GENRE
	Puzzle, Tower Defense
	DEVELOPER
	Tose Co., LTD
	PUBLISHER
	SquareEnix
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
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Tower defense games are everywhere, and on every platform imaginable, but Crystal Defenders R1 is the first of its kind on the WiiWare service. The game was originally released on mobile phones in Japan, and then made appearances on iPhone and Xbox Live. SquareEnix has said that Crystal Defenders will be released in episodes on WiiWare, and R1 is the first of two episodes planned. This title could be considered a bit antiquated, but younger and new players may find it enjoyable.

visuals

Crystal Defenders R1 is reminiscent of old SNES RPGs, and, as such, has a 16 bit style that probably has to do with the fact that it was originally developed for mobile phones. The game has not been given a visual upgrade from the mobile versions.

The maps themselves are pretty barren: there's not a lot of detail to them, and they’re all flat. The environments the maps show off are all different from each other, but there are a lot of greens and browns and not much else. This palette choice might have been selected to make the characters stand out a bit more, since they are at least full of color and have a lot of detail. There is also a large number of enemy types to defend against. Each is easy to distinguish based on its look: the bigger the enemy, the more difficult it will be to defeat.

audio

Much like the game's visuals, its audio plays heavily upon older games. Each map has its own tune that will remind you of the battle sequences in SquareEnix’s proper RPG titles; they are full of pomp and fanfare and blend well with the battle sound effects. Spells also have unique sounds, and swords ring out with every blow dealt. As you begin to amass a large amount of troops, the sounds of battle can become cacophonous and nearly drown out the music completely.

gameplay

For people unfamiliar with tower defense games, the premise is pretty simple. Enemies come at you in waves along a pre-determined track on the screen. Before each wave, you are given the ability to select the defenses (or "towers") you'll use against the incoming enemies. You begin the game with a small amount of Gil, the currency of the Final Fantasy world, to purchase and place your initial defenses, and for every enemy you kill after that, you're rewarded more Gil to buy additional defenders or upgrade the ones already in play. The ultimate goal is to destroy all attackers before they reach the end of the track and destroy the base you're trying to defend-- each enemy that gets through will take one of your crystals, and you only have about twenty in a level. If a gamer loses all the crystals, it's game over.

Crystal Defenders R1 takes place after the events of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, which is a turn-based strategy game SquareEnix developed for Nintendo DS. There's very little story in Crystal Defenders R1 that ties it back to its source material, so the relation is more window dressing than substance. This game is just about keeping enemies from taking crystals-- if you're looking for verbose dialogue boxes, emotional cut scenes or sweeping storylines, they won't be found here.

Nevertheless, there is a number of different units available in this game, and they're all based off character archetypes from the Tactics series. Soldiers are basic infantry that can attack ground units. White Monks are less powerful than soldiers but can attack multiple enemies at once. Black Mages and Archers can defend better against flying units. Dragoons are very powerful warriors, but attack slowly. Thieves do not directly attack enemies; rather they award additional Gil if they are close to enemies when the enemies are killed. Time Mages are used to slow down the advance of the oncoming hordes, giving your forces more time to deal damage.

You select from these troop types (each kind has a set price) and, after purchase, strategically place each one on the map-- anywhere that is not directly on the track the enemies follow. Each of your units has a small radius, represented onscreen with a circle, that it can attack enemies within. If an enemy moves moves within this area, the unit begins its attack, so placing units in spots where, for instance, the enemies' path goes through twice, is essential.

Once your forces are set, hitting the A button will begin a wave of enemies. You can clearly see how much health each enemy has via a life bar over its head. When that health is depleted, it dies and a set amount of Gil is awarded. Fortunately, your troops are invincible and will not be attacked by the passing monsters, so you don't have to worry about managing their health bars. Also, you can pause the game at any point if you want to give yourself time to upgrade your forces during a wave.

Crystal Defenders R1 has 13 levels set across 5 different battle maps and will take between 2-3 hours to finish, even with multiple attempts at some of the harder levels. You can go back and play each level multiple times to try and achieve a better result than before, lending a little more replayability.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

If you're new to tower defense, you may have a different reaction to Crystal Defenders R1 than many others who have long been fans of this sub-genre. SquareEnix's offering has limited variety in its units, enemies and battlefield environments, but there are enough options to give players new to the gameplay style a chance to hone their skills. Tower defense veterans, however, may find the limited choices off-putting and too easy. And veteran or novice, levels are seldom overwhelming in challenge, at least until the latter portion of the game.

Regardless, Crystal Defenders R1 is a solid introduction to tower defense and a decent appetizer to build anticipation for its follow-up. With any luck, the next installment will be longer and have a few more units and options to choose from.

7.0/10