“When I turn into a hideous beast… Even then—in that form… do you still love me?”

The final of the three Operation Rainfall games for me to play, and it's the best of the bunch. This game is an emotional journey through a world shrouded in mysteries and heartbreak, and I recommend it to anyone that has the ability to purchase or emulate it. Parallels can be drawn to Shadow of the Colossus fused with some Legend of Zelda, but Pandora's Tower succeeds in finding its own footing and cementing itself as one of—if not the best—game on the Wii.

In the center of a massive crevice between two warring nations are thirteen towers—bound to the edges of the cliffs by massive chains. After having been mysteriously cursed during her country's Harvest Festival, Elena is taken by Aeron and a suspicious old merchant by the name of Mavda to an observatory right outside the Scar. The curse turns her into a malicious beast, and time is running out. Aeron is tasked with scaling the thirteen towers and slaying the Master Beasts atop them, bringing their flesh back for Elena to reluctantly devour. According to Mavda, this will end the curse ailing poor Elena.

Presented with a mix of in-engine cutscenes, higher quality FMVs, and some picture book flashbacks, Pandora's Tower is engaging from start to finish. Immediately, the player is made aware of the deep bonds Aeron and Elena share, and his overwhelming desire to help her. Aeron rarely speaks aloud, but says volumes with his facial expressions and body language. Dialogs with Elena reveal her innocent and caring nature as she tries desperately to be of some help to Aeron as he braves the dangers of the towers. Both of the lead characters are handled magnificently, weaving a believable relationship and developing a desire within the player to see them both happy together. Mavda maintains an air of enigmatic suspiciousness as you learn more about her people's history and the origin of the towers. Additional characters are introduced via flashback scenes and documents that each have their own arcs and events that manage to humanize even the smallest of players in the grander story.

Gameplay consists of two major elements—scaling the thirteen towers and taking care of Elena. With a time limit placed on her by the curse, it is imperative that you always put Elena first and make sure she is fed beast flesh to prevent her from succumbing to her grim fate. Combat is fast but simple. A mix of melee attacks with weapons such as a sword, knives, and scythe and the magical Oraclos Chain given to Aeron by Mavda. Boss fights are the highlight, as each is fought in a unique manner with the Oroclos Chain, rarely calling for Aeron to brandish his sword. I played using a Pro Controller, so the chain's aiming was relegated to the right analog stick. Occasionally, aiming the chain can be a bit jank, targeting items or enemies that get in the way of what you want. It's serviceable, but I imagine the pointer controls on the Wiimote + Nunchuck combo are much quicker and easier to use. Puzzles are simple and exploration is illustrated well with the chains leading the player to the necessary rooms to unlock the boss gate. Pandora's Tower excels in its use of the Oraclos Chain. Even in repeated elemental themes (two for each element), the ways in which the dungeons innovate on familiar functions of the chain keep things fresh and exciting. It helps that you do not need to spend more than an hour in any given dungeon to complete the game.

Visually, Pandora's Tower is one of the best looking titles on the Wii. Characters are detailed, expressive, and engaging. Environments vary within the towers, using elemental themes to dress the dungeons in different guises to mask the sometimes repetitive layouts. You will see the same staircase a couple times, but it never feels cheap or rehashed. Each tower feels unique and worth exploring.

Regrettably, the one aspect that did not do much for me was the soundtrack, which I imagine is contrary to popular opinion. I did not dislike any of the music, but only two or so songs really stuck with me after the credits. Each track services the setting well and helps immerse the player in its world, but I will more than likely not listen to any of the soundtrack outside of playing the game. The voice acting, however, is quite good. On par with Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story (which makes sense, considering the localization was handled by the same people), the vocal performances of each character are believable and filled with emotion. While the lip syncing in the dialog scenes don't match, the performances of the voice actors drew my attention plenty. Small note: the sound effects related to the Oraclos Chain are punch and satisfying, as are many of the combat and exploratory SFX.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most rare games I fall in love with, there is one big catch to Pandora's Tower. If you play the NTSC-U version of the game like I did, you will encounter a game-breaking bug during the final two towers that crash the title. There are workarounds, which are mostly effective, but I did hit this crash four times in a row. Nothing was guaranteed. If you can make it past that, this game is absolutely worth your time. If you are emulating, simply grab the PAL ROM and you'll never need to worry about it.

Pandora's Tower is a game I am very glad to have experienced. It has all of the heart of the strongest JRPGs out there, and a solid gameplay loop that does not overstay its welcome. Clocking in at ~15 hours, my time felt very respected... outside of the Blazing Citadel. I only wish that Pandora's Tower had found the same level of success as Xenoblade Chronicles, as I think it's an even better title from an unknown developer that deserves more chances to break away from their licensed work and create more memorable works of art.

“When I turn into a hideous beast… Even then—in that form… do you still love me?”

"Never doubt that."

Special thanks to @CarnageKRool for giving me this game for Christmas in 2022.