If you're into traditional tower defense games, then you'll be excited to see Total Defense 3D by DaSuppa is now available for Windows Phone users. Sure, the game came out two years ago on iOS and Android, but the important thing here is the developer is now taking on Windows Phone (they've also brought over Tetdraw, a new twist on the classic Tetris).
Total Defense 3D is what it sounds like, a 3D game where you spend your time placing weapons on a map, taking on the hordes of enemies that come in waves. What makes Total Defense 3D a lot of fun are those 3D graphics, as they're outstanding. Players can also use two-fingers to pinch to zoom, rotate and pan the screen, giving a whole new view of the classic style gameplay.
Total Defense 3D also has something I haven't seen in these types of games yet: Terramorphing. In plain English, that translates to "bomb bridges, destroy monuments, block passages for maximum tactical advantage." You see a big statue? Blow it up and falls into the roadway, causing your enemy to slow down. It's a neat and effective tactic, especially on open maps where multiple entry points exist.
Another twist is the addition of old-style role playing game skills. After each level, you can pick and choose which area you want to level-up on e.g. missiles, guns, etc. Later, you can go back and reallocate those points to change your skill set, giving users fun ways to explore their power. Total Defense 3D additionally has a great soundtrack, three levels of difficulty and three save-slots, letting everyone get in on the action.
Placing of the turrets and weapons can be a bit odd, but all in all, that's the only issue I've encountered in playing the game. Indeed, I can't put Total Defense 3D down. On my Lumia 1520, it powers through those 3D graphics with ease and it looks just stunning on the 1080P display. Everything from the explosions to the tower upgrades feels right to me.
As far as I can tell, the first world, Earth, is free. If you want more, you can drop a $1.99 to unlock three other planets, which are accessible after you complete that campaign. All in all, there are 22 levels advertised, with nine to twelve waves in each level.
Like all graphic-intensive games, Total Defense 3D will tax your GPU on your phone, so expect your phone to get warm. Likewise, you'll probably burn through your battery quickly if you play for an hour, so just be aware.
Don't take my word, go and download and trial the game yourself and give it ago. Or watch my hands on game play and game trailer to get an idea. I'm going to get back to rising up against "the Imperial army and free all the planets in the galaxy system!" because hey, it's Saturday.
- Download Total Defense 3D for Windows Phone 8; $1.99/free trial/38 MB/512 MB supported
