14 DAY TRIAL // Anomaly Defenders is the latest installment in the tower defense series from Polish developer 11 Bit Studios, this time putting players in the hypothetical shoes of the aliens, which must now defend their home world against the attack of the humans.
Anomaly: Warzone Earth and its sequel turned the tower defense idea on its head, giving players a chance to go on the offense, as they led units of humans against alien towers that had invaded earth and unleashed an apocalypse.
With Anomaly Defenders, however, 11 Bit Studios is exploring the other side of the conflict, as the aliens must now go on the defense and try to survive against the human onslaught.
Can the new title succeed in delivering a great experience or should we stick just to the offense? Let's have a quick look at its preview build.
Anomaly Defenders may seem like a big departure for the series, but don't forget that, in the multiplayer of Anomaly 2, players were also tasked with establishing a defense as the aliens against the human opponent.
Not that many things have changed, although the perspective is more zoomed in this time around, so that you can survey the whole battlefield in a more concise manner. What's more, the large levels seen in the first two titles have been shrunken to some degree, although the presence of harvesters and other such treats will force a change in direction for enemy invaders.
The basic gameplay is the same, as you must earn credits, in the form of Carusaurum, to buy new towers, but you can also earn Energy in order to repair your towers or unleash different abilities like EMP blasts.
Tower placement can only be done in certain zones, and this time around placing beefier ones, like the Enforcer, disables nearby slots.
The sense of progression is given by a Tech Point system, which allows players to invest points earned at the end of each battle into unlocking new towers, upgrading existing ones, deploying new abilities, or just strengthening the alien power.
Enemies consist of a variety of established human vehicles, like the panzer units, and you can certainly have an advantage if you used them in Anomaly 2 and know their strengths and weaknesses.
Level design is pretty good, and the fact that you can't place towers anywhere you want to requires tactical thinking and planning, as earning Carusaurum is done through kills and by harvesting deposits, which become attractive targets for enemies.
Check out a gameplay video of Anomaly Defenders on PC below.
