Review: Epic War TD - Is It Truly Epic?
by Staff Writer
November 18, 2010
Overview
Are you ready for a new tower defense game where there are very strong units coming at you? Well Epic War TD brings you a sci-fi fixed path tower defense game with very complex units that is more about having fewer stronger towers then a whole bunch of towers. The art style is reminiscent of Epic games or Blizzard games though there is no affiliation.
Features
There are four different locations, and you face 15 waves each. That’s 60 waves total, and there is a cumulative total amount of enemies you can let slip through your defenses. There are also bonus mini-games where there are enemies coming at your base in the center of the screen, and you tap the screen to squish them. There are 14 enemy types you'll face, and you have different types of towers at your disposal.
The Good
Epic War offers up some of the most action for the tower defense genre which is a more methodical game style. With only 15 waves for each location there are no cream puff waves, and you’re in for an epic fight for every wave. Most waves have one of three styles, either a huge number of smaller enemies, a few very strong enemies, or a big number of very strong enemies that are at the later stages.
The game is a fixed path style rather than constructing the path with your towers. This means that you'll want to place a few very potent towers, and upgrade them to maximum abilities. You begin with what you can afford, and work your way up, always concentrating on upgrading what you have rather than adding a new tower.
Epic War has a lot of detailed features that could be overlooked with none more important than being able to see each enemy type, and how well each tower works on them. There are three tower attributes to upgrade with damage, fire rate, and range and upgrading them can make or break your defense. With only 15 waves per location you're engaged the entire time because the end is in sight at all times unlike 100 wave levels.
There is an outstanding art style that is reminiscent of other games, but stands well on its own. There is such fine detail to each environment, enemy, and tower allowing you to see something new each time you look. The animations are even more amazing as you see the biological enemies explode into blood, or the robotic enemies exploding in a ball of fire, and the various pieces falling to the ground.
When you're killing a lot of biological enemies their blood splatters on screen, and you need to wipe it off with your finger to see. All of the deluxe action flows effortlessly on screen even when there are so many enemies on screen coupled with all the fire power of your towers. A nice addition to the game are the bonus stages offering a completely different game mechanic as you tap tons of enemies coming at you like you would squish bugs.
The Bad
The game comes to an end relatively quickly with only 60 total waves. It seems quicker because you're left wanting more of the great tower defense action. There is no social connectivity with online high scores or achievement to keep you coming back.
As great as the visuals look they're not retina quality which is a little disappointing. It still does look great on a retina device, and of course a third generation device. The game is also quite challenging, so be warned, though there are four difficulty levels to try.
The Verdict
Epic War TD is a great Tower Defense game infusing new life into the tired genre. The game gives you a ton of action for the tower defense style as well as nice and difficult enemy waves. The game is gorgeously designed though not retina quality. The game does come to an end pretty quickly, and replay factor is relatively low.
Epic War TD is worth it for $2.99, and a great addition to your tower defense collection, or even if you’re new to the genre. An update with social connectivity and retina graphics would make this game a must.
