_Shadow Tower_ is a first-person dungeon crawler from the team that created
the King’s Field series. Though the two games share a similar style, theme,
and look, _Shadow Tower_ is the start of a new series unrelated to _King’s
Field_.

The player controls mercenary Ruus Hardy, who, upon visiting the town of
Zeptar, finds it razed to the ground. The towns inhabitants have been killed,
and their souls claimed by evil spirits lurking below a nearby tower. Ruus
heads alone into the underground dungeon to slay the monsters and set the
souls free. This journey will take the player through six “worlds” based on
nature, including Earth, Fire, Illusion, and Death, and pit them against
monsters and bosses alike.

Players control Ruus from a first-person perspective, swinging swords and
casting spells accordingly. Players can strafe with the left and right
shoulder buttons. Weapons and armor are found around the dungeon and equipped
from the status screen. Rings can be found that are imbued with a
predetermined set of magic spells. The player can have one ring on each hand,
and one spell active for each ring. Players can buy and sell items at shops.
Equipment can wear out with repeated use, and must be repaired by a blacksmith
or replaced all together.

There are no experience levels in _Shadow Tower_. Instead, the player builds
stats by repeating related actions. Players can find fixed warp and save
stones within the world to travel and preserve their progress. There are no
maps, either in-game or included with the documentation, so the player must
make their own with the help of an in-game compass. The game supports
multiplayer only through a limited 2-player battle mode.

Tower of Shadow