Nihilistic and existential indie Immortal Defense has gone to a pay-whatever-you-want pricing model, provided whatever you want is more than $1.75. This odd, eerie, and emotional game got a lot of positive press when it appeared in 2007, and some gamers have been satisfied with the huge demo rather than investing in the full game. Now there’s no excuse! Contribute to the cause here.
Email the author of this post at steerpike@tap-repeatedly.com.
This is a very different tower defense game, and I’ve quite enjoyed what I’ve played of it. The demo truly is massive, though I suspect once finished with that I will purchase the full version, if for no other reason than to support the developer.
Wonky picture attack!!
Tch, I take my eye off the ball for a moment and one of my favourite TD games goes pay-what-you-like! I’ve been a bit out of the loop recently and hadn’t heard about this, I knew that Paul Eres was going to be doing this at some point though.
All I’ll say is this: screw the demo, put your goddamn money down, it’s brilliant and the story is worth the price of entry alone. The game features some of the most creative ‘turrets’ I’ve seen in the tower defense genre and when you begin to understand their uses the game really comes into its own as you try out different techniques and strategies. I loved it and while the demo is massive you’d be missing out on the rest of the story which would be a real shame.
Oh and if you’re interested in enjoying the story I recommend NOT reading the Play This Thing review linked to from the Immortal Defense front page. It doesn’t contain any real spoiler but it certainly reveals a powerful plot point. Just so you curious types know 😉
I started on the demo of this yesterday. Quite a bizarre game. Getting through the first chapter and I didn’t get a real feel for the game; starting the second chapter, however, I seem to know what I’m doing. Not exactly sure how that happened. But I suspect TELEPATHY IS INVOLVED.
Stick with it HM and if you can manage it put the difficulty up a bit. The added difficulty tends to make you more creative with the turrets and really brings out the game’s nuances 😉 How many turrets have you uncovered so far?
I’m working through the third chapter and have uncovered all of the turrets now. Having not adjusted the difficulty I’ve only failed one level so far… I think you know which one that is.
One thing that stood out is exactly what you say: I haven’t got a grasp of game nuance. I just sort of win most of the time without *too* much thought going into point placement.
I’ve already bought it, because somehow I’ve become interested in the story and I like the game. And I didn’t at the start. It’s a weird one, this.
The only thing keeping me from getting this game is that it’s a tower defense game. I just can’t get into those for some reason..
It’s been a while since I played it and I must have failed hundreds of times. Failed as in: I let one enemy through and restarted the level – sad I know, but I couldn’t stand the little devils getting past me! I also had the difficulty at 100% which I would not recommend because a) it turns certain levels into a chore and b) certain levels are quite literally impossible. I mean impossible! The story is definitely worth playing through for and although I don’t want to raise your expectations too much it had a similar affect on me as Planescape: Torment. Which is pretty remarkable.
As HM says Armand, it’s a strange one this. It’s not like any other tower defense game that I’ve played but be under no illusion it certainly is one! 😉
You recommendation was the final push to try out the demo Gregg. As interesting as it seems (from art style to very cool music,) I just can’t get past the tower defense part of it. I just find myself experiencing a mixture of boredom and anxiety playing this sort of thing. I tried though, and was even tempted to give them a couple bucks to help ’em out with future games. Maybe I still will…
There are TD games where your towers build paths (yuck!), TD games where you place them around an existing path (blech!), and this TD from an alternate universe hoarding the good stuff.
Further in, there are nasty tricks. The mechanics change and the player isn’t told. The story couldn’t find a reliable narrator in a church sale of self-help books. Its writer once said something along the lines of, “Maybe the only way to really win is to quit playing when you realize what’s happening. ”
I love imagining its creation.
“Ontological TD”.
“No one knows what that means.”
“Eschatology TD?”
“Seriously, we need a name. Smaller words.”
“We’re using the mouse cursor in a unique way, how about Cursor TD?”
“Mouse TD!”
“Immortal Defense it is. Now, who’s doing the art assets?”
“Let the computer do them?”
“Perfect.”
“Man, who farted?”
“Not me.”
“Not me.”
“The computer did it procedurally.”
I grabbed it last night once I got home from my travels and have been playing ever since. Personally I enjoy all types of TD games, and this one is no exception. One interesting aspect of it is that the game – so far – seems to require less strategy than a Defense Grid type of game, but DOES require a lot more direct involvement with your cursor. You’re not supervising so much as deep in the fight; Immortal Defense is to TD what Sacrifice was to RTS.
That’s good to hear Matt, hope you’re enjoying it. By all means open a thread up in the Bollocks forum if you need any help: certain enemies or levels later on require quite precise or thoughtful point positioning to overcome, at least on the harder difficulties! Hmm… I really ought to replay it.
By the way Matt, I’m still chipping away at Defense Grid. It’s tough in places but I’m really enjoying how solid the entire game feels and it’s a lot of fun experimenting with different turret configurations, but then again that’s what I loved about Immortal Defense and TD games in general.
Gregg – I really enjoyed Defense Grid. Much more of a puzzle TD game, trying to find the configuration to see you through. I was never able to get gold on every level – some of them are really punishing.
Gregg, if you played an older version (I’m not sure where the cut is in the numbering), there’ve been point changes. Circuit points now link to the cursor. They are beasts on some levels.
‘Pike: points don’t upgrade smoothly. Some numbers go down, others up, and there are levels where put on their superhero capes. Damage x15, mid- jumps to infinite range. Keep a careful eye on the buggers. Points are also special flowers with each level of cursor charging (once you pick those up).
Circuit points are deadly when leveled up and positioned well. If you couple them with Fear points you’ve got A PATH OF DEATH. A maxed out Fear point is hilarious by the way. Protip: the Cut point is deadly as well if used in conjunction with your cursor…
The mad upgrade system means that in some cases you’ve got to break some eggs to make an omelette, so expect lulls in power before the big guns arrive.
Just finished my rerun of the campaign. Got to clean up a few 70-90% to open Hellpath.
It’s amazing how deep the upgrade system really is. The interaction between level layouts, enemy types, cache, and upgrade discontinuities is genius.
I’m an ortho+fear whore but that combo fades mid- game. Max ortho next to danmaku and no other points can easily 100/100 many late levels. A danmaku alone, not upgraded, is enough to clear many middle levels with good cursor use.
Cuts leave me cold on early levels, even if the upgrades are cheap for damage done, but fully maxed for 999,999 damage with huge splash? With a strategist point? I’d call strategist the hidden treasure but so is high/max limited in middle levels.
Circuits in older versions were the point-and-laugh point, much as I loved them. Now they’re extremely powerful. Ideal on levels where the cursor will be in charge mode most of the time, two circuit lines following the cursor.
I love you grandpa.
I love ortho as well, positioning them is a lot of fun. Did you every try hovering your cursor over a cut point so that all the bombs swirl around it creating a little pocket of destruction? As the bombs explode the cut point keeps topping up your cursor with more. Coupling that with a charged blast you can keep very powerful mobs at bay. What was the point called that let out a steady stream of green? I could never get the most out of that, it always seemed too slow and not nearly powerful enough.
That’d explain why people swear by them! Thanks.
Limit point. Give it a shot. First time, never built them. This time, sometimes built nothing but. Stuttering play. Start charge, stream appears, release charge to direct stream. Repeat. Individual hits aren’t hard but the stream is a hammer.
The 7 limit almost plays like a cut. Short range constant green fog. By the time I’ve got that much cache I’m using other points but I should give it more serious try.
I was very pleased with myself for discovering that tactic. Another thing I tried to do was position the courage points so that their blasts would travel along paths (much like the otho point) but when they wrap around the screen (they travel through enemies) they go over the same path again making a sort of rudimentary circuit point. The courage point is a monster leveled up though.
The strategy point I found really difficult to use but I remember a level that forced you to use them which was really handy. The same goes with the limit point but when there where other points available it just fell by the wayside.
I need to spend more time studying how points upgrade, because I’ve reached a level where I’m just not doing it right. I can get to about four seconds left, but no matter what I try the bastards get through. There’s clearly a lot that the game doesn’t tell you outright.
I’ve had good luck with Cut points, though my personal favorite is the Pride. At first they seemed useless, but I’ve learned to shepherd them to monstrous damage. Coupled with Fear they can get 5-8 shots off, which will smash most foes.
The Limit point seems best when positioned close to an entrance or exit, where enemies bunch up. It doesn’t do as much damage as some other points, but the constant fire and homing action make up for it.
Anyone who likes TD games at all owes it to themselves to try this one, especially given the name-your-price. It’s very non-traditional and a very different experience than Defense Grid.
I know what you mean Matt, they sound and look piddly at first but with a few kills under their belt they soon start to come in to their own. A leveled up pride point near an entrance makes a very good first hurdle for the enemy; a hurdle which only gets higher with every kill. It’s a very clever point.
I never had much luck with the turning point come to think of it.
Dead right on straight line courage, Gregg. Figured that out this time. My favorite levels are the bouncey ones where I get to play Courage & Ortho Billiards.
I stick pride off to the side somewhere with a weak fear to catch and kill stragglers. They gain more consistently that way because they need killing blows, but it can leave them out of smashing range once grown up.
Turning looks like it should be great. Secondary effect is amazing, damage/cache is excellent, but it misses, wanders around. Bleh. Maybe it’s lack of metrics on the secondary effect so they seem lazy.
Steer, what level are you on and are you using your cursor charging? The various charge levels are at least as important as point herding.
There’s also no shame in dropping difficulty to get a clear. The design expects tweaking level by level. Drop to 80%, no escapes, more cache than 100% 2 escapes, so more cache into next tougher level, etc. Everything can be done 100/100 but I certainly can’t pull it off.
I don’t think it can Fink, unless of course you’ve managed it 😉 There were a number of levels (mainly the boss ones) where on 100% difficulty it simply wasn’t possible. My many different point combinations and positions yielded no discernible difference. I seem to remember Paul Eres the developer saying that certain levels may have broken on the hardest setting while balancing points. Either way, lowering the difficulty did no harm!
A few people have done it. I don’t know if Eres himself has. I sure as heck can’t imagine how. Most levels I can 100/100 but a few I struggle to get 20/100. That one boss (you know which one!) is beatable but isn’t supposed to be. Again, I can’t beat it.
Bumping this because the game deserves it. I couldn’t sleep so I went to Hellspace. What a mind sear the fourth level is. The path is invisible, oodles of cache and seemingly nothing to do with it. Zillions of hate points. The timer is ?? It’s a puzzle and a sick making one. Rarely has a game so tightly tied play and story.
Old trailer for the game for those still on the fence. http://tinyurl.com/29bekth
Good idea, Finkbug. It truly deserves it – most enjoyable and involving, not to mention visually attractive TD game of all – the only competition comes from ‘Defense Grid’ on Steam, for smooth gameplay and a wonderful setting/story/narrator.
Even to those who’ve no interest in the genre (like me!), those two are worth your attention, your money and your time.
Have fun.
The only game that I can think of that comes close to connecting your actions to the story so well is that last level on Braid and by comparison I think that takes certain liberties with what came before (like flipping Tim). Interesting you mention Defense Grid Jakkar, I’m currently playing it through for the first time and it’s great.
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