Review – Revenge of the Titans (PC)

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Before this game, I’ll be honest – I’d never heard of PuppyGames.  It might be because they are european-based, or maybe just because they’re indie, but it took them a bit to hit my radar.  Suddenly, everything changed.  They were being featured in Steam and eventually hit the top 10 list at one point for “Top Selling” games.  When I opened the Steam store, I was staring at an angry titan.

Even today, it remains in the top 20 list.  If you have a chance to even play the free demo, it’s easy to see why.  Revenge of the Titans has drawing power.  With clear 8-bit influences, it could be described as sort-of tower defense game.  In application though, it breaks the typical rules that you would come to expect by playing other tower games – the enemies don’t stick to an assigned path, the choices for upgrading are your own, and even early on, enemies can surround you from all sides.

This past week, I was extremely pressed for time and didn’t think I would have a free minute to play.  I started it up in order to get a basic feel and get some screenshots, but I found myself forgetting to take them while I struggled against the titan horde.  This game is a challenge, and it became intoxicating.

Revenge of the Titans is cross-platform – It works on Linux, Mac and Windows.  As a user of all three operating systems, I really appreciate when a game designer does that.  Personally, my play experience was Mac-based, and I was extremely impressed by the load time and ease of installation.

Though the game gets tough, it doesn’t throw you directly in with the sharks.  I think many designers forget about the learning curve and it can make your first experience a frustrating one.  Here, however, that will not be an issue.  You get through the first level with clear instruction and get to choose your first of many upgrades.

I love the upgrading features.  As it happens between each level, you have many opportunities to create strategies all your own.  Of course you can choose more powerful weapons, but you can also choose modules that add-on to existing turrets and such to increase their attributes.

The campaign mode spans many different planets and levels, unlocking other modes along the way.  One you complete a playthrough of the first planet, you unlock a survival mode that can be a lot of fun.

The artwork and sound of this game have to be mentioned because they are amazing.  The art is a mixture of 8-bit with more modern particle effects, and the sounds and music give you a sense of urgency and immersion.

As stated above, if you haven’t already played this you should check out the demo.  All this week, we are also hosting a giveaway contest for this title, which you can learn more about here.  The overall smaller size of this game and fun-factor make it a perfect fit into any game library.  My final score is a 9/10 – very highly recommended.

Graphics 80   Audio 80   Gameplay 90 Creativity 70   Execution 90   Offset 90

8.3

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A copy of this game was provided for review purposes.