Review: Dungeon Defenders
Bastion was the last game I played that took me by surprise due to the amount of depth an indie developer was able to put into a downloadable title. The game told a story I wish could have lasted forever and also created a world I did not want to leave behind. Bastion was just one example of the amazing titles indie developers are capable of producing with the right blend of talent and ingenuity.
Blending the popular tower defense genre with RPG elements, Trendy Entertainment has created a game that is clearly a labor of love. Dungeon Defenders is one of those games that looks amazing, plays so well, and does what a game is meant to do – entertain you for hours on end. Once you start playing, you won’t want to stop, and if you do, you’ll come back hungry for more.
Dungeon Defenders takes the concept of tower-defense games and adds plenty of robust content to it to turn it into something much more. Each level begins with a Build Phase that lets you set traps around your map to defend your Etheria Crystal from monster attacks that come during its Battle Phase. Once you finish setting up all your defenses, your job isn’t done. Unlike other tower-defense games, Dungeon Defenders always puts you in control of your hero, whether to build, repair, or upgrade defenses or to battle alongside them.
Choosing what type of hero you want to play as will directly affect your game as each one comes with his or her own perks and powers. You can choose from an Apprentice class that is geared for beginners due to his defensive and offensive blend of abilities. The Squire is a hero that relies mostly on setting up barricades to block and damage monsters in narrow corridors. His close-ranged sword attacks complement the Apprentice’s long ranged energy shots.
The other two characters are more support-type classes that are better suited in games of more than one player. The Huntress can also attack from long distances, but she relies on laying traps that enemies will trigger once they step over them. Finally, the Monk uses his blades alongside an array of auras that slow enemies down, electrify them, or heal your characters. The Monk is geared for advanced players because he excels as a support character.
I guarantee you will have difficulty getting through most of the game even on medium difficulty if you play by yourself. Dungeon Defenders is meant to be played by more than one player, and if you put all heroes together on the battlefield, you get a team that is capable of slowing down enemies with auras and barricades and attacking them with magic towers and floor traps. Each level has a set number of waves that increase in the monsters you need to defeat, but the ultimate objective is to kill them all before they destroy the crystal.
While the game’s premise is simple, it opens up a world of possibilities when you play the game in different teams and on different stages. The various stages in the game will give you different obstacles, or lack thereof, that will put your strategic skills to the test. Each time I played a game online, even if I had played on the same level before, I was presented with a different and unique gameplay experience. Not only will your games change depending on who is on your team, but because your heroes are so versatile, you can play them however you see fit. You can choose to rely solely on defenses, or you can power up your hero to be an offensive powerhouse.
Not only is Dungeon Defenders a great tower-defense game, but it also gives you a deep RPG experience. Each monster you kill gives you experience points to level up your character and give him or her increased abilities, strength, or defense. Monsters also drop mana that is used as both energy for building defenses and as currency for purchasing weapons and armor. Yes, the game even has an extensive inventory system, and each item will grant you unique defenses or power-ups. You can even purchase pets to fight alongside you in battle! Trendy Entertainment really wanted us to spend time playing its bundle of joy, and killing monster after monster simply to reach your hero’s max level of 70 will definitely take you a few hours. Plus, after you max out one hero, you can always create additional ones if you want.
If that wasn’t enough, the game even comes with an added mix of customizable game modes. For traditionalists, the game offers a towers-only mode that prevents your heroes from doing damage. Once you clear a stage, you can go back and complete unique challenges that will present you with different restrictions, crazy scenarios, or random enemy spawns. Most of these challenges are so difficult that they even come with a recommended level warning, but if you want to unlock all of the game’s Achievements, you better level up and partner up!
It is obvious Dungeon Defenders is a difficult game. While you can change the game’s difficulty whenever you want, the real fun comes in going into a game well-equipped and with a strategy plan. Unfortunately, you will sometimes be lost at what an item does as there is no clear explanation or instruction manual. The game does offer a great tutorial that guides you through its rules and is narrated by the voice of a warm-hearted old man, but beyond this, you are left on your own to decipher all the little symbols and numbers that come with a looted weapon or item.
As I said before, no game since Bastion has captured so much of my attention. Both share a similar charm and beauty, but while one excels in its narrative, the other shines in longevity. Minor issues aside, Dungeon Defenders is a game that is well worth its price. After a while you may forget how many hours have passed since you’ve been playing it, but you definitely won’t forget all the loot and experience you’ve gained.
Score given: N/A
Published October 2011 | Fraggs.net
Giancarlo Saldana is a freelance writer and Gaming News Editor for Blast Magazine.