Tower Defence games are like Frosted Flakes... Tower defence games are great aren't they?
If you said no, then Deathtrap, even with its unique take on the genre probably isn't going to change your mind.
... They're Grrr-reatStill here? then I'll assume that you agree with me....
They're fun and easy to drop in and out of when time permits, great for a quick level or two at the end of a busy day.
You fire them up, trace the path the enemy will take, find the choke points, plan and place your towers, hit the start button and watch wave after wave of "bad guys" get chewed up (hopefully) by your turrets, fireballs, lighting towers etc.
Upgrade a tower here and there, increasing its range or power, maybe place a few new turrets and then take on the next level.
Rinse and repeat until you win, or if you're skill level matches my own, until you lose and try again!
Tower Defence games are like DeathtrapAt its core, that's what you'll find with Deathtrap, a competent, polished and very enjoyable tower defence game, filled with all the varying enemy, tower and trap types you could want to keep you entertain throughout it's increasingly difficult levels.
Archipelago of DoomThe levels in Deathtrap are divided up into islands, each island will have several waves of bad guys for you to destroy.
Should you manage to defeat the initial wave of cannon fodder you will then get chance to spend any points you've earned by placing new towers and traps in preparation for the inevitably tougher next wave.
Stand your ground against each wave and you'll have to face off against an end of level boss, which will likely be one tough demonic cookie to kill.
Defeat the big bad boss and it's level complete, the next island will be open for you, but before you take on the next challenge you might want to go shopping first... (more on that later)
You know what other genre is like Frosted Flakes...RPG's!
Choose your character, collect loot, equip yourself with the best armour and weapons, visit the obligatory adventurers store to sell your junk and buy new stuff, level up your abilities and maybe do a little crafting before heading into battle
That's right, they're great too!
A Little RPG on your Frosties?So we've got too great and very distinct genres and as I stated earlier, at its core, Deathtrap is a tower defence game, but it's also more than that...
It's a tower defence game with a generous sprinkling of sweet RPG goodness.
Everything I mentioned above regarding the Tower defence and RPG genres are available to you in Deathtrap.
Wave to your AvatarTo be an RPG game, you need an avatar, an in game presence beyond your mouse pointer placing towers and traps and that is exactly what you'll find here.
At the start of the game you'll be given a choice of 3 character types, The Sorceress, The Mercenary and the Marksman, each with their own specialities and styles of play.
Whichever character you choose, they're yours to control in the game world as you see fit.
Wander around exploring, go on the offensive and single-handedly blast wave after wave as they emerge or you might want to hang back and help defend your towers from the onslaught.
Wave to your FriendsDid I say single-handedly blast the bad guys, that's not necessarily true.
You can also play Deathtrap online in a co-op mode or versus modes both of which are huge amounts of fun.
A View To A KillDeathtrap has solid visuals, you can zoom in pretty close to the action and it still looks crisp and moody, although you'll find yourself playing through the majority of the game zoomed out as far as possible to get a bead on the bad guys as they march relentlessly onwards.
A Matter of ProspectiveIf you've ever played the "Orcs Must Die" titles, you'll recall that they are tower defence games with an in game avatar too.
However, "Orcs Must Die" let you experience the world from a first person perspective.
Whilst Deathtrap also places you in direct control of your character, instead of taking the FPS approach, you'll find yourself viewing the action from a top down, isometric view.
This is a little less immediate than the first person view but this decision does make the direct intervention mechanic feel much more tactical.
What you lose in immersion by not having a first person perspective is more than made up for by a clear isometric view of the approaching bad guys which certainly makes it easier to plan your positioning strategically and get in a few long range shots.
It Only Makes Me StrongerAs well as the traditional tower defence elements you also be taking down specific enemies located on the map (and hoping your towers can take care of the waves of monsters whilst you're wandering off the path to get to them).
These special enemies will drop keys which will open chests full of lovely loot.
You can find all the armour types you would expect in any RPG, including rings, hats, belts etc. each of which will improve your statistics and help you hang in a fight longer.
There is skill system in the game so you can not only upgrade your trap building abilities, you can also upgrade your own prowess with your weapon of choice.
There's a shop where you can buy and sell items, there are health potions, there's even a crafting system!
Wave GoodbyeThe genre mash-up works surprisingly well, there's enough RPG elements to make the game feel refreshingly different without straying too far from its tower defence heart.
Deathtrap is a great game, quick to pick up and hard to put down, It's so addictive that I've genuinely found it difficult to stop playing long enough to write this review, and on that note, If I stop writing now I should have time for just one more wave...
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