Alien Robot Monsters

 
Developer: Kraftix Games
Steam Release: Sept 2015
Hours Played: 12.5
Similar To: Defend Your Life / iBomber Defense / Kingdom Rush / Royal Defense 
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
This traditional tower defense game follows the Kingdom Rush formula where creeps follow a set path and where towers can only be placed on fixed build points. Maps are basic and straightforward with most taking up just over one screen of space meaning you'll need to scroll the camera a little to get the full picture. You earn scraps of metal dropped by the alien robots to buy and upgrade towers. In this case, if you allow any more than 20 enemies to infiltrate your base it's seyonara. Waves number around 10-20 and you can call them in early to get bonus scraps. The main feature that sets ARM apart is that you can only build two (yes, two) types of tower: a barracks that doubles as a melee defense or a sniper tower OR a lab which is essentially an electrical tower that zaps your enemies with bolts of lightning.
 

BALANCE & PACE
Clicking on a build space brings up your choice of two towers but your main strategy boils down to which branch of the upgrade tree you want to follow. Is melee attack, a ranged rifle attack or is the electric route right for that area of the map? Obviously deciding when and which upgrade to plump for will determine the tide of battle but bolstering these abilities is done in the pre-battle upgrade screen where you'll spend stars to boost other stats. Again, deciding which stats to increase is all part of the strategy. ARM is a challenging game; you'll not breeze through it like a Kingdom Rush or a Defense Zone 2 but will need to ponder over battles after plenty of trial and error. And while it's not punishingly impossible like Alien Planet, if you don't like to fail a lot then leave this one well alone.
   

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
As its title suggests, you'll be seeing a wide range of alien robots and robot monsters. Those with a high hit-point count lumber along slowly in their own mechanical way while faster air-borne spaceships are more numerous but get taken down more easily. They are all clear and pleasing on the eye and their are 20 types which can be viewed in the game's informative encycolpedia. They are dispatched in an explosion of scrap metal which sends a satisfying shower of nuts and bolts all over the place. The sounds accompanying tower placement also enhance the game for the better with mildly comical asides being blurted out to match the upgrade selected. Graphics may not be top of the range but they are crisp, clear and detailed enough to make battles immersive and fun.
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Your progress comes in the form of a path on a map that consists of five areas. You battle your way through about six or seven levels per area with some tough bonus levels to contend with. You are awarded a bronze (1 star), silver (2 stars) or a gold medal (3 stars) based on your performance and spend these on upgrades to boost stats before a battle. Be under no illusions, this is no romp in the woods or picnic in the park. You'll need to constantly be resetting and redistributing star points to gauge which set-up is the best as well as trying different tower configurations to figure out which does the most effective job. There'll also be ample head-scratching while figuring out why you can't shift that bronze medal up to silver or that silver up to gold. 
 

CONCLUSION

There is a degree of puzzle-solving in all tower defense games but when you come to the ARM party, you'll likely be in it for the long haul. Be prepared to fail earlier levels, farm stars in later ones and then to go back thinking you'll smash it - only for it to hand your arse back to you on a plate with horseradish source and a touch of parsley. You might think that constantly getting your arse kicked is not the best selling point a game could have but difficult games that give a sense of reward when beaten is a noble art in itself and ARM does that job. The crisp presentation, crystal clear graphics, fluid animations and absorbing sounds will still all combine to call you back for more.