Unstoppable Gorg

 
Developer: Futuremark
Steam Release: Jan 2012
Hours Played: 8
Similar To: Sleep Attack 
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips



GAMEPLAY
This is tower defense with a twist - literally. All set to a 1950s sci-fi setting with B-movie style cut scenes the battleground for this TD game is set in outer space. On starting a mission, you are first taken to a screen where you select the towers you wish to use. Once done, you are taken to outer-space where you defend your base in the centre of the map from aliens who attempt to reach it and attack it from the sides. Fortunately, their path is fixed and mapped out by a line so you can plan where to put your towers accordingly. These towers are placed on spots that are fixed on a series of concentric circles or rings that can be spun around. Your roster of towers are displayed at the top of the screen and can be selected and placed if and when you have the money. You'll, of course, need to start by placing the one that gives you cash.  



BALANCE & PACE
Like most TD games, you can also upgrade your towers as you go along and the skill is in knowing when, where and which towers to use so they dish out that maximum damage before the blighters get to your base. Personally, I was really able to get into the spirit of what UG has to offer. There is a trial and error element, of course, but the game - like Defense Grid - actually makes it fun to experiment with different set-ups. You always learn something new from your failure and this makes getting back on the horse not a chore but an exciting prospect with something different to try. I am just over half-way through the game and, with each level lasting around 4 or 5 minutes, it's a great game for those who like to play in bite-sized chunks.



PRESENTATION & DESIGN
Unstoppable Gorg delivers nicely in the menus departments giving the gamer plenty to read in its encyclopedia. From the title-page you can enter three kinds of mode with Story being the main one players will play and Challenge mode also being one that players will dip into. The Story features 21 missions that can be played on four different difficulty settings: Easy, Moderate, Hard and Unstoppable. Within each of these are six categories or achievements that you can aim for while playing. Defender, for example, can be achieved if you don't lose any towers while Investor is possible if you manage to earn a certain amount of money. The game is enhanced greatly by its retro and mysterious 1950s style soundtrack.




PROGRESS SYSTEM
Everytime you finish a mission, achievements are shown in the form of medals. If you fulfil the criteria for hitting these, then they light up with a pleasant sparkle; fail and they stay behind a darkened shadow. Viewing these records can be done by scrolling through a thumbnail of each mission in the level-select screen. A chart is shown with each achievement having the stamp of approval shown under each level of difficulty you were on when successfully completing it. Progression, therefore, not only comes in the form of completing each mission but also in getting those stamps of approval. It all takes a while to get used to but is sufficiently designed to get you coming back for more and improving - just like a decent TD game should.

CONCLUSION

With consistent goals for each level of difficulty and a fair progress system, Unstoppable Gorg is a game I enjoy coming back to. Graphics-wise the game succeeds but even with a good zoom feature I do still find some of the units to be small and there are times when it's difficult to distinguish one tower from another. The only other minor gripe is that the upgrading system is a little confusing. For example, you have a lab-tower that allows you to get the Scientist achievement which has something to do with how many times you upgrade future towers but it's not fully explained. Nevertheless, UG is a fine twist (pun intended) on the tower defense genre and with plenty of character and personality thrown in plus wibbly-wobbly music to give it that weird vibe, it's a worthwhile addition to the library.