Defend Your Castle

"Get ready to Defend Your Castle!"

Defend Your Castle is a game for WiiWare developed by XGen Studios. Defend Your Castle was first a popular internet flash game. When XGen heard about WiiWare they couldn't wait to make a game for it and seeing as the flash game was such a hit they decided to make a version for WiiWare. So let's see how that game fared up with the rest of the competition on WiiWare.

Gameplay: 8

This game generally has the same gameplay as the internet version. You have to try and stop terrorising stick men from destroying your castle (as the title implies.) To destroy the stick men you must use your trusty Wii Remote to grab them and throw them up in the air for them to plummet from the skies to their death. Pretty simple gameplay but works like a charm. You start off slow as the stick men stroll to your castle, but then comes the later levels which see you violently throwing the stick men until your hand comes off. Luckily, when you advance you get many helpful power-ups for your castle from extra HP to buckets of paint that turn enemies into archers and much more. Another thing I love is that your friend could just walk in, grab another remote and join in on the fun. Up to 4 players can play at the same time. Having more players join doesn't make it easier though as the difficulty is cranked up a notch to provide you and your buddies with even more of a challenge. However, a big flaw is the lack of modes. There is only one mode which is the same all the way through so the game can feel a bit repetitive.

Graphics: 8

The graphics in this game differs a lot from many other games. The game looks like it's been designed by a little kid that doesn't have the ability to draw very well yet. The whole game just look likes a silly little pencil drawing. But XGen pulled it off in such a way that it looks really good. We all know that the Wii isn't as powerful as the other consoles and this game just shows why that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I couldn't imagine the game being as good with different graphics.

Sound: 6

The sound in this game is pretty good too. The sound effects are great. Whatever you do it always makes a funny little sound. Unfortunately, there is no music. This may not be a bad thing depending on whether you'd like to listen to some silly music. I'd imagine that XGen would do a good job putting some BGM in but maybe not. It would've been good if they added in an option to to turn music off or on. However, the game is fine without any music but I thought it might be better with it.

Play Time/Replayability: 7

This game can be played for a few minutes, hours, or even whole days. You can play it for however long you want. There is no final level, it'll just keep getting harder and harder, so you can truly play for as long as you want. And thanks to the save feature you can just go back to play it if you want to stop playing to rest your hand a little. However, it does feel a bit repetitive so you may not want to play for a long time. I have found that I can get bored playing this game in after a couple of levels but when I'm playing with a friend or two I just laugh out loud while playing it because it's so fun.

Overall: 7

Overall, I have had many fun moments playing this game but I have found that it can get a bit boring from the lack of game modes. So, if you have an extra 500 Wii Points and have nothing to spend it on then buy this, if you have a friend to play with unless you don't mind playing on your own. But even if you don't like it it doesn't really matter because it only costs about £3.50 ($5.)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/09

Game Release: Defend Your Castle (EU, 08/01/08)