Pandora’s Tower is an action rpg based on an unusual storyline where love, beasts, and brutality are mixed together. It’s equal parts fairy tale and body horror.
Singer Elena is turning into a beast. You can tell with the cursed mark on her back, and the fact that occasionally she sprouts tentacles and excretes purple slime. Thankfully she’s not alone. Protagonist Aeron is on hand to provide her with love, support, and beast flesh. The pair are guided to the Observatory, overlooking The Scar, a great rift in the earth held together by 12 chains, at the ends of which sit 12 towers. Within these towers, our hero is told, are monstrous masters who must be slain and whose flesh must be consumed by Elena so the curse may be lifted.
With this as a mission, you play as Aeron, charging in the dungeons filled with typical puzzles, traps, and beasties, all determined to get in your way. It’s not just a simple case of exploring, though. Elena’s curse gradually worsens, and the only way to prevent her from beasting out is to feed her flesh.
Dungeon puzzle design may seem easy at first — switches, levers, and locked doors must be manipulated to access deeper parts of the tower. However, later in the game you find yourself hunting sentient, or color-coded roses to eradicate thorns.
After completing the game, a New Game Plus option opens up new areas and items to strengthen your bond with Elena. With five endings and plenty of postgame content, there’s a lot to do beyond the initial 15- to 20-hour completion time.
