TALON TOWERS is a parkour platformer that channels Fumito Ueda's style, tasking you with leaping across towering structures as you dodge a foggy, fatal plunge below

The Story So Far

TALON TOWERS, a new 3D parkour platformer from developer Jan Malitschek, has just been announced, and it's already turning heads among fans of atmospheric, minimalist game design. Malitschek is best known for BETON BRUTAL, a brutalist first-person climbing platformer, and this new project marks his next step — this time with assistance from Blanksword's Quinn K. and If Found's Hyphinett.

The game made its debut with a lengthy gameplay showcase posted on YouTube, offering the first extended look at what players can expect.

What Makes It Feel Ueda-esque

For the uninitiated: Fumito Ueda is the designer behind Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian — a body of work that currently stands at just three games, with a fourth on the way. His games are famous for their ancient, mysterious settings and wordless emotional storytelling, and they've spawned an entire design sensibility often called "Ueda-like."

TALON TOWERS fits squarely into that tradition. The game is set atop dilapidated towers rising high above an endlessly stretching fog. The structures look old, as if carrying a storied history — one that perplexes as much as it impresses. Why are there so many criss-crossing parts perfect for parkour? The game doesn't answer that yet, but the platforming itself looks more than enough to carry the experience.

Movement, Scale, and the Long Way Down

The showcase reveals a rich toolkit of movement options: running, climbing, swinging across monkeybars, wallrunning, wall-kicks, walking tightropes, plus crouching and crawling. The result looks expressive and, by the studio's own presentation, tricky to master — many platforms are extremely narrow, and the fall below looks punishing (unless, hopefully, there's a pile of pillows down there).

Chases, Echoes of Ico, and a Bird Mode

One standout section in the showcase puts the player character on the run from a pursuing figure — a sequence that calls to mind Celeste's second chapter, where Madeline is chased through her nightmare. There's an Ico flavor here too, evoking the moments when shadowy creatures try to snatch Yorda.

And in a charming twist, you can play as a bird at certain points.

Where Things Stand

TALON TOWERS has only just been announced, with no release date yet — it will come "when it's done." Players can wishlist it now on Steam. For fans of climbing games and the Ueda lineage, this is one to keep on the radar.