Go Home Dinosaurs

 
Developer: Fire Hose Games
Steam Release: Mar 2013
Hours Played: 12
Similar To: Deathtrap / Hero Defense / Pixeljunk Monsters  
Rating: 4/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
For the tower defense purist who like their ingredients traditional, there is a bit of fluff to look beyond before getting to the good stuff in this deceptively meaty game. Strip away the kiddy-ish art-style, the sickly music and the gooey sugar-coated American accents - and you'll arrive at a decent tower defense game that should easily hold your attention for the entire 60-level campaign. In a fixed, isometric view you look down at a winding path on a lawn divided by small squares. A load-out screen pops up and you get to choose a limited amount of up to 11 unlockable towers and seven power ups (you buy with the coins) to take into battle. The amount you can take into a game rises as you progress.Towers take up a different amount of space on the lawn so you need to choose wisely. When you're ready, your load-out lifts away and it's time to get busy. 

BALANCE & PACE
GHD is an action tower defense game which means as well as placing towers to stop the impending army of dinosaurs getting at your barbecue, you're also ordering around a character to get down deep and dirty in the fight. In this case it's a cheeky gopher. Click on any available square and he'll pop up and dutifully throw rocks at the offending dinosaurs. Equally important will be the need to collect coconuts from the trees dotted around as this is the currency you use to buy and place those towers. Obviously, buying the least powerful tower only requires you to collect 3 coconuts but if you feel the need to use the laser or zapper, that's gonna cost you five! As the dinosaurs march on, you'll need to balance the need to collect coconuts, build towers, throw rocks and/or use coconuts to activate that dino-squelching power-up!

    

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
As mentioned, it's the child-friendly presentation and gooey anthropomorphism that's going to put serious tower defense players off. That painful music will also have to be turned off immediately! Once that's done, and you've assured your significant other that you're not actually retarded but involved in serious mental exercise, you can start to appreciate and enjoy what the game has to offer. One of the strengths lies in the way the game drip-feeds you different towers and power-ups which are awarded in the form of cards. You'll become attached to favourites but there will be times when you'll have to abandon your trusted roster and try something a little different. It's this need to be patient and to experiment with different towers and power-ups that clearly shows the game aint really for kids.
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM
At the end of each level a shower of gold coins rains down on the lawn which you then pick up with the swish of the mouse. These coins buy the power-ups which you can purchase from a shop run by a friendly walrus. It's by using these power-ups and the gradual issue and use of towers that allow you to progress through the game. Casual players will no doubt be happy to complete the three worlds and the 20 levels in each, and won't fret over being awarded the odd one or two steaks for letting a few dinosaurs slip through. This won't be good enough for completionists and nerds on the other hand who will attempt perfect rounds by not allowing a single dinosaur to reach the barbecue at the end of the path. Achieving this feat will bag you three steaks as a reward.  

CONCLUSION

GHD holds more tricks up its sleeve including rock breaking with a pneumatic drill and the ability to roll boulders - all to be performed with strategy and sharp timing. The dinosaurs themselves are well varied and you'll be sure to recognise your favourites from the t-rex to the stegosaurus, to the triceratops and pterodactyl. Likewise, the towers come with variety in mind: some fire muskets; some shoot powerful lasers; some freeze foes to slow them down and some have the power to teleport. What really puts GHD on the map though is the way it forces the player to consider all the angles from deciding which cards to use; whether to grab a few coconuts before or after laying a tower; where to position Mr Gopher and so on. If you want to learn about how a decent TD game should be paced, pick up a copy today.