Developer: DreamGate
Publisher: DreamGate
Platform: PC (Steam)
Steampunk Tower 2 – Review
Steampunk Tower 2 is dreaming big. The creators decided to make a more dynamic tower defense game to fight the repetitiveness these kind of games can bring. Add a steampunk theme and a large variation of enemies and you’re halfway there already.
Story
Some evil called the Cult conquered Europe. You’re a commander located in the last free zone there is, obviously located in the south of … Spain! You start at a secret base and research facility, where a professor was working at the ultimate weapon to stop the endless hordes of enemies.
This secret weapon is a sort of sword-shaped structure that gets released from an airborne aircraft, planting itself in the ground on impact and ending up as an erect tower. Kind of like the Necromongers in The Chronicles of Riddick. The tower is actually a flexible weapon platform, and before most missions you’re able to select the turrets you want.
You’ll meet several characters during your quest. They will contact you when they have something to say, so you’ll have to read a monologue every now and then. Luckily they are kept short and informative making them non-intrusive. Characters will mostly act as advisors that explain things and inform you of updates, agents that you may send on missions or rivaling commanders who join your campaign against the hordes of the Cult. With their help you continue on your quest to free the world of the Cult. The story is interrupted by quests for defending your territory, acquiring more turrets and more turret types or receiving resources.
Graphics
The interface looks like it was meant for mobile devices. Buttons are big, several items are made to drag and interactions with the world and your base were made as simple as possible. This doesn’t mean that it looks bad however. Characters are, though being still images, well drawn in steampunk style. Same goes for the layout of the secret base and your tower. The world map could have used some more attention, especially since there are several distinct items to look at. Same goes for the enemies during a fight, which are just black models moving over a drawn background. Those backgrounds are different based on the location though, and can be quite beautiful.
Some interface elements could have been done better. There is a missing link between quests from the quest overview panel and the world map. It would have been handy if you could start quests directly from there. You can send agents on missions, but you have to do that manually. An option to send them automatically would have been handy. Some reminders are missing, like how the update process exactly works, with items and branches that rule out each other. On the plus side, the game still gets some updates which fixed some of the other remarks we had in mind, like enemy types, their stats and their weaknesses and resistances.
Sound
Sound wise there isn’t much to be impressed by. Even though the background music is fine, you won’t be humming the tune anytime soon. Only other sound you’ll be hearing (a lot) are the weapons sounds. They are fine too – not loud and exaggerated. It makes you wonder why they didn’t add any more effects. Since it’s a steampunk game, it of course includes a train. Visiting the station could have been improved by steam train sounds and effects. None of that though.
Another thing that is missing is the voice acting. The characters are well drawn and the dialogues are pretty well written. A fitting voice would make this game so much better! A missed opportunity here.
Gameplay
This tower defense game has some strategic sides as well. The main focus is of course the tower defense part. Your tower is dropped in place and you’ll have to survive attacks on both sides by tactically moving your turrets around and reloading them at the appropriate time. Since not all turrets are effective, or even able to hit, all enemies, you’ll be doing that a lot. Another element of the turrets are the ‘Super Shot’, a charged shot with a much more powerful effect. A fun thing with the turrets is that they are named in a theme per kind. A basic flamethrower is called ‘Lava’, the highest tier is called the… ‘Eyjafjallajоkull’!
Before you fight you’ll have to organize your tower layout. Add the best fitting turrets according to the mission preview – and ready any special weapons you might desire. This is important because they cost quite a lot of money, but super-weapons really can turn the tide, like wipe out a whole lot of enemies in one go. A last thing you can do here is repair the damage your tower may have sustained in a previous fight. On some missions you can’t choose anything and have to make do with what you’re given.
The strategic parts involves gathering money and resources to upgrade buildings, research and upgrading and buying the turrets themselves. The tower itself can also be upgraded for more health or more weapon platforms amongst other things. To unlock turret types you’ll have to occupy a factory on the world map, making the circle round.
Conclusion
If you like tower defense games this one might be a good choice for you. It isn’t too expensive and will give you some hours of fun. The story is thick enough to deserve your interest and the gameplay requires your attention. No pressing ‘start’ and sitting back here, you’ll have to keep an eye on turret status and the enemy types approaching your tower. Steampunk Tower 2 still has some repetitive elements though, as the enemy can counter attack any region you previously conquered. Luckily in this scenario, you’re able to auto complete these missions. Overall, this is a lightweight but solid tower defense game for PC!
Steampunk Tower 2 - Review,
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