After beating each story level, you can then try other versions of that level, some designed to offer a challenge, and some designed to give a more relaxed, Desktop Tower Defense-style experience. The challenges include things like "only swarmers" and "only 10 towers at a time", while the relaxed mode allows you to keep playing without fear of losing. These modes give a little bit more replay value to the game, but there are plenty enough levels to keep you busy in the normal story mode anyway.
It should be noted that while the game does have a "story mode", it does not, in truth, offer a story. Your assistant mentions a few background details at times, and there is theoretically a background about how humanity has previously lost to the aliens you're fighting, but it never really gets beyond the quality of trading card flavor text. Not that story is what you're looking for in a tower defense game, but this distinction should be made when I talk about the game employing a story mode.
Defense Grid had a job to do with making a viable product out of the predominately free tower defense genre, and it does that job well. At a price of $20 on Steam, this is enough game for your dollar. The gaming on offer here is casual, but with enough challenge in it to please anyone.
Defense Grid: The Awakening is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB for Fantasy Violence and Mild Language.
Article comments