TowerFall Ascension hits Vita next week with ad hoc wireless multiplayer

TowerFall Ascension, Matt Makes Games' frenetic multiplayer archery game, will be released Dec. 15 on PlayStation Vita, developer Matt Thorson announced today.

The Vita port of TowerFall Ascension will also run on PlayStation TV. The game debuted on PlayStation 4 in March 2014, and because it is a cross-buy title, owners of the PS4 original will be able to download the Vita version for free. For newcomers, TowerFall Ascension will cost $14.99, and its Dark World expansion, which also launches on Vita Dec. 15, will go for $9.99.

Thorson said the game's development team is "planning to patch in cross save support shortly," which will allow players who own both the PS4 and Vita versions to transfer their save game back and forth between the two.

TowerFall can be played solo, and Thorson said that the Vita is now his favorite way to experience the game's single-player mode. But TowerFall's true spirit is the mayhem of local multiplayer games, and the Vita version supports ad hoc wireless play between multiple people using their own Vita systems in the same room.

"Playing on a handheld feels like a fresh experience, but the familiar joy of local multiplayer remains the same," said Thorson. "When your friend impales you to the wall with an arrow and begins bragging loudly, it still stings just as bad."

With the Vita port of TowerFall Ascension finally coming out — closing the loop on a project that began as a game jam prototype three and a half years ago — Thorson said he is about to begin production on his next game.

For more on TowerFall Ascension, read our review.