Fantasy Defense
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A different kind of Tower Defense Game

This title from publisher Playbean and developer SN Mobile Technology is a tower defense game that separates itself from the generic build-and-deploy strategies other titles within the same genre.This addictive title is free to download, can be played offline, offers good in-game purchase deals and best of all, no ads. Explicit and excessive ad placements are usually a bane for free-to-download games; FD will allow you to enjoy the game without going through the annoying experience of closing / skipping ads. There are in-game purchases but they're entirely optional. The game is easy and enjoyable enough for all players to fully enjoy without spending a dime. This allows players to enjoy all five "themes" or stages, each with 10 maps.

Like any standard tower defense gameplay, your objective is to prevent the monsters and demons from reaching your gate. Your gate will have 20 hp, which will diminish one point per monster. To protect this, you have to spend gold to recruit units and mana to recruit hero units. Both resources are gained by killing monsters or destroying items scattered on each stage. The number of monsters almost remain the same per wave. However, their HP and speed increases, making them harder to kill. Upgrading your units, heroes, efficient deploying of your individual units as well as having a variety of classes at your disposal will help you in increasing your chances of surviving the enemy onslaught.

The next enemy wave will start immediately as soon as the current waves enemies have been defeated or passed through your gate. Fortunately, the game has a very convenient Pause option. Pausing the game won't bring options to resume or restart as those options are found in another menu. Pausing the game will allow you to freeze time, giving you the freedom to take a break, study the map and plan your next move. You can also deploy units, examine them or upgrade them without the pressure.
When other games make you to build defensive towers and structures, FD uses individual units and hero units. Each ordinary unit can be upgraded as they are to increase their attack, attack speed and range. Ordinary units can also change their class up to two times, with increased stats and additional effects. You also have special units. These are units that start off with better stats and can inflict various effects like freeze, stun or DoT (damage over time)

Then you have Hero units. There are three unique hero units in the game and fortunately, you can deploy all three of them in a single battle. Heroes can be summoned and upgraded by spending mana. Unlike some tower defense titles where you're given different abilities or spells that you can use from the main screen, spells as they're called in FD are activated by selecting the hero unit. These spells cost mana as well so mana usage should be carefully managed; otherwise, you'll end up with an underpowered hero or unable to cast their powerful spells in case you start to get overwhelmed by enemy forces.

After completing every stage, you'll unlock the next stage, game mode and earn Hero Points that can be spent to buy upgrades for your units and heroes. And FD is not cheap in giving out Hero Points. You can earn a considerable amount of points even by finishing the stage with your gate with some HP remaining. If you managed to repel the enemy forces without losing your gate's HP, you'll earn even more. Even repeated completion of previously finished stages won't give you diminished returns, making it easy for players to farm hero points and permanently improve their unit skills.

The game uses anime-inspired character models and design, making anime fans (like me) appreciate the art and the loading sequences. The map designs and character sprites are simple but good-looking, while the effects are also great for the game in this genre. The loading screens also give valuable tips for players with shuffling backgrounds that show unit classes, heroes, etc. The sound effects are just right for this type as well.

If you're a fan of tower defense titles, you should give this one a try. Fantasy Defense will surely give you hours and hours of fun without getting stuck in a standstill because of a sudden difficulty curve. Being able to play the game without internet connection is a plus. You don't have to deal with annoying ads either. Overall, Fantasy Defense is definitely one of those great titles of its genre. This is one of the titles that should belong to your mobile game library in case you need something to past your time on.
review by Paul | May 20th 2014