Maze Defenders the 3D Tower Defense Game that We All Need

Tower defense games are not really new in the world of gaming. It is probably one of the early game genres established during the so-called golden age of arcade video games. The classic Space Invaders, for instance, belongs in this category. The mechanics are generally simple, you just have to defend your territory and prevent enemies from breaking through your defenses. The concept of this unique genre has inspired many games today. In the mid-2000s, a great number of browser games became extremely popular. Bloons Tower Defense and Kingdom Rush are among those popular tower defense games that rose to fame during this period.

Plants vs Zombies also became a massive hit and eventually expanded to a franchise. While most tower defense games are formulaic, some managed to make big changes, providing us with an entirely new game experience. Maze Defenders is a new tower defense game developed and published by Johan Lindberg. Like any tower defense game, the core objective for Maze Defenders is to prevent enemies from breaking through your defense. To do so, you must build towers and establish an effective strategy to eliminate all enemies before they reach your base.

What really makes this game unique compared to your typical tower defense games is that you can manipulate the path by building a maze, hence the title. Be mindful though that mazes are not built to stop the enemies from breaking through but to, at least, slow them down so they can’t reach the exit portal quickly. In addition to that, Maze Defenders is presented in a beautiful 3D setting with dynamically changing stages. If you love tower defense and if you are up for a new challenge, feel free to explore Maze Defenders and see how far you can go.

The Gameplay

The mechanics of the game are generally simple. If you have experienced playing a classic tower defense game, then you should know how exactly it works. As soon as the game starts, it will prompt you to the battlefield right away. The first phase of the game requires you to deploy or place defensive towers on any valid location on the map. Simply drag and drop the tower to construct them. As you hover around, there will be indicators if the tower can be placed on that particular grid or not. You can also see the covered radius of each tower, allowing you to place them more strategically on the map. To make the tower more efficient, you can place them on top of a rune. Doing so will provide your tower with special ability or will boost its attributes.

To help you in establishing an effective strategy, you can tap on the “path” button to see the exact path where the enemies will be heading. There are two types of structures that you can place on the map; the Offense and the Support. Under the support are walls that you can effectively use to manipulate the default path. Once you are done placing all the towers and walls, and if you do not have any more money to spend, you can send the first waves of enemies manually.

Take note that you can no longer move the tower to a different grid once they are placed. You can, however, upgrade the tower to boost its attributes during the attack. These attributes include speed, damage rate, cost, attack range, and area damage. The number of times you can upgrade a tower depends on the tower’s current level. By visiting the “Weaponry” section from the main menu, you will get access to all the existing towers. You can unlock more towers upon reaching certain levels and by collecting enough materials. Each tower also comes with its own Talent tree.

The level is cleared when all the enemies are killed. Some levels will have multiple waves to complete and you can do all the tower and maze customizations in between. If you failed to protect your base, the game will come to a quick end and you have no other option but to start at the same level until you manage to make it through.

Beautiful 3D Graphics

Aside from its unique Tower defense mechanics, another great thing that quickly separates Maze Defenders from other tower defense games is the remarkable 3D visual. The game is an absolute visual that treats players with impressive 3D map settings and a dynamically changing atmosphere. Most tower defense games remain faithful to classic 2D or top-down perspective. This change of landscape allows Maze Defenders to provide a unique tower defense experience that the old and new generations of gamers will enjoy. You can even zoom in and out of the screen to get a closer look at the towers and enemies. The game is also accompanied by a well-fitting piece of music and audio effects to set the right mood.

Crafting and Builders

The game also features a crafting system. Here, you can craft a new tower, runes, armor, and reagents by collecting all the ingredients and materials required. These items can only be obtained by completing a series of levels. It is also important to mention that the game features a so-called “builder”. Builders are automatically deployed on the battlefield and are also the main ones responsible for building towers. By default, the game will provide you the Fire Mage as your starter builder but eventually, you can unlock others. Each builder also comes with a unique set of spells that players can take advantage of. From time to time, the game will also ask you to choose one among the three provided perks. The effect of your chosen perk will last for the entire game.

Maze Defenders is indeed a great game with great potential. While it may be a big leap from the traditional tower defense mechanics that we used to enjoy, the game still highlights all important tower defense elements and provide gamers with the same level or even better experience. If you are looking for an app game that can provide both decent challenges and impressive visuals, this game is certainly a great fit for your device.