Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 03/Mar 00:01

Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin – Review

Raise your hand if you’ve never played the first Defender’s Quest, let alone if you’ve never heard of it. The original game debuted back in 2012, and while it did gain a small but dedicated fan base upon release, it proved to be a fairly unremarkable tower defense game in the long run. Its sequel was announced shortly after the original, but then things went quiet. Most of those aware of its supposed existence assumed that Defender’s Quest II wound up in the depths of development hell. Thirteen years later, the Defender’s Quest series reappears unexpectedly with Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin. Is it a triumphant return or should Defender’s Quest have been a one-and-done? Story Tower defense games typically aren’t heavy on narrative, but the Defender’s Quest games are an exception as they are story-driven affairs. Given that so much time has passed since the first game, it’s not unreasonable to assume that a good chunk of Mists of Ruin’s player base isn’t going to be familiar with the events of the first game. Mists of Ruin understands this and the story works as a standalone tale. Mists of Ruin’s story starts off following Captain Evni Hunt and her crew as she stumbles upon a cataclysm during a routine transport. The Shining Lands are being covered in Mirk, a substance that creates monsters from a resource called Juice. Being the hero-coded protagonist she is, Evni sets out to deal with the Mirk, culminating in a boss battle. It turns out that Mists of Ruin’s story has been misdirecting the player, because the game’s first boss ends up being the game’s secondary protagonist, and Evni’s party may not be as heroic as they seem. We won’t spoil how the story continues, because we’ve already given away Mists of Ruin’s first major twist. Rest assured, however, that this is a game that isn’t afraid to take established tropes and twist them in fun and unexpected ways. Graphics If there is one area where Mists of Ruin shows that it’s been in development for a long time, it’s visually. That’s not to say that the game looks bad, as the hand-drawn designs for both the characters and the monsters look absolutely fantastic. Mists of Ruin absolutely nails things aesthetically. However, the in-game character animations do look very simplistic and dated. Story scenes are accompanied by mostly static portraits too. For as good as the designs look, Mists of Ruin missed the opportunity to add more life to its setting. On the upside, this does mean that the game’s performance is very smooth, even if things do get very cluttered and busy. Sound As far as audio goes, much of the heavy lifting is done by the game’s music. The soundtrack is solid and catchy, and there is a noticeable shift between the tunes that accompany Evni’s crew and those that play when you’re in control of the other crew. Voice acting is notably absent, which is a shame for a game that is as story-driven as Mists of Ruin. The game’s sound effects are good, though, being crisp and fitting the atmosphere to a tee. Gameplay We haven’t played the first Defender’s Quest game, so we can’t outright contrast and compare its mechanics with Mists of Ruin to tell you what’s new here, if anything. Mists of Ruin is a fairly standard top-down tower defense game, with the main twist being that instead of towers, you place your crew members in strategic positions on the battlefield. Stages stick to the familiar formula of hordes of enemies trying to overrun your ship, with players relying on their carefully positioned units to try and hold back the assault. It’s hardly a passive affair, as you’ll earn Juice by killing enemies, which is used to unleash carefully timed combat Boosts. Additionally, your ship acts as a last bastion of defense, with upgradeable slots for its cannons and other utility tools. In between battles, you can upgrade your crew and ship, increasing your defensive capabilities against the ever more effective enemy hordes. The core of Mists of Ruin is all fairly familiar stuff then, in the best way possible. By getting the basics out of the way in an accessible and enjoyable manner, Mists of Ruin is able to distinguish itself from other tower defense games by putting more focus on what makes it unique: its characters. Each member of your rag-tag crew brings something unique to the table, to the point that they feel like an RPG party, rather than “towers”. This is further emphasized by Mists of Ruin’s extensive skill trees and the speed with which characters level up. Skill trees can also be readjusted in between two stages, allowing you to switch strategies on the fly, and adding more depth to the character-driven mechanics. Of note is that there are two entirely separate crews, and they each bring their own playstyle to the table. As far as tower defense games go, Mists of Ruin falls more on the casual side of difficulty, at least when it comes to the game’s main story mode. Said mode is fairly short too, clocking in at around 10-12 hours to play through. This is reflected in the game’s RRP of €17.55, which doesn’t break the bank. Additionally, the story mode is supplemented by a more difficult challenge mode, which does add a fair bit of value to the package. Both in terms of value and in terms of gameplay, this is a title that isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind but it definitely hits that sweet spot of being both a good deal and a solid game. Conclusion A solid take on the classic tower defense formula, Mists of Ruin stands out from its competitors in the genre by focusing on a well-written narrative and character-driven mechanics. This isn’t a title that is going to reinvent the tower defense genre, though. The game unapologetically knows what it wants to be and excels in this. While we would’ve loved to see smoother animation and the addition of voice acting, Mists of Ruin is still a solid and enjoyable romp, especially if you’re looking for a more casual take on the genre.