J
joongee
Guest
Summary:
To those new to the tower defense genre, tower defense games typically involve waves of different types of enemies that enter from one side of the screen and exit out the other. Your job is to build "towers" (which may not be "towers" in the literal sense in some games but can be treated the same as a unmovable object) which damage or deliver some sort of status effect (such as slowing enemies down) as so they are destroyed before they can reach the other side. Different towers are more suited to taking down certain types of enemies than others and so it is ultimately up to you to decide the best strategy needed.
Robo Defense is a typical tower defense game that features several different tilesets and many distinct upgradable tower types. The action is set on a 2D map of which you have an overhead view of the battlefield. The graphics are surprisingly good and all the towers have very different design/color schemes that allow you to quickly distinguish one type of tower from another on quick glance, avoiding a problem many tower defense games suffer from. As you defeat enemies, you collect money of which you can use to upgrade your towers to make them stronger or to turn them into different types which different advantages/disadvantages.
LIKES:
FREE MAZING
Although the tilesets on which you build towers on differ from one another, you are able for the most part able to create your own "maze" (versus other types of games which predetermine which spaces you are allowed to build your "towers" on and/or have a preselected path set out on which you try to defend). Although some people do not prefer the open-ended nature of this kind of tower defense game, I feel this vastly opens up the games potential for strategy. Much of the joy of playing this game lies on trying out what kinds of mazing designs are the most efficient, whether building a "staircase" of towers to stagger and slow the enemies or a series of lines that snake down the screen.
UPGRADES UPGRADES UPGRADES
There are two ways to upgrade towers in the game to make them stronger, either in-game with money you earn as you defeat enemies or using the points you earn at the end of each play session to upgrade towers permanently in the main menu. The price for each upgrade scales well with the level of difficulty you decide to play in the game, which allows the game to prolong its "freshness" for a LOT longer. In fact, I find that beating levels to obtain points to upgrade is addicting. Maybe too addicting, as I find myself playing the game for the points for upgrades as much as the gameplay itself.
FAST FORWARD AND QUICK SAVES, OH MY!
On average each game takes ~15 minutes, depending on whether you choose to fast forward through the levels or not. There are no penalties for fast forwarding, so it saves time once you have your tower layout done and are working on the upgrades. You are also allowed to "quick-save" at any moment you like, really allowing you to play whenever and as long as you like. Whether you're waiting for a dentists appointment or doing your business in the bathroom, you can stop and start whenever you like. No predetermined save-points here. Hooray!
DISLIKES:
LONGEVITY
Although it is able to keep its replay value high due to the ability to upgrade towers outside actual gameplay, Robo Defense still suffers from becoming stale after playing it too often. It is unavoidable for most games actually, and I hesitate in calling this a disadvantage at all. However, the addition of more tilesets other than the 5 or so given would help, along with maybe the addition of more tower/enemy types.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
Although the Android Market is very weak in its game selection compared to what is available to its greatest rival (the iPhone), it is catching up amazingly fast. Games such as Robo Defense will do a good job in entertaining you until that time.
Worth your money and recommend to buy.
To those new to the tower defense genre, tower defense games typically involve waves of different types of enemies that enter from one side of the screen and exit out the other. Your job is to build "towers" (which may not be "towers" in the literal sense in some games but can be treated the same as a unmovable object) which damage or deliver some sort of status effect (such as slowing enemies down) as so they are destroyed before they can reach the other side. Different towers are more suited to taking down certain types of enemies than others and so it is ultimately up to you to decide the best strategy needed.
Robo Defense is a typical tower defense game that features several different tilesets and many distinct upgradable tower types. The action is set on a 2D map of which you have an overhead view of the battlefield. The graphics are surprisingly good and all the towers have very different design/color schemes that allow you to quickly distinguish one type of tower from another on quick glance, avoiding a problem many tower defense games suffer from. As you defeat enemies, you collect money of which you can use to upgrade your towers to make them stronger or to turn them into different types which different advantages/disadvantages.
LIKES:
FREE MAZING
Although the tilesets on which you build towers on differ from one another, you are able for the most part able to create your own "maze" (versus other types of games which predetermine which spaces you are allowed to build your "towers" on and/or have a preselected path set out on which you try to defend). Although some people do not prefer the open-ended nature of this kind of tower defense game, I feel this vastly opens up the games potential for strategy. Much of the joy of playing this game lies on trying out what kinds of mazing designs are the most efficient, whether building a "staircase" of towers to stagger and slow the enemies or a series of lines that snake down the screen.
UPGRADES UPGRADES UPGRADES
There are two ways to upgrade towers in the game to make them stronger, either in-game with money you earn as you defeat enemies or using the points you earn at the end of each play session to upgrade towers permanently in the main menu. The price for each upgrade scales well with the level of difficulty you decide to play in the game, which allows the game to prolong its "freshness" for a LOT longer. In fact, I find that beating levels to obtain points to upgrade is addicting. Maybe too addicting, as I find myself playing the game for the points for upgrades as much as the gameplay itself.
FAST FORWARD AND QUICK SAVES, OH MY!
On average each game takes ~15 minutes, depending on whether you choose to fast forward through the levels or not. There are no penalties for fast forwarding, so it saves time once you have your tower layout done and are working on the upgrades. You are also allowed to "quick-save" at any moment you like, really allowing you to play whenever and as long as you like. Whether you're waiting for a dentists appointment or doing your business in the bathroom, you can stop and start whenever you like. No predetermined save-points here. Hooray!
DISLIKES:
LONGEVITY
Although it is able to keep its replay value high due to the ability to upgrade towers outside actual gameplay, Robo Defense still suffers from becoming stale after playing it too often. It is unavoidable for most games actually, and I hesitate in calling this a disadvantage at all. However, the addition of more tilesets other than the 5 or so given would help, along with maybe the addition of more tower/enemy types.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
Although the Android Market is very weak in its game selection compared to what is available to its greatest rival (the iPhone), it is catching up amazingly fast. Games such as Robo Defense will do a good job in entertaining you until that time.
Worth your money and recommend to buy.