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by Shadow on 10.21.11  So the Tower Defense genre is getting old right? Are you getting tired of all kinds of developers trying to reinvent the wheel but falling flat? Let’s say you were still into the genre and have played Trenched earlier this summer. Have you gotten your fill? Is there room enough in the arcade space for more great Tower Defense games? Hear me out, ‘cause there’s more out there and it’s more fun than expected. Dungeon Defenders is its own kind of Tower Defense game where you play as one of four character types. You can play as a mage, a knight, a huntress, and a monk. Each of these classes are parodies of archetypes found in other games or in geek culture and each character type has its own towers, abilities, looks, and attacks. Each character can also be customized for multiplayer play. Each type can also be broken down by difficulty level where some are easier to play as solo where others need to be played online to stand a real chance.
At first I wasn’t liking Dungeon Defenders. It starts off a little slow and the tutorial didn’t really help things out. I just wanted to jump into the action but Dungeon Defenders has it’s own way of working things out though the menus which aren’t really descriptive. I felt a bit lost at first, but once I went through a crash course myself, I got into the game. I got really into the game. Each level has its own set of challenges. The placement of the crystal (your home base), the amount of doors, and the paths creeps will cross will all come into play when deciding where to set up your defenses. On the surface its pretty much what you’d expect from a Tower Defense game.
What differs from other games in the genre is the ability to put your character to use. Not only is your character an avatar to place down your towers, but he (or she) can jump into the battle and take care of things himself (or herself). Some classes shoot enemies, others jump into the frontlines and plow creeps down, while some can hold enemies back. On top of these abilities, you character will find equipment which will upgrade its stats and abilities. Enemies and chests will drop loot which you can equip right there on the spot or put it in your box to deal with later. In between each level, you’ll find yourself in the tavern which serves as a lobby, store, and training ground for you and anyone else who joins your game. In the store you can upgrade your weapons to increase abilities of your choice. You can also buy and sell weapons, armor, and pets (which will follow you around the dungeons and help you murder creeps). If you like, you can also fight the training dummies to see what your DPS (damage per second) is. This is a very useful tool when it comes to deciding which weapon you’ll bring into battle with you. This tavern serves as your tavern so every piece of loot is shared between each of your characters so you can level up your knight and save loot for any other class you might want to play. So if you want a head start when making a new character, save your loot.
Dungeon Defenders really shines when it comes to the multiplayer modes. You can play up to four players on one TV or online. Where other games of this type become a real breeze online, Dungeon Defenders becomes a hardcore Tower Defense game. Even on the second map, I was level four and was faced with HUNDREDS of creeps per round with a full party. Since resources are not shared, a four player match may require some serious teamwork in order to survive. Again I was level four and was still learning how to play. I was then kicked from that match. Since then, I’ve adjusted to Dungeon Defenders and now can’t stop joining multiplayer matches to plow down large amounts of creeps. Dungeon Defenders is also a loot whore kind of game. Once you get into the heat of things, you will be hunting the best weapons and armor. Do you want that giant axe? How about the laser sword? Why not go for the big ‘ole gun? In order to even have a chance at the best loot, you will need to either pump up the difficulty or play the other modes such as Survival or hit the Challenge maps. These modes will bring out the most difficult situations you’ll come across in Dungeon Defenders.
I normally don’t bring up achievement points in reviews, but I think it’ll help describe what kind of game Dungeon Defenders is. This game is not an easy achievement/trophy kind of game. Each achievement requires you to beat the entire game on each difficulty or to have an extremely large amount of money in the bank. Looking at the achievement list really shows how much of a hard core Tower Defense game Dungeon Defenders is. While getting off to a slow start, Dungeon Defenders really finds its rhythm and hits the ground running. On the surface, Dungeon Defenders is a cute family friendly game, but in reality it can be as punishing as the great Tower Defense games while being as interactive as an action RPG. It also pokes at my nostalgia strings quite often with its pop culture and video game references. Any game that brings up insult sword fighting is okay in my book. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a knight to level up.
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