Critics recommended it as a party game reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. and praised its balance.

[6] Kotaku's Chris Person described the gameplay as "[Super] Smash Bros. bred with games like Spelunky or Nidhogg".

Ascension also adds a Quest mode, where one or two players attempt to survive against enemy waves of increasing difficulty.

Thorson originally intended to send the game to Adult Swim for "easy money", but changed her mind upon developing a multiplayer version after the jam.

[b] The close community of indie gamers and their interest in trying new game ideas was both a product and generator of their living arrangements.

[4] With an increase in press attention following an exhibition at PAX East, Thorson entered an agreement with Ouya's Kellee Santiago to release exclusively on the microconsole.

[11] Thorson originally did the artwork herself but was not satisfied with the results and hired MiniBoss to finish the graphics.

[7] Holowka composed the music, and Thorson hired Power Up Audio to make the sound effects.

[11] The player-characters also have individual personalities and backstories that Thorson intended to elaborate in a "lore" section of an instruction manual.

[4] Thorson stated her plans to extend the single-player,[5] and signed a new exclusivity agreement to release TowerFall Ascension on PlayStation 4 and Steam with new levels, weapons, and gameplay variants[4] after the Ouya exclusivity agreement ended six months later.

[13] Thorson thought that the DualShock 4's directional pad was "perfect for TowerFall" and that the PlayStation 4 was "the natural next step" for the game.

A level editor is planned for a future update,[4] and Thorson has expressed interest in six controller support for three-on-three matches.

[18] In February 2015 an alternate skin for the "Blue Archer" character was revealed for the expansion "Dark World", developers stated her appearance was based on that of Anita Sarkeesian.

[19][20] An expansion pack, Dark World, was released in North America on May 12, 2015, for the PlayStation 4 and PC (Linux, OS X, and Windows) via Steam, the Humble Store, and GOG.com.

The pack includes a four-player multiplayer campaign mode where players fight boss battles together and can resuscitate each other.

Thorson also created an additional, standalone Windows game that modifies the versus mode for five to eight simultaneous players.

This limited edition box included a flash-drive with a DRM-free game file, official soundtrack, instruction manual, Steam key, and various custom-designed collectibles.

[23] Multiple reviewers cited TowerFall as the standout game for the Ouya microconsole at the time of its launch.

[27] Plante later described the original release as "critically beloved, humbly sold", "punching way above its weight class" with recognition on the yearend lists[4] of Ars Technica[28] and Polygon.

[29] By April 2014, Thorson told Eurogamer that the game had grossed a half of a million dollars, with the most sales from Ascension on the PlayStation 4.

[26] Griffin McElroy of Polygon found the game joyful and called it "a powerful distillery of childlike glee".

[9] Denton praised the arrow catching mechanic, which he compared to the "hooks" of other "great multiplayer games", like the Ultra counter in Street Fighter IV.