Battle among friends or complete strangers to get to the top of the leaderboards. Do you think your tower defense strategy is better than everyone else’s? If so, then you should jump into Gotchi Guardians, a quirky tower defense game that is open to everyone on Steam. Playing as a Guardian, manage the line of defense and build towers to stop the waves of enemies teleporting in. Developed by PixelCraft Studios, this game is a charming take on tower defense strategy with a mix of upgrading player attributes.
The mechanics of Gotchi Guardians are very simple. The battling is all automatic, but you can use power-ups by clicking on them in your inventory. Choosing a tower is not just finding the strongest asset. The decision is based on strategy. As an example, if you choose “Gain 50 life,” then the opponent may have “Earn extra shield.” Creating a push-and-pull dynamic. Each tower does something different. Upgrading requires seeds for your “floral” towers. The more seeds, the stronger the towers. My personal favorite? The “Brute Force” tower, a cactus plant that shoots its needles at the enemy. Later on after upgrading, I added a second arm to allow for a fast-paced shooting monster plant.
The colors in this game are light and calming, supporting the lighthearted style. The illustration designs for the towers and guardians strike a balance between adorable and monstrous. There isn’t much in terms of personalization. You can’t change any characteristics of the guardians other than what class you choose. The music was background to the announcer and battle sounds in the game. This fits the style of the game, giving it a sense of being in an arena with a captive audience.
One downside I noticed while playing was the repetitiveness. There are three maps with three enemy types and the choice of six different guardians. Three of the guardians are locked with no clear way to unlock them. The guardians are upgradable with skill trees for each type, allowing for stronger consumables while fighting off waves of monsters. This gave some depth and a need for playing more. Multiplayer could use some polishing. There is the option of creating your own lobby, but if you want to play with friends, they need to be a friend from Steam in order to join. As of now there is no in-game option for inviting people. Hopefully as the player base grows, developers will add some quality-of-life updates to fix these things.
If you are looking for a free tower defense game that has potential, then download Gotchi Guardians. It has an easy pick-up/put-down feel that keeps it lighthearted and fun. Beware of the repetitiveness, but if you can get past that, it's worth it. The upgrading gives some depth and helps replayability. Currently this game is available on Steam for free, so if you and some friends are looking for a new game to play without breaking the bank, give it a try.
Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this game.
