Defense Zone 2

 
Developer: Artem Kotov
Released: May 2014
Hours Played: 43.3
Similar To: Anomaly Defenders / Defender's Quest / iBomber Defense / Sentinel 4: Dark Star
Rating: 3/5 Parsnips

 

 

*This is a review for Defense Zone 2

GAMEPLAY

Defense Zone 2 is a rock-solid, classic tower defense game that does the genre heaps of justice. Fans and veterans of all your favourites such as Defense Grid, GemCraft, Kingdom Rush and Fieldrunners need look no further for DZ2 delivers whereas other TD enthusiasts who may have grown tired of the "more-of-the-same" format may want to look the other way and search elsewhere. So let's get the basics out of the way first: (1) You face the battlefield in top-down view with the path that the creeps will take dotted out for you; (2) You place your towers on the build zones using available credits; (3) You begin the first wave and watch as the creeps crash and burn; (4) You use the credits accumulated from the scraps of the wreckages and... (5) Place towers or upgrade them where needed.

BALANCE & PACE

... and there you have it. Defense Zone 2 does little else that deviates from this well-worn path... so why does it deserve your well-earned money? Well, apart from coating the game in a stupendous World War 2 setting and getting the balance absolutely right, the game makes excellent use of the strategic element behind upgrading and an innovation known as the Hellfire ability. Upgrading a tower for instance can take a long time in the late stages of a level and getting the timing wrong can be disastrous. Additionally, all towers from the second tier onwards have the Hellfire ability which needs to charge and which increases damage and attack speed for extra oomph. It's the decision-making process behind when to upgrade towers or when to use hellfire that really helps to grip the player and adds that extra degree of tension.    

PRESENTATION & DESIGN 

Defense Zone 2 has a fine roster of just eight towers that all get introduced gradually and which all have their own mark of distinction. From the close-to-useless minigun to the liquid nitrogen and rocket launchers, to the big-bertha type mortar cannon, and right up to the sizzling Tornado that fires a volley of rockets. Enemies get ushered in according to hit-points which are fairly but firmly distributed from the modest infantry and other ground troops that can get knocked aside with ease, to the jeeps and tanks, and on to the huge robots and behemoth-type mechs. Sound-effects are also done well from the magnificent booming sound of the cannons to the sexy voice of the announcer to the welcoming whoosh when a tower finally gets its upgrade. The only downside is that visuals can seem kind of blurry.
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM

The game comes loaded with 31 unlockable missions that you swipe through at the carousel-like level-select screen. Each mission can be played on easy, medium or hard difficulty and actually take quite a meaty amount of time to complete - especially as you work your way up. There is a point system but I was personally fine with the medal system which awards bronze, silver or gold depending on performance. The three difficulty settings are very well balanced as completing on hard will certainly take quite a bit of figuring out but are nowhere near super-difficult like in Aliens Robot Monsters or straight-up impossible like the awful Alien Planet. All missions are really well designed with medium difficulty being an excellent way of getting a feel for it.
   

CONCLUSION

To my knowledge, iBomber Defense and Defense Zone 2 are the only decent World War 2 inspired tower defense games out there at the moment. But DF2 is most definitely the one to come to if you were at all impressed with iBomber Defense, although it's worth checking out regardless. Even fans of giants such as Defense Grid or Kingdom Rush should detect the care and attention to detail that went into making this game so well balanced. Did I mention the air-strike? Oh yes, the developer throws in that ability as well. So I don't hesitate to recommend Defense Zone 2 - and, yes, if you're up for more go right on ahead and get the prequel and sequel as well; all wholesome TD goodness and all available on Steam!