There’s something so satisfying about catching your opponent’s arrow mid-flight and shooting it right back in his or her face--especially if you don't already have an arrow waiting in your quiver. It’s a complete reversal of fortune: the hunted becomes the hunter in a micro-drama that lasts less than a second. Then the next round starts and it all begins anew. Towerfall Ascension is full of these tiny victories, and joins a growing collection of competitive games--including

Whether you’re playing with or without variants, Towerfall is a blast to play with your friends. Scoring a kill takes work since the arrows don’t move much faster than the characters, and can be snatched out of the air by alert players. Instead of fighting head-on, you are constantly thinking of new ways to outsmart the other players--either by tricking them with some new tactic or catching them with a surprise attack. You need a plan of attack, and when that plan comes together it feels very rewarding.

If you don’t have any friends on hand, Towerfall’s appeal drops significantly. Quest mode is a fun distraction, but pales against the fierce competition of Versus, which requires at least two local players to use. Online play is completely absent as well, which further compounds this issue. With a few friends, Towerfall Ascension is a fantastic multiplayer game that offers a ton of variations on its enjoyable archery combat. Just make sure those friends can join you on the couch.