Epic Defense: The Elements
Developer: DreamStudio, LLC | Publisher: DreamStudio, LLC |Release Date: 2012| Genre: Tower Defense |Website: Google Play | Size: 24 MB | Requires: Android 1.6 & up | Version: 1.3.4 | Price: Free (With Micro-Transactions)
Tower defense games are a dime a dozen these days, especially on the Smartphone platforms so it really takes something special to stand out from the crowd. Epic Defense with its tale of Orcs attacking Terrans has nothing special to offer story wise but more than makes up for it with its addictive gameplay. Be turning to the secrets in an ancient book detailing how to infuse guard towers with elemental powers the Terrans might just have a shot against the invading hordes.
Epic Defense uses the tried and true method of throwing hordes of enemies at you which have to be stopped at all cost. Enemies advance along pre-set paths and it is your job to strategically place defenses along their route in order to kill them before they reach their goal. Attacks can come from multiple sides so a well placed tower can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The type of towers you place also play a big role as some are better at thinning the hordes while others do massive damage to individual units.
Epic Defense is a free game and it doesn’t even have any annoying ads to cover costs. Instead, upgrading your towers cost coins which can be purchased via micro transactions. Fear not as these coins cal also be earned while playing or by checking out some other free apps. This means that unless you are really impatient you never have to spend a cent to enjoy this game. Even on the lowest of the three difficulty settings the game is very challenging but it is just so addictive that I found myself returning to it despite some epic defeats.
You place towers simply by dragging them to a spot on the map. Drag any three elemental gems on to a tower to create a much more powerful specialized tower. Gems come in red, blue and yellow flavors and can be combined into ten unique tower combinations including flame-throwers, volcanoes, chain lightening and steam blasters.
The range and power of each tower type is upgraded with coins before or after each map and you can also purchase life increases or extra gems. The amount of towers you have depend on how many enemies you kill while gems are dropped randomly by defeated foes. This can be annoying when you need a red gem for example but instead get five blue ones in a row. You also have to work out enemy weakness for yourself which can lead to a lot of trial-and-error.
If you don’t upgrade your towers you’ll find that levels soon become virtually impossible to beat. The result is either a lot of grinding to generate coins or the old “buy-to-win” option of breaking out the credit card. Visually the game looks very nice although I did experience some slowdown while playing on my phone. The audio is decent but unremarkable. If you are not tired of the genre already then Epic Defense comes highly recommended. The gameplay is very addictive and even when losing a round it is tempting to just back in for one more try. Since the game is free you have nothing to lose except your time once you become hooked.
