wirelesshobo | father - gamer - geek |
Day one of the week Dylan and I are putting into Child's Play ended fairly well. I preplayed three hours due to our scheduling on the 15th. Anyways, I picked up this great little game released on XBLA this week called Orcs Must Die! Fantastic tower defense game that is seriously good and somewhat goofy. Just a blast!
Tower defense (TD) is really a great way to get your real time strategy fix on mobile and console devices with a reasonable control scheme. Although most TD games have predictable path, a more recent trend has enemies following a variable path depending on obstacles in the way. Starfall has a lot of the same TD elements, but adds some really nice alternatives to the mix. The best tower defense game on the iPad right now. Longterm playability seems to suffer with most mobile games. Four to six weeks after a game is released, the next game appears with newer features, better graphics, more interesting hook, whatever. Starfall's iteration of the tower defense genre is welcome and I hope it continues in future games.
In-game building upgrades give the game a truly RTS-lite feel. Finish levels, earn credits/money, spend on upgrades you choose at the game menu to be implemented during your next defense. Again, a certain RTS feel is imbued into the game by adding such a simple option. The science fiction theme and graphics look great. I will not go so far as to say gorgeous, but they are not assembled by someone without an eye for detail. Simple touches like the ships flying onto the platform are an interesting way to get the ships on the rail to destruction. One criticism, the units, when upgraded could benefit from more over-the-top changes in their appearance like Star Defense or Field Runners. (Edit since I originally wrote this several weeks ago -- the game was patched to add exactly this feature. Neat.) At $4.99, I felt the game was a little overpriced, but I tend to feel that way about all new games out.
Tower defense games are a fantastic way to implement a real-time strategy type game on portable platforms. Medieval HD does a pretty good job on the iPad. There seem to be two types of tower defense styled games now. One where you place turrets and troops along a given path from point A to point B. In Medieval HD's case, it is more along the 2-D side point of view.
Two castles face off on opposite sides of the screen, each with it's own flag. The enemy sends a myriad of troops from the common footman, to calvary, to catapults, and even balloons to attack your castle and steal your flag back to their side of the screen similar to capture the flag. You start out on a simple map with a beautifully designed background shooting a crossbow/ballista type weapon mounted on the top of a castle tower by dragging your finger back similar to pulling the string on a bow, shooting one of many variations of arrow, flaming arrows, and rocks at the enemy. Your arsenal doesn't end there, however. You can build support buildings that allow you to recruit land troops as well that will recover your flag or attempt to steal the enemy's as well. Simple? Yeah, right. As the levels progress, you do keep the troops or types of projectiles along the upgrade path, but will they be enough for the particular attacks the enemy is sending your way on a particular map? Sometimes your build order can work against you in such a way to make the game downright maddening. I have found it to be loads of fun for a quick get-in; get-out type of game. It looks great on the iPad. The controls are easy to pick up and gameplay is a blast. There is enough variety to keep you pulling your bow string back on the enemy repeatedly. Highly recommended for the $3. Medieval HD (iPad, $2.99)
