Dungeon Defenders: Awakened Review

Dungeon Defenders: Awakened

Release: January 1, 1970
Publisher: Chromatic Games
Developer: Chromatic Games
Genre: PlayStation 5 Reviews, PS5 ReviewsReviews
PEGI: E
Comments:

 

Comment

Dungeon Defenders: Awakened is co-op Tower Defence combined with epic Action RPG combat. Which to me definitely sounded like an odd blend for sure. Back in the day when I would do a lot more PC gaming, I would often really enjoy tower defence games, something about them was relaxing and almost therapeutic.

This is not quite the same. While at it’s core foundation it’s definitely a tower defence, you select the types of traps, shields, whatever you want to use around the map to stop or slow down the near endless hoards of enemies that are making their way to the crystal (will explain more of that later) but in addition you are controlling a specific character that can run all of the stage and help with combat, set more traps, level them up, etc. Which definitely adds some twists and turns along the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

The story is pretty basic here:

The past has been altered! Team up with up to four players as you level up, claim legendary loot, and take on the armies of enemies that await you! Choose your hero and construct an epic defense to fight off hordes of enemies while you jump into the fray to protect Etheria. Master the Squire, Huntress, Apprentice, Monk and more to fight off hundreds of minions bent on mayhem!. Build and utilize your arsenal of blockades, towers, traps, and auras to keep the Eternia Crystals safe. The only requirement is to win, but it’s up to you to choose how!

So in this game you have 8 different heroes you can play as with any six of your choosing being in your “deck” that you can change to on the fly however you want. Each with their own perks, strategies, and abilities so there is always something new to try out. The loot system can get a little overwhelming (think Diablo) where stuff is just flying everywhere and you pick it up to see if it’s better than the current thing you are using right now.  In between each wave you have a little time out where you can set more traps, upgrade them, swap your equipment or heal before the next and ultimately larger wave comes after you.

Gameplay is where this little gem shines, it’s a blast to play and easy enough to figure out a few rounds in. Largely repetitive, but that’s typical of a tower defence type game. But the fun is when you get others to play as well, you can do up to four players to enjoy the chaos with you. Graphics are standard and nothing to really be excited over, looks like a last gen game, but the art style does lend itself to that as well. Music was fine and atmospheric just meshed well with the overall vibe of the game. The game runs and plays fine even with all of the enemies and action on the screen at one time.

All in all this game is a fantastic little time waster and a blast if you are able to get a group together. It’s the perfect summertime game for me, light, fun, not a lot of dialogue, and great replayability.