If you grew up in the 2000s like I did, you no doubt played a browser Flash game or two. Many iconic games from this era have made their way to modern PCs with Steam ports. And now, the Lucky Tower series has joined the ranks with a brand-new installment for PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch. The notoriously difficult dungeon-crawler delivers a new wave of slapstick humor with Lucky Tower Ultimate, which releases in 1.0 form on April 16th. I had a chance to check it out early on PC for review.
Like the Flash games before it, Lucky Tower Ultimate isn’t for the faint of heart. The game released on Steam in Early Access back in 2024, but the full 1.0 version is a massive glow-up for the game. This version brings in new weapons, armor, and dialogue, not to mention a true ending and plenty of new side quests. But to get to much of that shiny new content, you’ll have to survive the Tower. And that, it turns out, is no easy feat. Lucky Tower Ultimate brings back the charm and humor of the Flash games, but it carries over their flaws, as well.
Rating: 3 out of 5
The hand-drawn 2D graphics in Lucky Tower Ultimate are faithful to the game’s origins. The not-so-honorable knight Von Wanst returns in familiar form, and everything about the game’s art style feels delightfully nostalgic. Even the humor retains the slapstick comedy tone that was popular during the 2000s era in which the first Lucky Tower Ultimate was born. In many ways, this is a massive plus for new and returning fans alike. For those looking to return to the games they love, this is a faithful entry that brings the series to the modern era without sacrificing its soul.
That said, I did find myself wishing the game took a bit more advantage of modern controls. With a whole controller layout before me on Steam (or on Switch for those who opt for console), having just one button to throw or pick up items was deeply frustrating. Even mouse and keyboard could’ve been laid out in a less confusing way. The number of times I struggled to pick up the right item or accidentally tossed something aside was infuriating, in a game already notorious for its difficulty. While limited controls were a staple for point-and-click browser games, Lucky Tower Ultimate is not that. It’s a modern PC release on Steam, and it could have given us a bit more sophisticated controls to go with it.
Still, there’s much to like about a simpler game like this. Its 2D graphics and straightforward gameplay will make it a great fit for the potato PC gamers among us. It runs quite well even on mid-range gaming PCs like mine, and I ran into no technical issues while playing. Struggles from the unwieldy controls aside, my issues with Lucky Tower Ultimate were largely user error.
The Lucky Tower games are notorious for their difficulty. And indeed, I got to see that firsthand when I stepped into Lucky Tower Ultimate. The game is billed as a “slapstick, roguelite adventure.” And it delivers on the slapstick comedy and the repetitive nature of roguelites. What I was missing, however, was the sense of rewarding progression.
The Tower is procedurally generated, which means that the types of weapon and armor upgrades you run across come largely down to luck. That’s pretty typical with roguelite boons and the like. However, there’s typically also a secondary progression, where you can get permanent boons to slowly make things a bit more manageable. Lucky Tower Ultimate has these, too, in theory. But you have to survive the Tower and make it into town with gold to spare if you want them. And it doesn’t feel like the game actually wants you to do that.
For some, the randomness of the many, many ways that Von Wanst can die might be entertaining or even a rewarding challenge. But to me, it felt difficult to the point of frustration. Yes, you can be strategic about which rooms you choose to navigate and which you quickly abandon for the threats that lurk there. But aside from using your own wits and experience, it doesn’t feel like Lucky Tower Ultimate reliably gives you the tools to actually move forward. Even if you’re having a good run and make it to the bottom of the tower, Evelius might decide he wants to kill you. And it’s not easy to escape if he does, making the entire run feel like a waste as you’re shunted right back to the beginning.
Those who love a truly challenging game will no doubt enjoy Lucky Tower Ultimate. But don’t expect “Peasant Mode” to make it much easier to survive the Tower, because starting with clothes and a weapon is a small boon in a world that’s determined to kill you. To truly see what this game has to offer, you’ll need the patience to get good and outsmart the Tower without much help. If that sounds like your kind of game, go forth. As for me? The challenge proved a bit more infuriating than fun.
A PC copy of Lucky Tower Ultimate was provided to ComicBook for the purpose of this review.
