It’s a pretty fun tower defense game. What sets it apart is that your “towers” are actually automated defense satellites which are orbiting around planets! There’s a constant stream of alien invaders that have to be dealt with, but you can change the orbit of your satellites in order to maximize the effectiveness of your defenses. You just have to be careful, because moving one of your satellites will usually affect the location of several other satellites too, and you don’t want to leave any gaps in your defenses!
The game has three modes: [b]Story[/b], [b]Challenge[/b], and [b]Arcade[/b]. [b]Story mode[/b] takes you on a 21 mission journey through the solar system as you try to fight off the “Unstoppable Gorg” alien invasion. It has a great kitschy 1950s sci-fi theme! Watching my protagonist get threatened by a silly-looking “Sunbot” alien brought a smile to my face; this is parody at its finest! It’s not often that you see a tower defense game with an entertaining story and fun visuals, so I have to give the developers props for that. [b]Challenge mode[/b] has 21 missions similar to Story mode, but with extra mission parameters. For example, in one mission the enemies might move with extra speed, while in another mission some of your satellites might now be locked in a set orbit, unable to be moved. In [b]Arcade mode[/b] you try to survive for as long as possible against increasingly tough attackers. I made it to Wave 75 before finally giving up.
There is a large variety of enemies to fight, and you’ll constantly be changing tactics to deal with new threats. For example, one enemy type has a short-range suppression field, so any of your satellites that are nearby are rendered unable to fire. So only long-range attacks will be effective. Another enemy type is a bomber that will occasionally fire missiles towards your main base. But you can intercept the missiles with firepower from the right kind of satellites, or simply block the missiles by changing the orbit of your satellites and using them as an impromptu shield.
The player will gradually gain access to a large arsenal of satellites and bombs in order to fight the Gorg invasion. There is some standard tower defense economy management, as some satellites will generate income, allowing you to buy other satellites. You’ll need to strike the right balance between bolstering your economy and increasing your defenses. I found most of the satellites to be useful, but there are few stinkers. One is a “webber” satellite that slows down nearby aliens, but not enough to justify its cost. My favorite satellite creates an energy beam which links to other nearby satellites. Any alien crossing through the energy beam takes heavy damage, and complex beam-based defense grids are possible, which is pretty cool.
Pretty much every mission has a gimmick or twist to it, which you’ll have to figure out in order to progress. And this takes us to the greatest strength and greatest weakness of the gameplay. On the upside, the player is constantly forced to change tactics depending on the mission. The tactics that brought victory in the last mission will often not work in the next mission. So you never fall into the trap of just building the same satellites over and over, or having the same build order over and over. You are constantly forced to think and adapt to succeed. The downside to this is evident from most of the negative Steam reviews this game has acquired, which complain that the difficulty is too hard or that trial and error gameplay is bad. To be clear, in this game you will play a mission, lose the mission, then probably make several more attempts before finally beating it. Even on the easiest difficulty level, beating a mission on the first try will be rare. So, players who dislike having to rely on “[i]a priori[/i]” knowledge to win will not be a fan of the gameplay. On the harder difficulty levels, speedy micromanagement is necessary to win, which may also be off-putting to some people. As for myself, I played through all three game modes on the easiest difficulty level, and then replayed some of my favorite missions on harder difficulties. This gave me about ten hours’ worth of fun entertainment, which, considering the game’s low cost, is a pretty good deal. If you like innovative tower defense games, this one is worth a try!
