It’s always refreshing to add different features and mechanics to a genre that may get a bit stale from time to time. With the popularity and success of tower defense games, most developers have added unique gameplay and interesting storylines to keep the user intrigued. Jellyoasis has developed a fast-paced tower defense game combined with RPG elements to bring out a new take on the genre.
Overview
In Lich Defense ($1.99, App Store Link) you play as a lich king who is defending his tower from evil escaping. The main character has turned himself into a lich in order to keep an eye on this eternal evil. Since your enemies think you are a lich defending your ground, you have to fight them off, which makes you out to be the bad guy when in essence you’re just doing what’s right. In the end, in makes a good for a good story, but it may come off as confusing at first.
As you progress through the game, you can build up your lich’s ability and hp in an RPG style fashion. There is a lot of strategizing in Lich Defense, not only from an RPG aspect, but since you have to find ways to simultaneously beat each quest and build your lich up, it adds a lot more difficulty to the game, thus making it more fun.
Gameplay
The game flow of Lich Defense may be the most recognizable part of the gameplay. Since this is a tower defense game, it’s important that it doesn’t slow down at any point just because you don’t want to sit and watch the enemies make their way around the map while you’ve already planted your offense throughout. There are three different themes in Lich Defense including tundra, volcanoes, and meadows. All three are a little different from each other and keep the user engaged, but other than presentation of the maps, the gameplay doesn’t change.
You can customize your Lich with robes plus three different forms of attack that you can build up including throwing lightening spells and twisting time, which is where the RPG elements come in. In Lich Defense you start off with your basic offensive towers such as of machine guns and ice towers, which slow down your enemies from reaching the lich. After that, gradually working your way up to you way up to laser guns. There are 60 quests in all and since there are a good number of waves per quest, it’s very easy to get addicted to Lich Defense.
Controls
Another important part of tower defense games are of course the controls and the user interface. Jellyoasis knows a thing or two about controls in tower defense games. Their last one, Elf Defense, had great controls and they’re just adding that and more to Lich Defense. Since this game is more faced paced and there are more controls on screen with the adding of RPG elements, you want to be able to easily navigate through everything, but at the same time not get distracted from the gameplay. When selecting towers it’s very easy to place them on the map or remove them. This is one area of the game that Jellyoasis really spent time on and it shows.
Graphics
Lich Defense offers sharp graphics to an already fun game. Most tower defense game don’t aim to be anything too eye-pleasing, since they mostly go for a more retro, overhead view of the action. In Lich Defense however, the character animation is really detailed as well as the colorful maps, which stand out really well, especially on a retina display.
Conclusion
The only thing about Lich Defense that I find a bit disappointing is the amount of in-app-purchases. Since the game is already $1.99, not too many people would agree with paying a certain amount just to get more “Jelly”, which is in-game money. If you’re patient enough, your Jelly will add up eventually throughout the game. I got through the game just fine without having to go through IAP. Nevertheless, Lich Defense is a fun tower defense game with hours of gameplay. With a little RPG thrown in, Jellyoasis has done a fine job to give a refreshing spin on the genre.
Price: $1.99, App Store Link
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