Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Tower's Tactics: Aphelion: Major Originality Points!

I really like finding a home-brewed game system, whether it's a one-page RPG or a Flash game. When I saw Tower's Tactics, I thought "Hm, could be another decent tower defense game". However, TT completely threw off my expectations and turned out to be a fun, well-crafted game with a few very minor edges I wouldn't be any better pressed to fix myself.

Excitement: N/A.
This is a meter-based 2-D game, so it's a little on the slow side. It still does have its hectic fun as things warm up.

Originality: A+. While some might think TT could benefit from minor polish here and there, this title is an outstanding fusion of a creative mini combat system with multiple team members, a skill-learning system, and a campy, humorous tale of a medieval dude and his undead servant.

Graphics: A-. A curious mix, something like PHP meets a Renaissance Faire. Competent design with neat touches like a sword falling down when you're killed.

Controls: A-. Responsive enough, but it makes this 37-year-old a little squinty trying to click over and around small characters to point and click where I have to. To be fair, when you click on a special attack, you can mouse over multiple enemies until you find the right one.

Sound: A. Magnificent medieval-themed music with a haunting guitar and chant track for the world map. Combat sounds are a bit low-key but the music more than makes up.

Replay value: Unknown, but there is enough play going through the first time to make it a pleasant play.

Overall value: A

Check out Tower's Tactics: Aphelion at http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/495476.