Defend Your Castle

Defend Your Castle (WiiWare) Review

Wed, 14 May 2008 by Alex Knox

XGen takes a Flash game favourite and gives it a lick of WiiWare coloured paint.

Some time ago XGen Studios released a free Flash version of Defend Your Castle which unwittingly spawned a small following of loyal defenders. The game was unquestionably entertaining, but here at WiiWare World we don’t want to waste our time encouraging carpal tunnel syndrome for the sake of some largely mindless click-and-drag gameplay. When it comes down to it, we’d much rather pay for a game with intuitive controls; this is where the WiiWare version comes in.

At 500 Wii points this version certainly requires a little more commitment, but it also has much more to offer; the Wiimote controls give the experience some much-needed life and multiplayer mode allows the gameplay to come into its own. Add in a charming art style to boot, and you’ve got a solid game with no greater usefulness than to merely pass the time brutalizing any poor, stick-figured souls who rally against the tyrannical rule of your kingdom. That’s probably the best and worst statement you can make about it.

If you aren’t familiar with the original, DYC is a old school shooter hybrid that plays exactly like it sounds. Scores of button-headed stick figures prance across the screen in endless waves with one intention - to pound your castle until it crumbles. There is a little variety in the enemy types and some tactical options for upgrading your defences, but this is monotone design in the purest sense. The only goal in sight is to cleanse the screen of all vile enemies. And did we mention it never ends?

What separates DYC from a typical shooter is that it demands more than just a quick trigger-finger. The emphasis here is on what you do with an enemy after you aim and click on him. The standard course of action (and most immediately gratifying) is to simply flick your wrist and let him fly. You can fling him straight up and let him crash back down, bounce him off the side of the screen, dunk him, spike him, juggle him… basically whatever it takes to crush his little crayon frame. As strangely engaging as abusing defenceless stick figures proves to be, it's clear that it takes a little more than primitive violence to make for compelling gameplay. Thankfully, DYC reveals surprising depth as you progress.

After each stage you are first given the option to save (to one of three save files) and then spend your points on “Fortifications and Upgrades”. These include simple repairs and life bar extensions as well as several options for upgrading your offensive and defensive capabilities. The ‘pit of conversion’ upgrade allows you to pluck an enemy at random from the hoard and drop him into a magical paint bucket to add him to your army reserve. Buy any of four tower upgrades and you can assign these troops to the related tower (signified by a coloured flag). Archers will randomly pick off enemy troops at a distance; Wizards grant you the ability to use the d-pad to wield potent spells on the battlefield, and so on. As you add more troops to a tower the benefits and capabilities offered by that tower will grow more effective. Dividing your time between managing your troops and recklessly tossing enemies is where most of DYC’s depth and strategy lie.

Add a couple players and the relatively dull single-player experience quickly evolves into a manic orchestra of castle defence. The player who scored the most points last round is crowned king and rewarded with the responsibility of controlling the troops and upgrades. Coordinating your troop management while your friends frantically defend adds another dimension to the inherent strategy. However, the standout feature of DYC’s multiplayer is that it allows for true drop-in, drop-out gameplay. If you’re playing alone and a friend shows up all he or she has to do is pick up a controller, point it at the screen, and the game will immediately adapt by boosting both the speed and number of enemies. If you have four people playing and two need to rest their tired arms, the game will likewise adjust accordingly. The universal appeal and overall versatility of DYC’s multiplayer is its main draw; so if you looking for a frantic game to play with friends on a whim there’s a lot of value here.

Finally and most obviously, an endearing sensibility really sells the whole package. The developers have said they wanted to make the game look like it was held together by “string, tape, and bubblegum.” The result is akin to a kid conjuring an elaborate game with little more than his imagination and whatever junk he finds lying about the house. Sure, when you break it down the graphics are nothing more than poor particle effects and simply animated stick figures on top of a static background. The presentation is about as primitive as possible short of aping the barebones flash style, but that’s the point and if you can go along with it you’ll likely find the art style delightfully crude. One downer, though, is that while the mostly vocal sound effects are cute and mildly humorous, there is no music. This is unfortunate, because the prevailing, repetitive sounds of bopping, knocking, screaming, and whooshing don’t do much for the eardrums and start to grate after awhile. That’s about the only real complaint we have about this game so it’s not the end of the world.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, Defend Your Castle is an easily accessible little oddity with nearly unlimited appeal. It serves as a classic example of old school game design enhanced by the Wiimote’s motion controls. There’s nothing more to the concept than working your way from level one to infinity, with the later levels culminating into sheer tests of endurance. Without a doubt it is great fun in short bursts. The reality, though, is that at some point your arm will get tired or sore and you’ll wonder why exactly you’re doing this anyway. But sometime after your arms recover and boredom has returned, you’re bound to come back once again to fulfil your duties to the kingdom.

Read our Scoring Policy

7/10

More About This Game...

Metacritic score: 67

1. JZLAM 14 May 2008, 15:58 GMT

I've been playing this mostly in single player mode. I've got a few hours of enjoyment out of it before I started getting a little bored and my arm started getting tired. I would have thought I'd tire of it sooner, but the game has a simplistic appeal similar to shooting balloons in Wii Play. My only complaint so far is the limited variety of attackers. It seems like they could have easily had more variety of opponents. My kids are busy enjoying Boom Blox at the moment; when they start looking for a new game I'll start them on the multi-player verson of DYC. WWW's rating of "7" is probably a good judgement. I wouldn't call this a must buy game, but it's a good cheap and enjoyable choice to buy if you've got a few hours to burn and you're looking for something new to play.

2. sailingtheseaoffools 14 May 2008, 18:59 GMT

At level 40 you do get catapult enemies. It's meant to be played in spurts. The difficulty drasticaly ramps up.

Thankfully if you get a game over and retry the level the points and converts earned in the failed battle get carried over to be added to the castle's archery, stone mason, wizard or one shot used in the demolitions tower. The points can be used to improve the wall hitpoints. Have to spend some to repair the castle from it's wiped out health state but odds are you well have enough left over to add a hundred or so hitpoints to the castle to try again. .

3. Objection_Blaster 14 May 2008, 21:34 GMT

@sailing
didnt know that (since I only died once and was ready to quit) Thanks
I'm at Stage 45, playing for 4-5 hours in the first 2 days. 500 pts=ideal price
Great game, even single player, but prepare for sore wrists after the harder levels.

4. Corbie 14 May 2008, 23:23 GMT

Outstanding review. This is one I'm going to try when things slow down a bit.

5. KnucklesSonic8 15 May 2008, 00:22 GMT

Outstanding review indeed but the final score reflects more of a tilt. Should have been written with firsttimers in mind, mostly but otherwise great job. But the game deserves an 8 at the least.

6. Clayfrd 15 May 2008, 00:51 GMT

I just downloaded this! I love it much more than the original! Highly recommended.

7. Clayfrd 15 May 2008, 02:27 GMT

Does anyone know how to get more options for magic? Is the eraser the only spell? It seems a bit nerfed to cost 40,000 points! I've added 26 men to my magic tower, but I haven't unlocked any more magic. Help! EDIT: Nevermind! I figured it out. Just keep adding wizards.

8. ACK! 15 May 2008, 03:01 GMT

It takes something like 50 troops for the next magic upgrade, which you'll happen to find incredibly useful. There are three in all. Once you're over 100 adding troops to the tower causes your spells to 'reload' faster, increasing the amount of times you can use all your spells. So, you'll definitely want to pump as many troops into magic as possible (but don't neglect your stone masons either).

Thanks for the compliments, by the way. This is essentially my first review, so take that as you may. Don't expect me to dignify complaints about the score, though.

Nonetheless, I hope it proves useful.

9. DEMON212 15 May 2008, 11:00 GMT

I've played the flash version and I really wouldn't class DYC as a shooter.

10. ACK! 15 May 2008, 14:55 GMT

It's a hybrid of the shooter genre (with a few minor RTS elements thrown in). The basic concept is similar to your typical flash shooter except that you toss enemies rather than 'shoot' them. That is, you click and drag rather than merely click.

Eitherway, it doesn't matter. Class it as whatever you want to. I won't complain.

11. KnucklesSonic8 15 May 2008, 15:27 GMT

This game is awesome. Enough said.
I never played the original, just heard about it and the element of blood turned me off. This... this is just so well-done and perfectly tailored to the Wii audience/market. Perfect!

12. Objection_Blaster 15 May 2008, 20:57 GMT

I wrote my own review of this at wii.ign.com
I gave it an 8 outta 10.

13. Wiireview123 15 May 2008, 22:08 GMT

great review! this game is slow at the first 10 rounds but once you get going, it becomes really fun and addctive. deffntly worth the 5 bucks!

14. Wiireview123 16 May 2008, 02:21 GMT

@DEMON212: im with ya on that. i'd class it as more as a action game with RPG ellments

15. ash 16 May 2008, 23:07 GMT

7/10 is far too generous, in my opinion. A game this simple needs some amount of hidden depth to it to keep the player in for the long haul, but this game just doesn't have it. Not enough new elements showing up as you proceed through the levels, and the incredibly small amount of strategy you put into the doesn't deepen very much. It's just a mindless, shallow game.

16. thewiirocks 17 May 2008, 02:17 GMT

@ash - At 35 wizards, you get a spray can that can convert enemies. At 100 wizards, you get explosive magic. At 901 archers you get an invincible castle. And then there's the various strategies of taking care of the Catapults and Giants without losing your castle.

The basic gameplay is pretty simple, but it DOES have some hidden depth. I wonder if there's a dragon hidden in this version somewhere...

17. Objection_Blaster 17 May 2008, 02:22 GMT

@thewiirocks
901 archers=invincible castle?! Really? Thanks. I'm on stage 46.

18. Bungawunga 17 May 2008, 05:52 GMT

Does it have an end? I'm in stage 40 something by now..
Thanks.

19. thewiirocks 17 May 2008, 08:44 GMT

@Bungawunga - There's no end in the game. The levels simply get more difficult with more crazy attackers. (It starts looking like a particle engine rather than a game somewhere around level 60.) However, it does keep getting more interesting. And since you get to keep all the goodies you saved up while playing, continuously replaying a level lets you forge ahead.

@Objection_Blaster - I should probably clarify the "invincible castle". To be precise, the archers take out all enemies near the left of the screen. The catapults can still push forward as they are unaffected by the rain of archer fire. However, they are extremely easy to defeat without cover, and tend to be destroyed by the constant explosions anyway. So in effect, your castle becomes invulnerable.

BTW, a tip for getting to 901 archers: Stop adding masons somewhere around 100 masons. They stop being an effective defense. Focus almost entirely on your archers and some on your magic. (You'll need to improve your magic so that the spray can recharges faster. Faster recharge == more converts. ) Don't bother using suicide bombers, either. The horde will soon be sending so many bombers that you'll have no trouble blowing them up. And once you get the upgrade to the magic bomb, you'll be able to cause a few detonations without sacrificing your men.

20. sportymariosonichybrid 17 May 2008, 21:40 GMT

This game actually looks to have a slight edge over Lost Winds at the moment.

There seems to be much more replay value here, in which I would not mind playing 1/2 to 1 hour per day.

Also, the ability to save, will allow me to experience a much deeper part of the game, that I could never see on the PC version?

Can anyone confirm whether or not you were able to save and then restart on the level you lost on, in the PC version?

Also, at only $5, it should not be hard for Defend Your Castle to climb to 2.5 hours of gameplay.

Finally, it is a pretty unique style of gameplay, whereas the VC is loaded with platformers!

21. sailingtheseaoffools 17 May 2008, 21:55 GMT

It has more content somewhat improved better graphics, four player action.

It endlessly repeats. Honestly past level 50 unless you have friends over it's not worth playing an hour each day.

Platformers? Funny I thought it was said to be loaded with shumps and rpgs.

22. thewiirocks 17 May 2008, 23:33 GMT

@sportymariosonichybrid sez... Also, at only $5, it should not be hard for Defend Your Castle to climb to 2.5 hours of gameplay.

I've easily gotten 5+ hours out of the game already. And I haven't even touched multiplayer yet.

23. Kingston 18 May 2008, 20:55 GMT

I've been playing 2 player co-op (It get's crazy!) and I've gotten to stage 57. I have already played about 5 hrs and I could easily see myself playing for another 5. 9/10, especially because of the low price.

24. sportymariosonichybrid 19 May 2008, 09:30 GMT

"It endlessly repeats. Honestly past level 50 unless you have friends over it's not worth playing an hour each day."

Is that because it is not possible to win or because nothing changes past there?

And does anyone know how the save function operates?

25. Bungawunga 20 May 2008, 03:21 GMT

Save mode just saves the game in the stage you stopped playing.

26. Boringman54 20 May 2008, 13:01 GMT

It's the only WiiWare game I've downloaded so far and it's pretty awesome. I'm on level 30 right now.

27. Objection_Blaster 22 May 2008, 02:35 GMT

@Everyone who asked something in the last 5-odd posts
You save at the level you are ABOUT to begin, then go to the upgrade page. If you die, you may spend your points you earned and try again until you win and THEN you can save. After level 50, I don't think much is added, just slightly harder and your castle is amazingly tough with way too many people. I have played about 5-6 hours (mid to late 40s now) and 1-2 hrs multiplayer. Herioc is evil, BTW, or maybe it was just because my friend was a noob
@wiirocks When does the magic bomb UPGRADE as you said? I have like 200 odd mages right now

28. thewiirocks 22 May 2008, 05:57 GMT

You should have the magic bomb already. 100 mages is all you need to upgrade your magic to include the bomb. Sadly, the bomb is the last bit o' magic you're going to get.

29. BDPatVCR 22 May 2008, 18:06 GMT

any news on a european release yet ?

30. XGen 22 May 2008, 19:27 GMT

@BDPatVCR

We're working on it.

31. KnucklesSonic8 22 May 2008, 20:10 GMT

Great to hear for you guys.

XGen, I'm excited to hear about the other titles you plan to produce but rest-assured that if blood is involved, I'll be passing no matter how fun it is.

I'm glad you guys took the market into great consideration when you developed the project and for that I'm grateful.

32. Virus 23 May 2008, 07:07 GMT

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but my money was better spent on this game than LostWinds. Sure, the gameplay isn't as deep and the sound and graphics aren't as good either, but DYC is more addictive than LostWinds and longer. I've barely even tried the multiplayer, but I've already chalked up four hours of gameplay, one hour more than my completed LostWinds game, and DYC is five bucks cheaper.

Yeah, DYC isn't mind-blowing or a must-have, but for five bucks and compared to its competition at the same price (NES, MS, and C64 for some), there's really no question whether this is a good buy or not. It's an awesome way to be introduced into the WiiWare world.

33. TRON 24 May 2008, 06:40 GMT

For 5 bucks this game is hard to not recommend. It starts a bit slow (like the first 30 levels) but it has an addictive pick up and play quality. The creativity in the graphics is superb. it's just a flash game at heart, like the countless others you can play online for free, but you can play it on your couch, and it's obvious that they put the effort into upping the quality enough to justify the 500 points.

34. Objection_Blaster 25 May 2008, 23:01 GMT

I agree with the last posts. I haven't played this much after getting MLAAK but I still have 5-6 hrs. chalked up on my own and even got my Dad (who only liked Wii Sports) to play ahalf-hour of it. He laughed almost the whole time while bouncing the stick-figures off the walls until they plummetted. Thanks XGen

35. Sockapal 26 May 2008, 08:03 GMT

Has anyone found any of the Easter Eggs that XGen talked about earlier?

36. Jona 28 May 2008, 01:20 GMT

dont even think bout gettin this game!!! 500 points ($5) is way 2 much 4 this game cuz u cud just play it on internet channel or on cumputer 4 free!!! (light comedic slap across face)

37. couthedman92 28 May 2008, 03:29 GMT

I agree w/ Kingston, co-op is awesome. Me and a friend just sat and did nothing but play DYC for 5+ hours and got past stage 60.
P.S. This game IS better than the computer version b/c of the co-op (glares at comment above )

38. Quimby 28 May 2008, 06:25 GMT

@ Jona - how old are you? Reading you're comments makes my head hurt. I had to read this one several times as my brain refused to process it.
MayB it tym 2 4mat ur cumputa homes.

39. Twilight 30 May 2008, 22:27 GMT

@Jona- the internet version does not feel nearly as satisfying and deep as this game. and for only five dollars, where can you wrong. i got 5 hours and 39 levels in one day. Xgen, great game.

40. x.SuperMario.x 03 Jun 2008, 01:28 GMT

@ Quimby- wat iz ^ wit u dawg.
dont B hatin on my brudas.

41. strade32 04 Jun 2008, 21:56 GMT

i am on level 50, and my castle is starting to get really good. i have almost 300 of each people for my upgrades. this game deserves at least an 8 as it provides hours of entertainment and is hard to get tired of.

42. strade32 05 Jun 2008, 03:10 GMT

scratch that last comment. after hours of work, got to level 101.

43. Bleak Destiny of Fate 06 Jun 2008, 14:49 GMT

You so did not, strade32!

44. strade32 06 Jun 2008, 20:32 GMT

yes i did. 4 hours it took. now i am invincible because i got 901 archers. you do not want to see how many people i have for my upgrades.

45. mr.niceguy 09 Jun 2008, 01:07 GMT

MY GOD that is impessive strade32!! Now I want to go back and play DYC again, I got stuck somewhere in the 60's.

This game is definately better than the flash version, and that's saying something since nearly everyone in my DDP class(design and drawing for production,all you really need to know is that everyone has access to acomputer) got addicted to this game, once our teacher's dad died and we had a sub for 2 weeks, whom everyone convinced we had nothing else to do and to let us use the computer until the teacher was back from the funeral.

46. mr.niceguy 09 Jun 2008, 01:16 GMT

Oh, and Objection_blaster, do you review for IGN, or do you just do reader reviews? Since it seems like you have more than a limited understanding of the game you are reviewing and have the ability to adjust your expectations based on the curcumstances, I'm guessing it's the latter.

47. strade32 09 Jun 2008, 03:05 GMT

@mr.niceguy- thank you.

48. Objection_Blaster 10 Jun 2008, 01:45 GMT

@MrNiceGuy
Why thank you. I am glad you enjoyed my review. No, I am a reader reviewer at IGN. I just started posting my reviews there. The reason they are thought out is because I have been writing for a very long time and I always play the game for a lengthy period of time before reviewing it. (Usually beating it first) Look for my review of My Life As A King on IGN very soon!

49. mr.niceguy 10 Jun 2008, 02:14 GMT

Thanks, I will!

50. Objection_Blaster 11 Jun 2008, 02:23 GMT

@MrNiceGuy
My review is up (But not on IGN). Since I dont want to double-post, you can find the link at the wiiware-world FFCC:MLAAK review page under my comment there!

51. Faithful Dragon 11 Jun 2008, 05:43 GMT

I went against my better judgement and spent the 500 points on this game, to go about describing this game it's nothing new to the Defend your Castle series. I really wasn't expecting much so it didn't it hit me like a brick thrown through a glass window, what was disappointing was that the only thing that they added was demolitions, the overall design was different and enjoyably pleasant, using the Wii remote gave good control over what was being done and was easier than using a mouse. Around 6-8 hours of game play later I found that no matter what strategy I chose it seemed to get to the point of impossible around level 55 and just plain gave up after 5 tries. I can't help but fell that more should have been added, a way to purchase troops, more upgrades and a way to post your scores to give a chance to put your name up for all to see. nothing new but if your looking for some quick addicting fun, I'd recommend it.

52. mr.niceguy 11 Jun 2008, 06:42 GMT

@objection_blaster

Very nice review. While there were parts that felt like an faq or a guide rather than a review, and a general statement about the game somewhere towards the beginning would have been helpful so the less-informed reader would've had a better understanding of what the game is about before they read the rather long review, it was otherwise a very informative and well written review.

53. Objection_Blaster 11 Jun 2008, 15:15 GMT

@mrniceguy
thanks for reading and the constructive criticism. i will keep it in my mind for my next review: Lost Winds!

54. strade32 22 Jun 2008, 19:41 GMT

@mr.niceguy and objecion_blaster- wow, for a second here i thought we were talking DYC, not some reader reviews on IGN. what was i thinking?

55. mr.niceguy 22 Jun 2008, 22:54 GMT

@strade32

We were talking about DYC, we just happened to be talking about reader reviews at the same time.

Speaking of DYC, I was wrong, I was stuck on level 51, not 61-ish. Now I'm stuck in the 60's(or at least that's when I decided to stop). I also tried the heroic mode, and it kicked my arse! I only got to level 4! This game is really hard, even on co-op, though, the only time I did play co-op was at level 40, thinking starting from the beginning would be too boring(I didn't realize the game jacks up the difficulty when you play co-op), and basically convinced my brother to never play this game again.

Oh well, guess that's how the cookie crumbles, or something like that. I'm going to go doodle some comics and pretend that it's studying so I can play this game again undisturbed".

56. pApEr y0sh! 23 Jun 2008, 00:39 GMT

the flash game is very fun. i play it a lot. is it worth it to get this game? i know its a little different, but does it really make it that much better?

57. strade32 23 Jun 2008, 03:09 GMT

the wiiware version is definately worth it. the online version is nothing compared to this one.

58. Kingston 24 Jun 2008, 01:41 GMT

Yes, pApEr y0sh!, It is worth 500 Wii points to buy this game.

59. Objection_Blaster 24 Jun 2008, 04:01 GMT

@strade dont be annoying...the first review is one i wrote ABOUT DYC. Don't need to raise a trumpet if one thing connects to something else, even if something else isn't DYC. No wonder you are starting to tick some people off.

60. strade32 24 Jun 2008, 04:03 GMT

it was just a joke. i put smily faces to show that. but i can see how you would take that the wrong way, sorry.

61. Objection_Blaster 24 Jun 2008, 04:14 GMT

It seemed sarcastic raher than joking but alright, no hard feelings . Just that sometimes mods take that topic seriously...and i always make a point to stay on topic.

62. strade32 24 Jun 2008, 04:30 GMT

well, it was sarcasm but in a joking way. i didn't mean to offend you. i usually try to stay on topic too, but sometimes i stray away.

63. Mickeymac 05 Jul 2008, 04:58 GMT

Defend Your Castle is a suprising masterpiece if you ask me. It's simplicity draws you in and its hidden depth hooks you! An amazing achievement that is rare in this modern era of gaming. Bravo, XGEN Studios, bravo!

When I post, I generally try to be both on topic and off topic at the same time, so that way I can add to a mini-conversation, or try to start my own, while still adding to the overall topic. It's a great way for me to get everything I want to express in one post, even if some of it doesn't quite adhere to the topic.

64. SRPirate 05 Jul 2008, 22:57 GMT

great game, so worth the 500 points

65. Mr. Cheez 08 Jul 2008, 23:41 GMT

First game I got from wiiware. It's fun to play in short bursts, but it can get boring in extended play sessions. I also don't like how this game doesn't have as many items to buy as the flash game original, which makes the game more boring in extended play sessions methinks. The 4-player co-op is also quite nice. A bargain at 500 points, though I wouldn't pay much more than that for it.

Plus, It's easier than playing the original game on the internet channel, which I tried .

66. Mickeymac 10 Jul 2008, 02:27 GMT

@Mr. Cheez

Wow, I never thought of trying that. Good to know it's not worth trying though.

67. MoneybagzX 10 Jul 2008, 20:01 GMT

great game

68. PrimePrimid 14 Jul 2008, 22:26 GMT

i read some of these posts, and i am really concedering buying it, however, if you have internet channel, you can just go to the site and play, it isn't as flashy, but it is still fun

69. Kirby8 16 Jul 2008, 12:57 GMT

God I hope this comes to the european wii ware on friday

70. Objection_Blaster 25 Jul 2008, 18:30 GMT

@kirby. Well, its coming Aug 1 for Europe.

71. Raptor78 01 Aug 2008, 01:35 GMT

Aaaaaaah, at last it finally comes to Europe.... about bloody time.

72. calculon 01 Aug 2008, 08:23 GMT

It looks like absolute garbage. But for 500 points, I'm sure plenty of people will buy it.

73. Objection_Blaster 01 Aug 2008, 15:02 GMT

@calculon Not at all. Give it a try. Its very addictive and has fun multiplayer. THATS why people are buying it. Its at #3 in N,A.

74. SepticLemon 03 Aug 2008, 00:12 GMT

Yeah, it's great fun, and IMO it's better than the flash version. I bought myself a whole load of games recently, Final Fantasy IV DS, Soul Calibur IV and Trauma Center 2, yet I seem to rack up more hours with Defend your Castle. I'm just that silly, lol.

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