The Deadly Tower of Monsters is a Teen-rated sci-fi action-adventure from developer ACE Team, published by Atlus U.S.A. It is built around a deliberately campy climb up a monster-filled tower, with Dick Starspeed, Scarlet Nova, and Robot fighting through ray guns, crystal swords, laser whips, special powers, and a lot of vertical trouble.
Content note: this guide covers a Teen-rated game with fantasy sci-fi violence. It stays focused on play, upgrades, movement, and progression.
Use this as a spoiler-light first-run guide. The goal is not to route every cog or trophy, but to help you understand what matters while you climb: staying mobile, collecting upgrade resources, using the right weapon for the moment, and treating the tower itself as part of the challenge.
Essential Tips
1. Play the Climb, Not Just the Fight
The tower is more than a backdrop. You are constantly moving upward, dropping down for secrets, crossing gaps, and returning by pads or elevators. When a path looks finished, check nearby ledges, corners, and lower platforms before rushing ahead.
That habit matters because the game hides useful resources around its vertical spaces. If you only follow the obvious ramp, you can miss cogs, targets, health, and side routes that make later upgrades easier.
2. Treat Cogs and Cash as Upgrade Fuel
Weapon upgrades are not free, and the game expects you to gather both money and different cog types as you go. Break objects, explore side platforms, and grab visible cogs even when they require a short detour.
Do not spend like every weapon will be fully upgraded immediately. Pick favorites early, invest in tools you actually use, and save rare upgrade materials until you know whether you prefer melee pressure, ranged safety, or a balanced loadout.
3. Keep One Reliable Melee Option
Melee weapons are useful when enemies crowd you, when ranged energy is low, or when a fast close-range answer is safer than backing up. A dependable baton, sword, whip, dagger, or similar option gives you a fallback when the arena gets messy.
If you are unsure what to improve first, prioritize the melee weapon that feels easiest to land without taking hits. Damage is useful, but reach and speed can be just as important when enemies surround a narrow walkway.
4. Keep One Reliable Ranged Option
Ranged weapons let you thin out enemies before they reach you and help against targets positioned below, across gaps, or near hazards. The game gives you plenty of ray-gun-style choices, so test them instead of assuming the newest one is always best.
On a first run, a safe ranged weapon is especially valuable when the camera angle points you toward enemies climbing or attacking from ledges. Clear what you can from distance, then move in when the field is safer.
5. Use Powers as Problem Solvers
Special powers are there to solve pressure, not to sit unused. Time-slowing effects, speed tools, mines, barriers, and chain-style attacks all have moments where they can turn a crowded fight into a controlled one.
The best habit is simple: when a fight feels chaotic, ask what your equipped power can do right now. If it can buy space, interrupt a group, or protect your movement, use it before you lose too much health.
6. Practice Roll, Jump, and Jetpack Together
Movement is one of the biggest skill checks. Rolling, jumping, and using the jetpack as one sequence can get you away from enemies faster than basic running, and it also helps when you need to cross gaps or recover from bad spacing.
Practice the rhythm during calmer areas. Roll first, jump as the roll carries forward, then use the jetpack to extend the escape. Once it feels natural, tower traversal and Survival mode both become much less punishing.
7. Look Down Before You Drop
Dropping from the tower can lead to collectibles, platforms, and return routes, but careless jumps waste time or put you into danger. Before stepping off, rotate your attention to visible platforms, cogs, targets, or blue return pads.
If you see a collectible below, plan the return route before going for it. The tower often gives you a way back up, but knowing where it is keeps an optional pickup from becoming a scramble.
8. Use Checkpoints and Health Packs Deliberately
Checkpoints and health pickups are part of the climb rhythm. If you are close to a checkpoint, play slightly more carefully and reach it clean. If you see health while already safe, consider whether you need it now or whether a nearby fight might make it more valuable.
This is especially important in ledge fights. Getting knocked around while low on health can turn a simple enemy wave into a reset, so stabilize before pushing into the next tier.
9. Learn Each Enemy’s Annoyance
Many monsters are not dangerous because they are complicated; they are dangerous because they interrupt your plan. Ink attacks punish standing still, jump attacks can knock you off, plants can surprise you near corners, and ranged enemies can make narrow paths uncomfortable.
Give each new enemy a moment of respect. Watch the first attack, dodge or roll away, then answer with the weapon that makes the fight safest.
10. Spend Character Upgrade Points Around Your Weakness
Red stations improve combat efficiency across the cast, with choices tied to health, regeneration, melee, ranged damage, cooldowns, energy, and energy recovery. Do not treat every upgrade like a damage race.
If you keep dying, take survivability. If fights drag because your favorite weapon runs dry, improve energy or ranged output. If powers are saving you, cooldown help may be worth more than raw attack.
11. Do Cleanup After the Story Instead of Restarting Early
The game supports post-story cleanup from a completed file, so do not restart just because you missed side objectives. Finish the climb, learn the systems, then come back for cogs, targets, hidden areas, missing scenes, and other completion goals with better movement and stronger gear.
This also makes the first run more enjoyable. You can explore when something is obvious without turning every level into a full checklist.
12. Save Survival Mode for After Campaign Practice
Survival mode is much harder than the campaign. Treat the story climb as training for enemy behavior, weapon feel, powers, movement, and resource decisions before you expect to last deep into waves.
When you do start Survival, heal before shopping, test weapon combinations, and use movement constantly. Kiting, rolling through hazards, grabbing ring money, and choosing safe ranged options matter more than trying to win every wave with close-range aggression.
First-Run Tower Checklist
| Situation | Best Habit | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| New area opens | Check side paths before climbing on | Cogs and targets often sit away from the main route |
| Upgrade terminal appears | Improve weapons you actually use | Rare materials are easier to waste than replace |
| Red station appears | Patch your biggest weakness | Shared upgrades can fix health, energy, damage, or cooldown problems |
| Ledge fight starts | Clear ranged threats and protect footing | Knockbacks are more dangerous near tower edges |
| A collectible is below | Identify the return route first | You avoid turning a detour into a long recovery |
| New enemy appears | Watch one attack before committing | Patterns are easier to read before the arena gets crowded |
Survival Mode Preparation
Survival mode asks for a different mindset than the campaign. You are not just climbing; you are managing waves, money, healing, weapon purchases, and space. Campaign habits still matter, but sloppy movement gets punished faster.
Bring a loadout that lets you fight while moving. Homing or easy-to-aim ranged attacks are useful because they let you kite enemies instead of standing still. A strong melee weapon is still important for cleanup, but do not force close combat when the arena is crowded.
Use powers early enough to matter. Group-damage powers can soften waves before they trap you, while barriers or defensive tools can buy time during dangerous phases. If golden rings are available at the start of waves, aim for them cleanly because extra money helps your upgrade and healing plan.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not sprint past visible cogs - Those resources feed your weapon upgrades.
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Do not upgrade every weapon evenly - Focus on tools you use often.
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Do not fight every enemy at point-blank range - Ranged attacks make many ledge fights safer.
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Do not ignore your special power - Powers can solve crowded fights before they become dangerous.
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Do not jump off the tower without looking - Plan the landing and the way back up.
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Do not save health pickups while nearly dead - Surviving the next fight matters first.
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Do not stand in lingering enemy attacks - Move out, reset, and re-engage.
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Do not spend character points only on damage - Health, energy, regeneration, and cooldowns can be stronger fixes.
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Do not restart for missed collectibles - Finish the climb and clean up later.
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Do not enter Survival mode cold - Learn weapons, powers, and movement in the campaign first.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Tower Climb | Explore vertical side paths before moving on |
| Cogs | Collect them consistently for weapon upgrades |
| Cash | Spend on weapons that match your real playstyle |
| Melee | Keep one close-range answer you trust |
| Ranged | Use distance to control ledge fights |
| Powers | Activate them when pressure starts building |
| Movement | Practice roll, jump, and jetpack as one escape |
| Upgrades | Build around your weakest habit |
| Cleanup | Return after the story for missed objectives |
| Survival | Practice in campaign before chasing wave progress |
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7 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for The Deadly Tower of Monsters.
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