MarZ: Tactical Base Defense

Very good tower defense. Unfortunately it's too short and too expensive for launch for the content.

Two achievements are really dumb. One is to get all the others... and the other is to complete all levels on normal difficulty. I've played all the levels on hardest and didn't get this... so now I have to play them all again on easier difficulty?

The game has promise but in the end it is simply too inflexible in order to be enjoyed.

You are required to essentially master a sequence of building and placing objects in order to meet the challenges.

Unless you specifically place defense turrets in key areas you will fail each scenario.

After 70 hours and multiple retries I was able to get all challenges accomplished.

But the end mission is just too damn long. It is possible to win all challenges but you need to consider where to put your turrets and what to invest in.

The story is beyond hammy with no explanation finale.

edit: I am a glutton for learning through punishment. I simply refused to lose without getting the challenge so I replayed each campaign mode until I was able to finesse the base build to win. Highly frustrating but I personally enjoy the challenges. However this type of gameplay where you need to basically build only in a certain area is not for everyone.

I only recommend this with some BIG caveats, because I'm on the fence about it. It looks very nice and plays well, but it has a different vibe more akin to one-and-done puzzle solving, and doesn't have the same kind of dynamism and improvisational nature of similar RTS/defense titles.

The design, aesthetics and interface are all extremely polished, and I'm surprised the dev hasn't made other game titles to show off their design skills, because they're great. It has a great atmosphere and presentation, and the game is functional without any bugs, and I have played though the whole thing.

However as others have mentioned, it has a linear and borderline restrictive gameplay style that usually requires a tailored build sequence to win, and replayability suffers as a result. While there's freedom with building placement, the gameplay doesn't reward much experimentation because many levels have a very limited range of effective strategies, some with very strict build timing and unit movement.

There are circumstances where you need to know this correct planning and timing in order to win, and sometimes that only comes through multiple trial and error attempts and a lot of micromanagement in early levels. That's not really dynamic gameplay, it's just repeating a solution to a puzzle that only comes with rote memorization. It doesn't really have the same kind of addictive vibe that other games do when they allow for improvisation and experimentation in gameplay.

There are times where a challenge is thrown at you and you have no time to counter it, so unless you're already prepared ahead of time, then be prepared to restart often in order to figure out that perfect build order. There's usually only one way to strategize: either having borderline psychic powers, or replaying the level until you get so tired of trying that you want to give up.

There is also not much in the way of exploration; the game doesn't reward expansion or point control the way you may be used to in similar titles and it's not easy to defend territory outside your base because you're typically very resource limited and can't build up a surplus of anything.

There are skirmish levels and custom maps to make up for this, but because there's a very narrow scope of what to do to win campaign levels, there's less urgency to revisit them because you just end up doing the same (or similar) build loop every single time. If you really love that sort of puzzle-solving and micromanagement-juggling over the spontaneous ad-lib nature of most RTS or defense games, maybe this is a fantastic game for you.

Nah, I just cant get into it. It is way too restrictive to have any real fun.

Fun little game that you can enjoy if you get it on sale but I can't recommend this for the full price.

Yeah I guess it's ok for a tower defense. TD games aren't particularly inventive; they all do the same thing, for the most part. Fast firing tower, AOE tower, hyper focused DOT tower. But this one is free form with its base building which helps give it a little freshness. And like all TD games, they're a hint rogue lite (or whatever the genre is called) because you have to lose a few times before you can figure out what your strategy should be. This game is no different here.

so, yeah, I don't particularly care for the TD genre anyway, but this one is probably one of the better ones I've played.

Beautifully designed game! Incredible visuals, gripping game play, nice variety of maps and tactics to win. And it really helps to be able to adjust zombie types and numbers and your own beginning resources. I'm hooked all over again! Great team of developers.

Very fun! Try the demo!
https://youtu.be/zTWq_CM7Swg

Great concept BUT it forces you to play the campaign map EXACTLY in the way the map was conceived to be played.
You can't try your own tactics but only retry the map until you figure out how the devs thought the map should be beaten.

The plus side are the community maps.

It's good! Some C&C vibes on it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this game. Wished there was a DLC or a sequel.