The base defense genre is both broad and varied, with roots in real-time strategygames such asStronghold, which took the base-building aspects of the RTS genre and shined a spotlight on them. In more recent years, indie developers in particular have tapped into the joy of building and defending a base. Fromsmash-hit indie titleslikeThey Are Billionsto the more recentThronefall, there are a variety of experiences to be had in the base defense genre.
While there are a variety of highly polished, readily available titles to go out and purchase, there are also an array of Early Access base defense games for players looking to get in on the ground floor. Games such as the aforementionedThronefall, as well as the recently releasedCataclismo, have proven that this genre has massive potential.
Playing similarly to base defense games such asThey Are Billionsbut with a dark fantasy twist,Age Of Darkness: Final Standis an Early Access base defense game with a focus on real-time strategy mechanics.Age Of Darkness: Final Standfeatures a stylish, grimdark aesthetic, multiple unique playable factions, and hordes of nightmarish creatures.
In classic real-time strategy style,Age Of Darkness: Final Standis heavily focused on micromanagement, andefficient management of unitsis integral to the player’s success. Scouting, tactical positioning, and strategic thinking play key roles in survival, makingAge Of Darkness: Final Standa game that constantly demands the player’s attention. This is especially true early in the game, when each unit matters most.
Tasking players with building and defending a castled town against hordes of unrelenting, physics-simulated enemies,Diplomacy Is Not An Optionoffers base-defense fans an Early Access experience with an ambitious sense of scale. The hordes of enemies that players must defend against are truly massive, butDiplomacy Is Not An Optiongives players a variety of ways to protect their town and its people from certain death. As its title suggests, however, diplomacy is not one of them.
Diplomacy Is Not An Optionfeatures real-time-strategy gameplay with an active pause, allowing players to raise and command armies to bolster their defense against the hordes of enemies. Players will also have to manage the town behind their walls, carefullymanaging their resourcesand economy to sustainably defend themselves.Diplomacy Is Not An Optionalso features powerful magic spells that allow players to take out large groups of enemies, increasing the variety of the gameplay and offering players yet another option for defense.
From Glory To Goois a pixel-art,science fiction RTS gamewith an emphasis on survival. In the game, players will need to build, expand, and defend their colony from hordes of the titular goo. Players do this primarily by building and managing an army of soldiers, led by a variety of unique captain units. However,From Glory To Gooalsofeatures tower defense elementsthat allow players to supplement their army with a variety of automatic turrets.
There’s plenty of strategic thinking to be done inFrom Glory To Goo, all in spite of its current state in Early Access. The game’s visuals may be minimal, but it is consistently easy to read, and the user-interface is relatively intuitive. For fans of real-time strategy games and base-building alike,From Glory To Goois an incredibly distinctive and refreshing experience.
This minimalist combination of real-time strategy, tower defense, and base building is a tremendously unique indie title with a heavily stylized aesthetic and accessible gameplay. InThronefall, players ride around distinctive levels on horseback, fighting enemies and commanding their units with intuitive controls. Between waves of enemies, players can spend their hard-earned cash on economical and defensive buildings to increase the strength of their defenses. All of this is donein an effort to defendthe player’s central castle; if this building is destroyed, the player is defeated.
What makesThronefallso special is its incredibly accessible gameplay that allows players to strategize and micromanage without being overwhelmed. However, despite its accessibility,Thronefallmanages to be a mechanically dense experience that rewards strategic thinking and encourages experimentation.
Thisstylish, dark fantasybase-builder stands out from the crowd with its modular building system that allows players to have deep control over their base. Players need to raise battlements and manage their units efficiently in order to succeed, defending themselves against hordes of countless horrors inCataclismo.
The game’s art-style is minimalist but incredibly stylized, resulting in a consistently pleasing look that’s both dark and mysterious. Thegloomy atmosphere, modular base building, and the addictive loop of the day/night cycle makeCataclismoa surprisingly engaging experience despite its Early Access state. At the time of writing,Cataclismohas only just been released, but it’s already worth playing for fans of base defense and dark fantasy settings alike.
