Macenstein

I thought I’d take a quick moment to give a shout out to Defender Chronicles ($2.99 iTunes link), a game so addicting that it pretty much got me through my 3-day appendectomy stay in the hospital last month and made me forget the pain the way Percocet couldn’t. Since for the most part I was in too much pain to sleep I more or less played Chronicles for 96 hours straight, and was actually a little sad when I was discharged from the hospital because I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would have to go back to work and not be able to play the game every waking minute.

Above: The game map scrolls to either side revealing empty land, hopefully to be filled with more levels in the future.

Defender Chronicles got it’s first major update this week – adding a new level to game map – and hopefully signifying that the rest of the blank areas on the map will be filled with even more levels in future updates.

Damn you Ice Giants!

Defender Chronicles is a tower defense game, and if owning an iPhone has taught me anything, it is that I am a fan of tower defense games. With the addition of the latest “Tarnwood” map, there are now seven unique castles to defend, and 4 difficulty settings per castle. Compared to most TD games, Defender Chronicles is a little unique in that it revolves around a “vertical” style of game play, where you need to defend your castle from an extensive selection of either ascending or descending bad guys. Each level also has a Boss or two that must be defeated as well, although on certain maps the bad guys are nearly impossible to kill on the higher difficulty settings, such as the new Ice Giants on the new Tarnwood Map.

Above: That big dude with the sword is your “Hero”, which can be customized with different skills and equipment to make him a stronger leader.

To defend your castle, you have a selection of 5 unit types, some of which must be unlocked by victories on easier levels, or purchased in one of the shops. There is also a “Hero” on each level which signifies your last line of defense if any of the evil hordes make it past your defenses. With each victory comes a chance to upgrade your Hero’s skills and weapons to help him become a better leader, and there is a bit more strategy an planning needed here than in most other tower defense games.

While the troop animations may seem somewhat stilted at first glance, the game has quite a bit of production value to it in both graphics and music, and the voice overs for each defensive unit, while repetitive, are both charming and quotable. My kids and I now say “Verily I grow Stronger” quite often, even though it rarely makes sense.

Conclusion

Defender Chronicles costs $2.99, which may be more than many of you cheapskate 99¢ fans are used to, but trust me, if you are a Tower Defense fan or just looking for a kick-ass time waster while your organs are removed, it is money well spent.