EARLY ACCESS REVIEW

How do you keep a demon lord away? Exorcise regularly.

Story:
For over a century, the world has been at peace. Demonkind and humankind have co-existed in peace. Suddenly, the Demon Lord declared war and began a full assault on humanity. All anyone could do was fight to survive. The question still remains: Why did the Demon Lord attack? Leena and her friends are the ones who have to defend the All-Girls school of Magic.

Game Mechanic:
By placing Leena and her friends on some sort of chess board grid, the battles commence. Wave after wave and each level and map is getting progressively harder. With different monsters, demons and animals trying to infiltrate the school. Leena and friends can be leveled up unlocking more HP and DPS. On a later map, some grid parts are marked with an X, meaning you can not place any characters there. This means you need to start thinking very tactically. At times, you figure out what to do with a level, after losing a couple of times and restarting. You unlock all kinds of other tools to help you win the battles as well, like a barrier, spikes, aerial defense, bufie DPS booster and even portals. All tools can be upgraded as well, making them even more powerful.

The game does warn in what row the waves will be coming from the upcoming round by using an arrow at the end of the row. So placing your characters strategically is very important, making it also a challenge to save up some money, in order to defend yourself in the next round. This is probably the reason why this game requires a lot of retrying levels. Some creatures drop random loot that give you extra gold, which you can use to upgrade your troops. A fast way to pick up loot that is dropped by monsters is by hoovering over it with your mousepointer. Another handy feature is that you can change the combat speed x2.

Different Characters:

• Leena the MC of the story. You can only place one on the board.
• Warriors will unleash sword attacks in the form of a wave slash that can hit 3 lanes. They have medium DPS but high HP.
• Strikers will attack anything up to 2 cells away from them. Very high DPS but low HP.
• Clerics will heal anything one cell to their right and themselves. Place them behind your melee DPS for the best results.
• Casters have an infinite range in one row. Put them far back and level these up for high DPS output.
• Archers arrows have high DPS AoE in one row, but have limited range.

Different Tools:

• The barriers block enemies from progressing
• Spikes gradually damages enemies that walk over this.
• Bufie increases adjacent units attack by 50%.
• Pellet rapid anti-air shooter. You need these for aerial attacks.
• Portal, diverts enemies to another row.

And many more.

Graphics and Sound:
The visual novel part of the game has decent graphics with mediocre characters. The face structures, eyebrows and facial expressions of the characters are very similar. Making the visual novel part of this game a tad boring and the least appealing part of the game. The developer created a skip button for your convenience. The tower defense part of the game has pretty basic graphics which remind me of the golden 16-bit games, combined with the retro music and sound effects making this the best feature.

Bugs and annoyances:
-A rare bug I encountered was when I placed a warrior and cleric behind it, one monster wasn't getting hit by the warrior and the monster also wasn't killing the warrior because of the cleric, creating an infinite loop of combat. I could not even enter the menu to exit the game (because that is not possible during combat). The only thing left to do was ALT+F4.
-I couldn't take any screenshots with the Steam overlay button.
-What I found really frustrating is that when you have made it as far as the last wave of a level (or during an aerial wave), you can not adjust the game speed to x2. This is kind of pointless and useless. While combat has already commenced, there is nothing you can do or change anymore, so why not let the speed be doubled anyway? This is a reason for me to not replay a level after completing it once.
-After combat, you can not see (during the upgrade phase) how much health a unit has left. I hope this will be implemented in the future. This would be handy especially in order to replace a barrier that is low on hp.

Things I hope to see in the future:
- Implementation of higher speeds
- Enable menu access during combat phase
- See a bar of HP of units
- Letting players read the story again after completing combat

Verdict:
A pretty fun to play tower defense game with a unique blend of Visual Novel parts. I can highly recommend this game if you are into tower defense games. It gave me a few fun evenings to come up with new ways to beat certain waves and levels. I wouldn't buy it solely for the visual novel part, because most of the game consists of the tower defense part, which you can not skip.

"Early Access Update 1: A Promising Step Forward in Balancing Gameplay"

As an avid player eagerly diving into the realms of this promising game, the recent early access update brings about a wave of fine-tuning that hints at even grander things to come.

The crux of this update revolves around the fine adjustment of difficulty modifiers, a crucial aspect that significantly influences gameplay immersion. With meticulous attention, the team has recalibrated gold acquisition, health factors, and wave numbers across all difficulty levels. This alteration promises a more nuanced and engaging experience, catering to both seasoned strategists and newcomers alike.

One noteworthy addition is the incorporation of bonus gem calculation upon map completion, dynamically aligned with the selected difficulty setting. This not only adds a layer of strategic depth but also rewards players commensurate with the challenges they undertake. The end-of-map screen now elegantly highlights the current difficulty mode, providing a more immersive experience while describing the bonus gem rewards—a subtle yet impactful touch.

Moreover, acknowledging the need for a balanced starting point, additional starting gold is now allocated based on the chosen difficulty setting. This injection of resources subtly tweaks the early-game dynamics, ensuring a smoother and more tailored experience for players at different skill levels.
Preparation for the forthcoming endless mode is evident in the adjustment that skyrockets the maximum tower upgrade level to an awe-inspiring 9,999. This enhancement sets the stage for the boundless possibilities and challenges that lie ahead, hinting at an exhilarating gaming horizon awaiting exploration.

The recalibration of waves in the Nightmare Realm, a particularly challenging domain, showcases the developers' commitment to refining even the most daunting terrains, assuring players of a more balanced and exhilarating encounter within this nightmarish realm.

A pivotal aspect emphasized in this update is the redefined relationship between difficulty settings and rewards, effectively balancing risk and reward. The additional bonuses woven into each map, including extra gems and starting gold, harmonize the gameplay experience, fostering a more gratifying and equitable journey for all players.

In conclusion, while this early access update might seem modest in scale, its impact resonates deeply within the intricate fabric of gameplay. With each adjustment and addition, the game inches closer to a harmonious blend of challenge and reward, setting the stage for an exciting journey ahead. As the game evolves, this update serves as a promising testament to the developers' dedication to crafting an experience that resonates with its player community.

Otome Lovers wishes to thank GameDevTosh for providing a free review copy of this game

Review originally posted on Steam

Please follow our curator page, Otome Lovers, if you'd like to see more reviews like this one!