When comparing Mage Gauntlet vs TowerFall Ascension, the Slant community recommends TowerFall Ascension for most people. In the question“What are the best pixel art games?” TowerFall Ascension is ranked 1st while Mage Gauntlet is ranked 50th. The most important reason people chose TowerFall Ascension is:
You run, jump, and shoot arrows, which anyone can learn in a matter of minutes. To become a great player, however, there is a lot of technique and strategy to learn. This includes aiming, using cover, reading your opponent, and many other things. As a result TowerFall Ascension is accessible to casual players while also being able to keep the hardcore players interested.
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Pros
Pro Master mode
Once the game is beaten, master mode unlocks which has mixed levels and new secret areas.
Pro Robust loot system
Mage gauntlet has a very robust loot system that includes many different armor and weapon sets as well as upgrades for spells.
Pro Unique magic system
The magic system in Mage Gauntlet consists of a limited moveset of four spells that need to be replenished from in world urns, making for a bit of a balancing act of when to use spells in order to get through the tougher parts of each level.
Pro Touch screen controls work great
Like other RocketCat games, the on screen controls are spot on.
Pro Very reminiscent of SNES era games
Mage Gauntlet has the design similar of games such as Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana, making for a experience full of nostalgia.
Pro Easy to learn but hard to master
You run, jump, and shoot arrows, which anyone can learn in a matter of minutes. To become a great player, however, there is a lot of technique and strategy to learn. This includes aiming, using cover, reading your opponent, and many other things. As a result TowerFall Ascension is accessible to casual players while also being able to keep the hardcore players interested.
Pro Feels fair at any skill level
Each player only has three arrows at the beginning of a match. Once they are fired, the arrows can be picked up by anyone. This way no player can build momentum that feels oppressive, allowing even new players to control the pace of a match since they can just hog all the arrows.
Pro Single-screen levels add depth to strategy
In the style of old school games like Asteroids, everything that moves outside the edge of the screen appears on the opposite side of it. Because of this you always need to remain aware of your surroundings and other player locations, so you don't get hit by an arrow coming from an unexpected direction. This adds a level complexity not found in many modern games, which is quite refreshing.
Pro Co-op mode that improves communication
TowerFall Ascension has a 2-player co-op mode where you and your friend fight against hordes of bad guys. It has friendly fire, so you need to communicate to avoid hurting each other. This creates a mode that motivates you to communicate with your friend more, leading to a lot of back and forth banter.
Cons
Con Lacks depth in gameplay
Mage Gauntlet is primarily focused on action-based gameplay and tends to forget many traditional RPG-elements such as upgrading and gathering loot. Mage Gauntlet is filled with corridor fights that aren't ideal for extended play, while boss fights lack variety because they all behave in a similar way.
Con Story is lackluster
While borrowing from many RPG greats from the past, the plot feels a bit derivative while also falling a bit flat. Better writing could have definitely helped flesh out the adventure more.
Con Really short co-op campaign
The co-op quest mode takes around seven hours to complete. So if you're not interested in the competitive multiplayer aspect of TowerFall Ascension, you'll run out of things to do really fast.
Con Limited to just local multiplayer
As it is now, you're limited to just playing with or against your friends or not playing at all. If you could play matches against other players online, the game would've been a lot more accessible.