<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
indie	O
video	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
Maddy	O
Thorson	O
through	O
her	O
company	O
Matt	O
Makes	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
microconsole	B-Device
in	O
June	O
2013	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
as	O
TowerFall	B-Application
Ascension	I-Application
and	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
under	O
its	O
original	O
title	O
of	O
TowerFall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
Thorson	O
's	O
first	O
commercial	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
mechanics	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
games	O
of	O
Thorson	O
's	O
youth	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Bushido	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
and	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
,	O
and	O
influenced	O
by	O
demo	O
feedback	O
at	O
the	O
Evolution	O
Championship	O
Series	O
fighting	O
game	O
tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
standout	O
title	O
for	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
at	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
sold	O
around	O
7,000	O
copies	O
on	O
Ouya	B-Application
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
gross	O
revenue	O
of	O
about	O
$	O
105,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
exclusivity	O
expired	O
,	O
Thorson	O
signed	O
another	O
exclusivity	O
agreement	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
where	O
Ascension	O
received	O
an	O
expanded	O
single-player	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
levels	O
,	O
weapons	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
variants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
release	O
followed	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Switch	B-Application
versions	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standalone	O
eight-player	O
edition	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
released	O
in	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
recommended	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
party	O
game	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
and	O
praised	O
its	O
balance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
is	O
an	O
archery	O
combat	O
arena	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
kill	O
each	O
other	O
with	O
arrows	O
and	O
head-stomps	O
until	O
only	O
one	O
player	O
remains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kotakus	O
Chris	O
Person	O
described	O
the	O
gameplay	O
as	O
"[Super]	O
Smash	O
Bros	O
.	O
bred	O
with	O
games	O
like	O
Spelunky	B-Application
or	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developer	O
compared	O
this	O
mode	O
to	O
"	O
Break	O
the	O
Targets	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
Ascension	O
improvements	O
were	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ouya	B-Application
release	O
supports	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
controllers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
Maddy	O
Thorson	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
made	O
Planet	O
Punch	O
and	O
browser	B-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
her	O
first	O
full	O
commercial	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
iterated	O
through	O
a	O
Legend	O
of	O
Zelda-inspired	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
that	O
became	O
a	O
single-player	O
platformer	O
Flash	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
where	O
the	O
player	O
was	O
a	O
"	O
skilled	O
archer	O
out	O
of	O
an	O
ancient	O
legend	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thorson	O
lived	O
with	O
a	O
developer	O
she	O
met	O
through	O
Game	B-Operating_System
Maker	I-Operating_System
's	O
community	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
eventually	O
moved	O
in	O
with	O
Holowka	O
in	O
"	O
Indie	O
House	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
Vancouver	O
house	O
whose	O
occupants	O
are	O
all	O
indie	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
an	O
increase	O
in	O
press	O
attention	O
following	O
an	O
exhibition	O
at	O
PAX	O
East	O
,	O
Thorson	O
entered	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
Ouya	B-Application
's	O
Kellee	O
Santiago	O
to	O
release	O
exclusively	O
on	O
the	O
microconsole	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
saw	O
this	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
action	B-Application
the	O
new	O
console	O
needed	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
existing	O
consoles	O
,	O
and	O
Thorson	O
felt	O
the	O
release	O
for	O
Ouya	B-Application
to	O
be	O
less	O
"	O
intimidating	O
"	O
than	O
releasing	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
fit	O
Ouya	B-Application
's	O
emphasis	O
on	O
couch	O
co-op	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
reflection	O
,	O
they	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
the	O
item-catching	O
mechanics	O
of	O
Super	O
Smash	O
Bros.	O
,	O
the	O
one-hit	O
kills	O
and	O
tension	O
of	O
Bushido	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
,	O
the	O
playfulness	O
of	O
Goldeneye	B-Application
007	I-Application
,	O
the	O
shooting	O
mechanics	O
of	O
Yoshi	B-Device
's	I-Device
Island	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
positioning	O
strategy	O
of	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
described	O
their	O
development	O
process	O
as	O
tweaking	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
Melee	I-Application
to	O
their	O
tastes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
medieval	O
scenery	O
came	O
from	O
their	O
contemporary	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
Game	B-Application
of	I-Application
Thrones	I-Application
book	O
series	O
and	O
their	O
pairing	O
of	O
the	O
arrow	O
mechanic	O
with	O
"	O
stone-walled	O
castles	O
and	O
lava-filled	O
dungeons	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
released	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2013	O
as	O
an	O
Ouya	B-Application
exclusive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
sold	O
well	O
,	O
minding	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
's	O
newness	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
Thorson	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
into	O
a	O
fuller	O
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thorson	O
stated	O
her	O
plans	O
to	O
extend	O
the	O
single-player	O
,	O
and	O
signed	O
a	O
new	O
exclusivity	O
agreement	O
to	O
release	O
TowerFall	B-Application
Ascension	I-Application
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Steam	B-Application
with	O
new	O
levels	O
,	O
weapons	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
variants	O
after	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
exclusivity	O
agreement	O
ended	O
six	O
months	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
actively	O
pursued	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
porting	O
work	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
Dallas-based	O
Sickhead	O
Games	O
by	O
two	O
people	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
eight	O
weeks	O
using	O
MonoGame	B-Language
,	O
"	O
an	O
open-source	B-Application
rewrite	O
"	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Device
XNA	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thorson	O
thought	O
that	O
the	O
DualShock	O
4	O
's	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
was	O
"	O
perfect	O
for	O
TowerFall	B-Application
and	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
was	O
"	O
the	O
natural	O
next	O
step	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ports	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
platforms	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
29	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
with	O
updated	O
game	O
variants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
selected	O
for	O
the	O
July	O
2014	O
Evolution	O
Championship	O
Series	O
fighting	O
game	O
tournament	O
's	O
Indie	O
Showcase	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
game	O
with	O
PlayStation	O
Plus	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Towerfall	B-Application
:	O
Ascension	O
was	O
eventually	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Towerfall	B-Application
for	O
the	O
OUYA	B-Application
console	O
in	O
November	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
Dark	O
World	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
May	O
12	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
(	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
)	O
via	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Humble	O
Store	O
,	O
and	O
GOG.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
version	O
,	O
including	O
both	O
Ascension	O
and	O
Dark	O
World	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
18	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
27	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
and	O
includes	O
Madeline	O
and	O
her	O
dark	O
reflection	O
Badeline	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
Celeste	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
also	O
made	O
by	O
Matt	O
Makes	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thorson	O
also	O
created	O
an	O
additional	O
,	O
standalone	O
Windows	B-Application
game	O
that	O
modifies	O
the	O
versus	O
mode	O
for	O
five	O
to	O
eight	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
8-Player	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
,	O
Matt	O
Makes	O
Games	O
partnered	O
with	O
the	O
subscription	O
box	O
company	O
IndieBox	O
,	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
box	O
service	O
,	O
to	O
offer	O
an	O
exclusive	O
,	O
individually-numbered	O
physical	O
release	O
of	O
TowerFall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
limited	O
edition	O
box	O
included	O
a	O
flash-drive	O
with	O
a	O
DRM-free	O
game	O
file	O
,	O
official	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
instruction	O
manual	O
,	O
Steam	B-Application
key	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
custom-designed	O
collectibles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
a	O
limited	O
physical	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
was	O
announced	O
through	O
Limited	O
Run	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
reviewers	O
cited	O
TowerFall	B-Application
as	O
the	O
standout	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
microconsole	B-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Penny	O
Arcade	O
Report'''s	O
Ben	O
Kuchera	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
's	O
killer	O
app	O
"	O
,	O
Polygons	O
Russ	O
Frushtick	O
and	O
Chris	O
Plante	O
said	O
that	O
TowerFall	B-Application
was	O
the	O
reason	O
to	O
purchase	O
an	O
Ouya	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoids	O
Spencer	O
Hayes	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
consider	O
purchasing	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
until	O
he	O
played	O
TowerFall	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
described	O
its	O
reputation	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
only	O
thing	O
worth	O
playing	O
on	O
Ouya	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
added	O
cost	O
of	O
additional	O
controllers	O
(	O
for	O
four-player	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
)	O
exceeded	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
console	O
itself	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
negative	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
though	O
later	O
offset	O
by	O
its	O
support	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	I-Device
and	O
PS3	B-Operating_System
controllers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
Thorson	O
told	O
Eurogamer	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
grossed	O
a	O
half	O
of	O
a	O
million	O
dollars	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
most	O
sales	O
from	O
Ascension	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
a	O
fifth	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
sales	O
came	O
from	O
Ouya	B-Application
,	O
a	O
comparatively	O
smaller	O
platform	O
with	O
a	O
smaller	O
install	O
base	O
than	O
PlayStation	O
and	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
nominee	O
for	O
the	O
2014	O
Independent	O
Games	O
Festival	O
's	O
Excellence	O
in	O
Design	O
award	O
,	O
but	O
lost	O
to	O
Papers	B-Application
,	I-Application
Please	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
TowerFall	B-Application
Ascension	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
game	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
boundaries	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
play	O
area	O
were	O
confusing	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
difficult	O
to	O
watch	O
both	O
the	O
area	O
around	O
the	O
player-character	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
boundaries	O
,	O
which	O
worked	O
against	O
what	O
they	O
deemed	O
to	O
be	O
TowerFall	B-Application
"	O
greatest	O
strength	O
"	O
:	O
close	O
range	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Denton	O
praised	O
the	O
arrow	O
catching	O
mechanic	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
hooks	O
"	O
of	O
other	O
"	O
great	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
"	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
Ultra	O
counter	O
in	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
IV	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
further	O
compared	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
to	O
the	O
battle	O
modes	O
of	O
Bomberman	B-Application
,	O
Mario	O
,	O
and	O
Super	O
Smash	O
Bros.	O
,	O
the	O
Trials	O
mode	O
to	O
10	O
Second	O
Ninja	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
immediacy	O
"	O
to	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
and	O
Samurai	O
Gunn.Polygon	O
''	O
named	O
the	O
game	O
among	O
the	O
decade	O
's	O
top	O
25	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
