I have to admit that I was a late joiner to the Tower Defense party. I had never played one on the computer and didn’t even know about the gaming genre until I picked up Fieldrunners shortly after it came out. Since then I’ve been hooked. In fact I’ve had to finally just say that I’m not going to get another one… I’ve got almost as many of these games as I do zombie games – and that’s saying something.
But a few months ago I saw some pictures for Defender Chronicles and was very intrigued by what I saw. I liked the look of the game and I kept this on my radar, while still trying to remember my “no more TD games” rule in effect. And thank goodness that I’m weak and cave into (some of) my desires.
Tower Defense games come in different verities, but the basics are the same. You are trying to stop the enemies from advancing past a certain point and you do that by setting up weapons and defenses. You keep placing them and upgrading them to battle wave after wave of attackers until you either win or lose. It’s a fun way to spend a few hours.
In Defender Chronicles you play the role of a Hero who commands the troupes poised to stop the oncoming horde. The view is from the side (most are top down) and along the path you’ll find markers where you can build your guilds and set up your troops.
Yes, this is a fixed path TD game, unlike one like the aforementioned Fieldrunners which is open. There are those who don’t like the fixed-path types, but please don’t’ let that get in your way of a really fun game.
One thing I find to be bothersome in some TD games is the controls. Putting your forces in place and then knowing where they stand in the upgrade level can really take you out of the fun of the game. But this is not the case with Defender Chronicles. Everything is very well laid out and easy to use. And it’s very easy to know what level you’re at with a simple look.
This is a very wonderful game visually speaking. The medieval theme looks good throughout and the variety of “creeps” is great. As I mentioned this is a side view game in 2D, but it has all the fun and feel of a 3D game.
The soundtrack is also very polished and adds to the game play. The voice acting in the game is a little hit and miss. I like that it’s there, but at times it’s either repetitive or odd. The main voice is your advisor and I’m still not sure what accent the character is supposed to have. I’m trying to copy it for use on stage.
As you play you earn gold stars that can be used to by items for your Hero in the Trade Shop or you can go to the Great Library and get some new music, defenders and some other surprises. You get more stars the better you play and the difficulty level you play at (there are four levels), and they really come in handy so make sure you get as many as you can.
The game as a story to go along with it all and that’s a strong addition to the game. Combine that with the purchasing of items gives the game a little more RPG feeling than most of the TD games out there. But I so wish that they’d done some more things to enhance this. For instance they could have you make some actual choices in where you go in the game. There is a princess that needs to be saved and they could have set it up so that you could decide how you wanted to do it. But still, a little RPG is better than no RPG.
Chillingo has released another great game, addicting game. Fans of Tower Defense games will have a great time with Defender Chronicles (developed by Gimka Entertainment) and will see hours fly by without even realizing what has happened. This game has a polished loot all around and with plenty of unlockables there is “replay factor” written all over it.
Right now the game is on sale so if you’re even slightly interested you should grab it now. I’m sure I’ll be going back to my “no more TD games” rule soon, but I’m glad I fell off the wagon for this one.
The Good
A Fun Twist On The Tower Defense Genre
Great Graphics &- Sound
RPG Elements Add To The GameThe Bad
Could Use A Little More RPG To It All
Bad Font Choice
What Accent Is The Actor Using?
Great game! TriDefense and Def Chronicles are my favorite TD games. Fun, and actually challenging. Yay for TD games!
Looks like a fun game. I enjoyed watching the early progress on another website. Good review.
TD with a twist. Looks pretty cool!
DC has a lot more depth than you would expect from a typical TD game. The stars and tokens, unlockable secrets and RPG elements easily provides hours of gameplay. The game has a lot of intricacies and details, and outside of the voiceovers, it’s well thought out.
I’m generally not a fan of TD games but the addition of RPG elements as well as the quality graphics have convinced me to take a look at this one.
Would you say this is like Swords & Soldiers for the Wii at all?
very good concept, good graphic. gameplay is refreshingly new. there’s a story to look forward to. seems like all the ingredients for a successful td is all there! good job Menara Games and Ginka Entertainment!!
Yes, the RPG elements makes this TD a bit more unique than the others coming out. The hand drawn graphics are quite good.
Just as I was getting myself re-addicted to the GemCraft games on Kongregate, Defender Chronicles has to pop up and radically change everything!
It’s like the “what happened back home” sequel to Castlevania!
I ended up picking Defender Chronicles up. It’s amazing, my new favorite tower defense game. The gameplay is so unique that the strategies you’ve used in past TD games won’t come in handy. New techniques must be made for this new perspective on tower defense.
looks great! I could use a new td game!
I’ve been keeping an eye on this one since the beginning and it’s lookin’ pretty sweet. It makes for a nice change from typical tower defense games.
i like how it adds a bit of a twist to the tower defense series.
I told myself I would try not to get into the TD genre, but slowly I’ve been realizing that the best quality games for the iPhone are coming out here. I want to try this one out because I really like teh 2D approach the developers took.
I’ve been waiting for this one for a long time. I’m so psyched that it’s finally live. Gonna have to get it if I can’t win a code here.
TD games are perfect for iPhone!! Bring ‘em on!
I’ve just started getting into TDs and this one sounds pretty fun!
Great review Bob. I’ve gotten bored of TD games lately, but I think I’ll pick this one up because of a combination of the graphics and RPG elements.
Update: Got the game; it’s great! I do agree with you, Bob, that there could be more RPG elements, but still, really fun game.
I am kind of getting sick of these types of games but I have to admit this one looks like a lot of fun
This looks fantastic! I played a bit on my friends device when he tested it and it’s sick.
i love the variation from the classic tower defense this game has. Also, the graphics and sound from the video make this game seem truly epic!
The graphics for a TD game are superb based on that video.
Throw in some RPG elements and this looks like a refreshing addition to the TD genre.