you are the one providing weapons, boons, and character development to this motley crew of adventurers, moulding them into a force capable of taking on the Gaunt Summoner. The brief narrative beats that explain where your heroes are in their journey before each level or challenge lend credence to this theory. Perchang need to consider this more when introducing new material to the game, in my opinion.
Overall, Silver Tower's performance has pleased me. I really like the game's little levels and the way it progressively becomes harder by introducing new enemy kinds and goals. It has elements of a dungeon defensive game, with opponents that spawn indefinitely and need you to move carefully through stages while facing attacks from all directions. With its dramatic music and the main narrative of striving to finish a dungeon, it also has a very traditional fantasy vibe.
In addition, I'm thrilled about the potential for future Age of Sigmar champions and the opportunities they provide, particularly with the addition of Chaos characters. Although I believe there is room for improvement in terms of its financial system and the level of customisation available to its champions, overall, I believe the Silver Tower plays really well and is highly recommended for any lover of mobile turn-based strategy.
Silver Tower is available on the App Store and Google Play. For further advice on getting started, be sure to check out ourWarhammer Quest: Silver Tower guide!