Review

Data Defense

Independent developer 2Blocks, a game studio from Montreal, Canada, has brought us a minimalistic tower defense game to both mobile devices and PC/Mac. Data Defense is set in cyberspace and works a beautiful aesthetic witch contrasting glowing vector shapes and pixel art. Some may think it’s just another place and drop and let it roll, but this one is quite unique in its own way.

SO WHAT IS IT ABOUT, ANYWAY?

The way Data Defense works is that you have time to set up your defenses to protect your servers from glitches, bugs and viruses, but only on the first round. Once you placed your “towers”, hostile cyber attacks will ensue nonstop, which means you must protect your servers in real time with very short breathers. While is something that sounds simple on paper, it can prove to be a very fun mechanic as its pacing is much more fluent and dynamic than most other tower defense titles.

HOW MUCH OF A PROGRESSION SYSTEM DOES IT HAVE?

The layout of the map is a simple block tileset, allowing you to create overly complicated but funny paths to make those bugs take as long as possible to reach the server, if they get there; the game features many different tower types with varying abilities. Each of these costs a certain amount of credits which you earn as you destroy the viruses, enabling players to choose whichever they prefer and place them as they’re being attacked.

WAIT, DIFFERENT STRATEGIES?

You don’t like your path or specific towers? Want to try a different setup or upgrade them? You can simply sell them to get back credits and choose a different approach, but again, all in real time so be aware that one must be quick enough to sell and replace the tower as the glitches have their own simple AI that allows them to take the shortest route to the server possible. As you progress further and further through levels, you get to upgrade your tower’s TECH, you can purchase the upgrade on 6 different skill trees such as Utility, Delay, Debuff, Damage, Area and Trap. Obviously the reason these are available is to make your game easier, because it can get ridiculous at times.

WILL IT GET REPETITIVE?

The first few levels of course are showing you the ropes and also unlock you more and more defenses for your cyber arsenal, but the game also rewards you for being efficient. Sometimes you don’t need to fill up the whole tileset with towers even though it proves to be a spectacle of sci-fi particle effect fiesta. What I’m trying to say is that levels get you a higher score the better you deal with the incoming threat. Not always will is just be one single line of enemies, sometimes you’ll have 2, 3 and maybe not from the same side of the map. If you want an even greater challenge, there is a Survival Mode with endless amounts of waves that you can take out and who knows? Maybe even take a screenshot and create new wallpaper background from all the cyberspace shenanigans.

OK, HOW DO WE NOT MAKE IT REPETITIVE?

The game is very addicting, in the sense that you can go back and try your completed levels with different combinations and strategies, it’s a fantastic idea for mobile gaming but on PC/Mac it also feels flawless thanks to the mouse and keyboard. I’d say Data Defense is simple, but takes time to master; anyone can still have fun with it, whether or not this genre is for you, it’s still a unique little indie worth your attention.