TowerFall Ascension: Porting the King of Couch Multiplayer

port videogame video game port porting services switch xbox ps4 ps5 nintendo

Title: TowerFall Ascension
Release Date: 2014, 2015, 2017. 2018
Developer: Maddy Makes Games
Publisher: Maddy Makes Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Engine: Microsoft XNA

TowerFall Ascension is Maddy Thorson’s archery combat platformer: a four-player local brawler built around the kind of chaotic, split-second competition that makes people yell at each other from across the couch. Sickhead helped port the game to XNA as part of the broader effort to bring it beyond its Ouya origins and onto console platforms. That XNA work laid the groundwork for a game that would eventually ship across PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch over several years. TowerFall is a game where the entire experience hinges on frame-precise inputs and pixel-perfect collision. Catching an arrow mid-air, stomping a friend a hair’s-breadth before they stomp you. Getting that feel right on controller hardware across multiple platform targets, each with its own input stack and certification requirements, is exactly the kind of low-level porting work that looks invisible when done well. The fact that TowerFall landed cleanly on every platform and remained a beloved staple of the couch multiplayer genre is testament to that foundation.

Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, skilled in porting Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to every major console and handheld including Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. We’re trusted by solo indie developers and major publishers alike to handle everything from codebase assessment to post-launch support, bringing great games to the audiences they deserve. Satisfied clients and partners include Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We’ve ported over 100 releases including Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, TowerFall, Axiom Verge, and Space Engineers, and also specialize in bringing retro console and PC games to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.