I have an on-and-off relationship with the Tower Defense genre. I don't want to sound like I am putting this genre down, but it always had this whiff of mobile games or tiny time-killers I recall from my time at school, burning hours on a laptop while pretending to listen to the teachers. They work well for a brain that likes to see a number increase. By their very nature, they are incremental entertainment - steadily growing stronger to match the growth of the challenge of each level. But, they are also very... Samey. By default, really. After all, it is not easy to innovate a formula of 'put towers next to a path and watch waves of enemies culled by your defenses'.
Tower Defense games also have this little brand, such as being the indie dev first game kind of shtick. Because of their relatively static design, it is quite a popular genre of choice for budding devs to try their chops on for their first release. It is why we see so, oh so many of these games flooding Steam. But that of course doesn't mean there aren't gems in the genre. Or that there are no innovations or great ideas to explore within it!
ISLE OF ARROWS got me hooked and hooked hard. It's such a simple game, yet it executes its simplicity with deft cleverness. It's a tower defense roguelite with a great emphasis on very limited resources. This is, for me, its innovation, its delightful twist that I didn't see before. The land you build on is sparse. The lanes on which your waves of enemies will come in are not laid down, but you'll craft them with your tiles to your heart's content - or rather, to the content allowed by the random draft of said tiles. This alone creates an interesting loop to play with, and a skill to polish. You need to have a layout in your mind that will facilitate good combos of your towers and support structures and think ahead with your pieces - maybe that turn or double tile isn't useful to you yet... But you can put it already down, ahead of the path, hoping to land the missing piece to connect it to the desired path. It's great fun and gives you this empowered sense of control over each level.
Limited space quickly becomes an issue, too, but there are ways to offset it. Bridges to build over open air. Bombs to remove obstacles. Certain rules and rewards grant you extra placement options. And guilds! Another great bit of the game is that each guild has its upside and downside, as well as a selection of missions to progress through, unlocking new things along the way to play with. This all melds together into a well-paced, fun experience, as virtually no run should ever leave you dry, empty-handed with no progression to speak of. And then as your deck grows, so do the possible combinations. Towers that care for surrounding structures, unique boosts related to good placement. It's quite rewarding and keeps feeding me enough dopamine to make me wanna continue, level after level.
RNG will frustrate some players, to be sure. Often it feels like the random draw does everything in its power to ensure you fail. Not getting that single turn to complete a path. Not getting towers when you need them, instead deluged with useless support structures that help you naught. But that's the bit of the fun, too - to defeat the RNG you need to not only plan ahead, as previously mentioned, but also ensure a strong influx of gold, which lets you push through the randomly offered tiles to find the one you need. If your income is middling, you'll keep struggling, so finding a way of making good gains with each guild is a crucial part of the whole experience.
I must add that I love the art style and the music in this game. ISLE OF ARROWS had a very gentle approach to its presentation. The user interface is clean, sharp - informative, and well laid out, making it easy to understand what everything does, at a glance. The isles float in a sea of clouds, and the soothing music clashes with a great little juxtaposition to the sounds of conflict, when the waves begin - clamoring enemies charge through, towers send their arrows, cannonballs, and more esoteric discharges into the throng. It all fits well and doesn't tire you down.
In short, ISLE OF ARROWS was real fun to play. It doesn't break new ground in some spectacular fashion. Was not a game that opened my third eye to the glory of the Tower Defense genre, but still managed to make the experience feel fresh and challenging. With great style, cool soundscapes, and clever systems, it offered a few dozen hours of riveting gameplay that kept my butt firmly seated to the computer for multiple sessions, which for me is a mark of a good game done right. I can recommend it both for fans of the genre and for anyone willing to give this type of game their first try.
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