DEFEND THE ROOK

DEVELOPER Goblinz Studio PRICE $25.95 AVAILABILITY Released WEBSITE https://goblinzstudio.com/game/defend-the-rook/

Defend the Rook is like a candy store; the kind where you fill a paper bag with brightly coloured treats, those that catch your eye, both familiar and curious. You can’t choose from everything, all of the time, but limitations (arising from randomness and linear progression) lead to flexible and interesting builds. Gameplay is an intriguing mix of turn-based strategy and tower defence. Most of the candy I initially chose was offensive, despite the game’s name and premise. I began playing actively and strategically, but eventually enjoyed prioritising passive defences more.

How does it work? You control a rook (with light bombardment abilities) and three heroes; warrior, mage, and rogue. Three kinds of towers can be placed on designated tiles, as well as contraptions, like barrels and traps. Each battle consists of five waves, in which a range of enemies spawn. Your rook must survive. Between each wave, you’re offered buffs for each hero, but can choose only one. Sometimes you’ll want a balance. Other times, a superhero emerges. After each battle, towers and contraptions can be upgraded. Runs unlock new heroes and rooks.

Managing the heroes reminds me of Ticket to Earth, especially when buffs are related to pathfinding, like +2 temporary power for every square moved. I particularly love the more complex interactions between pieces or buffs, like how the mage tower can strengthen the mage when she is standing nearby, or how you can combine greater movement with greater power for each square moved. All of the buffs to heroes are creatively designed and tell a tiny story. A cute example is Overconfidence, giving the rogue +8 power until they are hit for the first time.

I was also getting Card Hunter vibes when the mushrooms started dividing and damaging my nearby heroes with poison, as they “returned to the soil”. There’s a neat range of enemies to learn to kill. Valtar, Lord of the Dark, boss of the graveyard battles, is my favourite. He only has ten hit points but is invulnerable until you destroy his crypts. He will prioritise attacking the rook, so it’s surprisingly stressful to watch him whittle it away, as you work adjacently to weaken him. Managing heroes, towers and contraptions contextually is pivotal, even in the first few battles.

The UI doesn’t always explain itself overtly, but all of the information you need can be found if you search for it. You will be given a preview of the consequences of each hero action on hover, like in Into The Breach, which allows you to approach some aspects of combat like a puzzle, even if you still need to think a few moves ahead, like in chess. Strategy, like whether to strike from a distance, or from close by, will hinge on which candy you have chosen. If I have one criticism, it’s that I would have enjoyed the complexity of friendly fire.

I’d offer some advice for your first forays into playing Defend the Rook. Avoid placing certain pieces immediately. Many enemies prioritise attacking towers and, if waves are strong, the towers will succumb before the final boss. Of course, this will depend on how sturdy towers are, based on which buffs caught your eye, as well as whether you’ve put points into contraptions instead. After ignoring traps for several runs, I have come to appreciate an upgraded and well placed trap immensely. My paper bag runneth over. I hope yours will too.