Tricky Towers is a tetris-esque weight balancing party pleaser with a slight flaw that prevents it from sitting side by side with other party greats.* Before I get to the flaw, let's talk about the fun.
THE FUN
I think it is fairly undeniable that the unpredictable is interesting. The heart of Tricky Towers is its unpredictability. Not only is it silly to the unexpecting for your Tetris tower to tilt, it is also a game that plays with uncertainty. Can I build a little further out or will the side of my tower crumble? Can I rush dropping pieces to get to the finish line or will it be unstable? Without definitive answers, the game tempts you into finding the answers in the midst of friendly combat. I love it! Puzzle mode is my favorite of the three available modes. I have seen my opponent exit puzzle mode early- all but assuring my victory- followed by me attempting some tetronimo balancing act and losing it all. That's as good as any Nidhogg match where you declare yourself the winner right before your opponent stabs you to death. But there is one thing causing a party chasm between a Nidhogg or a Towerfall and Tricky Towers.
THE FLAW
One of the defining features of a good party game is they encourage communication. It doesn't need to be a mechanic like some of those Jackbox games where you shout at the person sitting next to you to mow the demon grass. It just needs to get you shouting. Hooting and hollering at what your momentary frenemy is doing on the screen. Smash Bros has this basically prebaked in. If you play Smash Bros in stock mode, the person with the most lives will naturally become the target. Some dudebro will say "GUYS, WICK STILL HAS TWO LIVES! LET'S KILL HIM FIRST!" then the other dudebros shout "yea" and Wick screams "no" and everyone laughs and slaps each others butts probably. Covid 19 has made it awhile since I've had one of these gatherings so maybe I'm forgetting how they go.
Tricky Towers has no encouraged communication because your eyes as the player will solely be looking at your tetronimo tower. When your opponent lets out a mournful growl as their tower collapses, you won't know what hilarious miscalculation they made. You can't join them in their grief or laugh at their expense. The only real responses when you hear their guttural mistake is "What happened" (if you are gracious) or "sucks to suck" (if you're not). While this makes Tricky Towers not as verbally dynamic as other party games, it still ends up being a fun viewing experience.
THE FINALE
Tricky Towers is very fun and well worth the 7ish bucks sales price. If they added in some sort of cooperative mode, perhaps you would have more reason to giggle with your couch buddy. As is, I still can happily stamp the "Georgeypoorgey Party Approval Stamp" on it. Just send me your physical copy in the mail along with money for return shipping.
THE FURTHER
*Here are six quick party games I would recommend first before Tricky Towers.
If people are roughly the same game skill level
- Nidhogg 2 (1 v 1)
- Towerfall (up to 6 players)
- Killer Queen Black (Best with 8 players)
If people are at different game skill levels
- Jackbox Party Pack (They're all fun. Even my mom can play!)
- Smash Bros (Items on. If the skill level is really large, set it to time instead of stock so people don't have to sit on the sidelines too long.)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Lots of options available now to help even the most unfamiliar finish the race)
So if this were a "top ten party games for the video game enjoyer" list, those six would be the top six in some order, Tricky Towers would probably be number seven, and then maybe like Rock Band, Mario Party, and Overcooked.
