The Tower is a game you'll be playing for a long time

Hello! There are so many good games out this week, it's almost dizzying. Top of any list is a new game from Llamasoft - Akka Arrh is absolutely astonishing, a bright splinter of arcade genius that ranks with the studio's very best work. Elsewhere, Taps had a lovely war with Company of Heroes 3, while Shoot 'Em Up fans are well looked after both with Toaplan's latest collection of games and Will Freeman's luminous write-up of it. Finally, there's Birth, which feels a bit like discovering a whole run of underground comics written by someone who's about to be your new favourite writer.

In a week with so many riches, it feels odd to pick between them and select just one game. It also feels like we should try to point you towards something you might have missed. This week, that's The Tower, a free game you'll find over on Itch. It's the work of a wildly creative designer and I've been playing it all week. I'll be playing it next week too, and the week after. And the week after that.

The Tower's very simple, in a way. You are climbing a tower with 100 floors. Each floor has a staircase that's locked off by the roll of a 100-sided dice. Each time you approach this lock, you need to roll a number that's equal or higher than the floor you're currently on. That's it.