Back when Thronefall first hit Early Access in 2023, it was one of those games that felt like it was doing something different and was just fun to play. Then, when it fully launched in 2024 with tons of new stuff and improvements, it became a game you really couldn’t miss. So, it’s no surprise that other games are starting to take inspiration from it, and that’s where Rift Riff comes in. This is a tower defense game that keeps things simple. You play as this mysterious, cloaked character called a rifter, and your job is to jump through these spacetime rifts to collect this valuable “juice” while strategically placing towers to fight off waves of monsters.

Surprisingly chill for a tower defense game

The game has two main parts. First, there’s a hub world where you pick which levels you want to jump into, what towers you want to use, and what upgrades you want to buy. Then, you jump into the combat part where you have to defend your base called Extractor. You build towers on specific spots that are marked on the map. There are different kinds of towers you can choose from, you’ve got your basic turrets that just shoot at enemies, but also more specialized ones that can lure monsters in different directions.

The monsters themselves act in different ways. Some will just charge straight for your Extractor, while others will try to take out your towers first. And some can even be tricked into going to certain spots on the map, so you have to be smart about where you put your towers to control where they go. You collect cores called “bits” during the waves of enemies, and that’s what you use to build and upgrade your towers. Then there are things called “prisms” that you get for surviving a rift, and those unlock new rifts to explore, different towers to build, companions to help you, and even more upgrades.

Rift Riff is a surprisingly chill for a tower defense game. They’ve made it really easy to experiment on spot. If you put down a tower and it’s not working out, you can just sell it back for the full price – no penalty. Plus, if a tower gets destroyed, it comes back at the start of the next wave. And even if you die, you just respawn with all your towers still in place, so you can quickly try a different strategy without having to start the whole level over. This really takes away a lot of the usual frustration and makes you feel more comfortable trying out different tower setups.

“Rift Riff easily forgives mistakes”

Rift Riff has a really enjoyable core gameplay loop

Each level in Rift Riff usually throws about three to five waves of monsters at you. Sometimes, there are even alternate versions of the same level that mix up the enemies to make it harder or give you special challenges, like not being allowed to use certain types of towers or trying to stop any enemies from getting too close to your base. You can also build new towers and upgrade the ones you have in real-time while the fight is going on. However, the game doesn’t have a huge number of different towers to choose from and there aren’t really any special combinations you can pull off between towers or any hero characters to use.

To put it simply, Rift Riff has a really enjoyable core gameplay loop that keeps getting better as you play, so you’re not stuck with the same basic stuff the whole time. There are a good number of different maps and enemy types to keep things interesting. And while I did enjoy trying out all the different towers, I sadly found myself often going back to the same few that just seemed the most effective, even though the game does give you suggestions on which towers might be good for a specific level. Some towers just feel really underpowered, like the sniper tower that takes forever to shoot and only targets one enemy.

There’s this little extra thing you can do in the levels, collecting flowers for bonus “bits” which adds a tiny bit of exploration. The main campaign has over 20 levels, plus those alternate versions and special challenges, so there’s a decent amount of content to play through. However, if you’re looking for a deep story or some kind of endless mode after you beat the campaign, you won’t find it here.

“If you’re looking for some kind of endless mode after you beat the campaign, you won’t find it here.”

Really clean and simple design

What does make you want to play again is that the waves of enemies are different each time, and those challenge tasks can really test you. The alternate levels with tougher enemy combinations also crank up the difficulty. But once you’ve unlocked everything, there’s not a whole lot of long-term progression to keep you hooked. The developers have mentioned they might add more content later on, so that could definitely help with the replayability down the line.

The worlds you jump into in Rift Riff, like desert canyons, forest ruins, and snowy valleys, all have detailed pixel art style that almost looks like a pop-up book. Even though the maps aren’t huge, they’re designed really well, with bright colors and small details to see like portals and old ruins that add a bit of mystery. Your main character kind of a clumsy hero, stumbling through the rifts with goofy animations and funny mouth noises that remind me a bit of Hidden Folks.

The towers you build are easy to understand and do their job well, and the little animations when you upgrade them add a nice touch. The game has a really clean and simple design, so you can always see what’s going on, and it’s easy to follow where the enemies are going. However, the backgrounds don’t really do much, and there aren’t any environmental dangers besides the portals, which feels like a missed chance to make things more interesting. The game has this charming mix of old-school pixel art with a modern, polished feel, but compared to how detailed and minimalist Thronefall looks, it feels a bit basic.

“The waves of enemies are different each time, and those challenge tasks can really test you.”

For its price, it’s absolutely worth it

Overall, Rift Riff is a really charming and simple take on tower defense, letting you really control where the enemies go and being super forgiving if you mess up. Its colorful pixel art, the quick, engaging action, and the funny, quirky feel of your character make it a game that Thronefall fans should definitely check out.

However, the main story is pretty short, and there aren’t a ton of different towers to play with. It feels like a really polished and fun experience, but it’s also a bit brief. At its price point, it’s a great little indie gem that casual players and anyone who enjoys tower defense games should jump into for its easy-to-pick-up gameplay and charm. But if you’re a hardcore strategy fan looking for something really deep and complex, you might want to consider if it offers enough for you.

Review copy provided by the publisher

4

The post Rift Riff – Tower defense obrat inspiriran Thronefallom first appeared on IndieGames.

Bean Beasts offers versatile mechanics, allowing you to manipulate the environment to your advantage. By strategically placing walls, you can redirect enemies and control the flow of combat, creating opportunities to outsmart your opponents. Additionally, the game unfolds across 40 hand-crafted levels, spread over five diverse biomes, each with its own visual flair and challenges. Eight epic boss encounters test your skills, demanding clever strategies to overcome their formidable power. For those seeking endless replayability, eight endless mode maps provide relentless waves of enemies to conquer.

Honestly, Bean Beasts is a true indie gem, crafted entirely by one developer, highlighting how saturated the market is with games, making it tough to find ones you’ll truly enjoy. You can try the demo on Steam and wishlist it there, though the release date is still unknown. Additionally, you can playtest the latest version of the game yourself by joining its Discord server.

Tell me about yourself and your experience as a developer. What led you to work on Bean Beasts?

My name is Josh and I’m solo developing my first game called Bean Beasts. Development began around January 2023 though it’s hard to pinpoint when the project officially went from an experiment to an actual game. After doing some sound work for a big studio, I wanted to see if I could sidestep from the TV industry into games. I found most jobs required knowledge of an engine which is why I started learning Unity.  Unity became my new game, I was obsessed and found it very fulfilling to make things. It didn’t take long to decide I would try and make a full game.

What is the current demo version offering and will you upgrade it for the Steam Next Fest in June?

The current demo is always being updated with improvements aligning to the ongoing playtesting for the full game. I’ll find something fun to add in the lead up to Nest Fest to encourage players to give it another go – probably access to an extra Endless map.

Can you walk us through the core gameplay loop of Bean Beasts? How do the evolving Bean Beasts and trap upgrades tie into the strategy?

Bean Beasts is a chaotic Tower Defense game where you collect new beasts, traps and upgrades after every level. Bean Beasts are your hero units and get stronger and evolve over time. Each level you choose a selection of Bean Beasts and traps to defend against waves of monsters. As enemies can have multiple resistances/characteristics you’ll have to consider which Beasts and Traps work best. Beasts each have unique abilities you can trigger after a cooldown, Traps also have unique upgrade paths which can completely change their element and attack style. 

What inspired the beasts’ designs? How many of them can we use in one playthrough? 

The inspiration for the Beasts mechanically is a mix of the hero units in Kingdom Rush combined with creature design akin to Pokémon or Tamagotchis. They start off small, weak and also bean shaped, then get exponentially more powerful as you level them up and they change form and gain new attacks.

They’re deliberately quite vague and basic in design and are named accordingly, for example Cactus, Frog or Ghost. There’s no real reasoning behind this other than I find it amusing. Some designs take inspiration from specific real life animals, the Dog is based on my own dog when she lays upside down with her teeth poking out, and the Frog is based on the Black Rain Frog because I find them hilarious.  As you progress you can unlock additional inventory slots and take up to three Beasts with you into the levels.

The game offers a lot of content: endless mode maps, multiple difficulty settings, and diverse enemy types. How did you approach balancing these elements? 

Balancing has been an ongoing process with a lot of help from playtesters who volunteer to help improve the game. I have my spreadsheets calculating how the Towers work and interact but with so many variables it’s hard to predict which ones are over or underpowered.  I’ve been testing the game incrementally and adjusting over time so that by the time I release there should hopefully be no need for any major rebalances, unless players find some way to break the game.

Honestly I try to make each tower feel overpowered when used correctly. This leads to an “aha!” moment where players work out the full utility of a particular beast or trap and hopefully will result in people having fun trying out different combinations. 

Were there specific design choices you implemented to maintain fresh, non-repetitive gameplay?

There are a few key ideas I use to try and keep gameplay fresh. I make sure players unlock something new after every level, but on top of that there’s also an in-game shop with additional unlockables that players can revisit and play around with. Note these are unlocked using gems you earn by progressing through the game, it’s an in-game currency and there’s no in-app purchases; everything is included in the game. 

Each level has unique challenges which are completely optional. These award bonus gems and make each level a little different and can get players scratching their heads trying to solve problems beyond just “place towers, shoot enemies”.  In the early levels the challenges also double as indirect lessons, for example an early challenge is to set enemies on fire, which you can do by upgrading the Ballista into it’s first upgrade path or by unlocking the Dragon from the shop. 

The worlds are broken up with boss battles, each with some mechanical twist to keep players on their toes. Small bosses use the environment, large bosses change the environment. There are new enemy types introduced which get more challenging as time goes on. First you deal with stronger enemies, then enemies with shields, then enemies who target your boxes, enemies that can fly, are immune to fire etc.

I deliberately change up the enemy types to encourage players to experiment and diversify tactics. Each world also introduces enemies with new mechanics too, such as turning invisible, stunning your towers or regeneration. All this is to say that with each level there will be some new set of challenges to overcome.

The Steam page mentions 2 damage types, 5 elements, and 7 status effects. Will you be adding more? How do you plan to support the game post launch?

My plan has always been to release a full game, so everything has been calibrated and balanced on that. That means everything is included on release, there’s no in-app purchases, pay to win or paid DLC expansions planned. I will also maintain and update based on player feedback and will hopefully be able to re-invest some of the money into paying for additional translations. I also plan on doing a port to Switch and Mobile after the PC release.

Further down the line, I can add additional endless maps to the game (for free of course). I may try to add additional features like a leaderboard, but this would depend on how viable it is to maintain and whether there is a demand from players. 

How difficult will the bosses be and will there be certain ways to defeat them?

All the bosses have unique counter-attack patterns and the world bosses also manipulate the environment to their advantage, each boss encounter should be memorable and a spectacle. The game doesn’t tell you what the boss will do so players will have to go in and face the surprise head on. I was playing a lot of Elden Ring when I made the first few bosses and I think that may have resulted in them being a bit too difficult.

The bosses difficulty generally comes from the optional challenges, this means players can choose to make it hard for themselves, or pass through to continue the story. Because you’re always unlocking new powerups, abilities and inventory slots it’s always possible to come back to a boss or challenge later. 

What’s been the toughest part of developing Bean Beasts so far?

When I started this game I had never written code before and I was totally reliant on tutorials and google. Debugging would sometimes take days but I always managed to figure it out in the end, which was very satisfying. Also wrangling with input system, UI systems and save systems. I was a complete noob so things kept breaking and I’d have no idea how to fix it. 

I’m glad I went through that because now I have a lot of experience. I can now design a much more effective/efficient save/UI system which will perform better and not take months to create. I recently did a game jam where I essentially recreated the framework and UI for Bean Beasts, but in only a week rather than the many months it took me the first time. 

You’ve mentioned custom music, artwork, and sound effects. Did you create these yourself, or collaborate with someone?

My normal day job is working as a sound engineer and video editor, so creating sound effects and music was probably the easiest part for me. I also did a lot of drawing growing up, I enjoyed going to the art rooms in school and was always doodling silly animals and creatures. I love working with pixel art because it reminds me of the Megadrive and Gameboy. 

I’m very lucky because although I never studied or trained for game design or using a game engine, a lot of skills from my day job transfer over, such as knowledge of frame rates, resolution, file formats, using animators, keyframes and digital interfaces. I also do a lot of QC work which has been beneficial, I’ll record footage of my game then watch it back frame by frame looking for things I can tidy up and fix. 

The post The Dev Behind Bean Beasts Reveals More About the Game and How His Daily Work Supports its Creation first appeared on IndieGames.

Wall World 2 builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, introducing expanded features, enhanced progression systems, and a deeper narrative. The game offers dynamic combat, upgrades for your robospider and exosuit, and the discovery of hidden mysteries within the wall. New elements include various types of monsters, both on the surface of the wall and deep within the mines, an area that remained unexplored in the original game.

One of the key new features is the ability to upgrade your robospider’s legs, allowing you to swap them out for different variants that enhance speed, mobility, and other advantages. Additionally, players will explore new biomes, unlock powerful technologies, and meet new characters in Sphere City, the central hub between expeditions.

Wall World 2 also focuses on mining and exploring procedurally generated tunnels, where players will uncover lost technologies and artifacts. The game world is alive and constantly evolving, featuring diverse biomes, resources, anomalies, and other surprises waiting to be discovered.

The post Roguelite Game Wall World 2 Was Announced, Coming to PC This Year first appeared on IndieGames.

At the heart of the story is Elian, a brave young hero leading the fight to protect his hometown of Regera from enemy attacks. You must gather resources, fortify the village with various defensive structures, and strategically place them to outsmart incoming threats. Additionally, each new playthrough offers randomized resource distribution, enemy spawns, and weather conditions, ensuring a fresh experience every time.

As the game progresses, enemies grow stronger, new challenges emerge, and storms can destroy buildings and reduce resource production. On the other hand, sunny days boost worker productivity, while at night, towers have a limited field of vision, adding an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay.

The post Defender’s Dynasty donosi stratešku obranu baze u srednjovjekovnom svijetu, izlazi sredinom godine za PC first appeared on IndieGames.

Tempest Tower features a building phase followed by an action phase

During the Build Phase, you plan and construct your defenses. You can place turrets, traps, and other contraptions to fend off the incoming Creepers. The game offers a wide variety of tools, ranging from lethal turrets to trampolines that let you bounce across the map. You can even jump on enemies’ heads, though beware, your HP bar depletes with each encounter, and if it reaches zero, you’re sent back to your base. This phase is all about strategy and creativity, as you experiment with different setups to create the most effective defenses.

Once the Creepers attack, the game shifts to the Action Phase. Here, you take direct control of your character, fighting enemies, activating traps, and repairing defenses. However, my biggest gripe is how tedious this phase can become, especially since your defense towers deal almost no damage on their own. They require electricity to function, which is generated by wind turbines that only activate when there’s wind. While you can use a cleaning brush to push enemies and create wind, the game limits where you can place these defenses, adding an extra layer of challenge.

Another key mechanic is the collection of souls from large plants stationed near your defenses. These plants are scattered randomly across the map, so it’s always a good idea to build your towers close to them since they collect the souls of enemies. Once you’ve gathered enough souls, you can consume them to earn points for constructing more defenses and advancing further. The map is also constantly evolving and expanding, forcing you to keep moving rather than staying in one spot.

Exploitation of the environment and problems with enemies

You can also leverage hazardous environmental elements, such as explosive barrels or traps, to your advantage. For instance, the demo effectively demonstrates how to use bombs scattered across the map to take out multiple enemies at once. Additionally, teleporters are strategically placed to help you navigate the map more easily.

However, my biggest issue lies with the enemies. As mentioned earlier, they’re overly tanky and take far too long to defeat. Some enemies even block your turrets by spraying goo. There are also goo walls that obstruct your path, forcing you to clear them to move more freely. Even when stomping on them like in Super Mario, it still takes an excessive amount of time to eliminate them, which can feel frustrating and slow-paced.

Here’s why the game is designed this way: it focuses on short-term sessions rather than long ones. Your main tower needs to be powered up using enemy souls, and once it’s charged, you must activate it to destroy the remaining enemies. This mechanic discourages long sessions, as enemies are numerous and tanky, which, personally, can ruin the fun. However, I understand the intent behind this design, it forces you to experiment and adapt rather than sticking to a single strategy.

The colorful world of Tempest Tower promises an interesting experience

Visually, Tempest Tower is colorful and vibrant, with a cartoonish art style that fits its quirky tone. The world of Trip Space is full of personality, with unique flora and creative contraptions that make each level visually interesting. The Creepers are well-designed, with a variety of types that keep the enemies feeling fresh. The animations are smooth, and the action is easy to follow, even during chaotic battles.

I’m looking forward to seeing what this game has to offer. So far, everything seems promising, it’s just a matter of whether the full version can deliver a polished and satisfying experience. Considering Half Past Yellow, the developer behind this game, has had its ups and downs but is now bringing us another title, I remain optimistic about this project.

The post [PREVIEW] Tempest Tower - Promising Tower Defense Game first appeared on IndieGames.

IDUN – Frontline Survival is a fresh and exciting twist on the tower defense genre. It mixes real-time strategy (RTS) and roguelite elements to create something unique. When you first start playing, it’s surprisingly fun and engaging. However, my biggest issue with the game is how limited you are with experimenting. You have to craft the units first, which can feel restrictive, and the progression sometimes gets repetitive. That said, the game’s pacing is excellent, and the gameplay is fast and dynamic. It pushes you to think quickly and plan your strategy carefully for each mission.

The story kicks off with a rude awakening as alien vermin attack your mining post, thrusting you into a desperate fight for survival. The narrative is driven by a sci-fi premise, supported by well-crafted character art and a sense of urgency that keeps you invested. While the story isn’t groundbreaking, it serves as a solid backdrop for the action and adds depth to the gameplay.

Interesting core gameplay, but not long-term fun

The first time I heard about this game was at Nordic Spring 2024 in Malmö last year, when the solo developer from IDUN Interactive was showing the game. Unlike classic tower defense games, where towers stay in one place, IDUN lets you move and reposition your defenses during battle. The game also includes hero characters that you can deploy to fill gaps or turn the tide of a fight, so you don’t have to rely only on towers. On top of that, you can control a massive mech, which you can move around the battlefield for extra firepower.

The game introduces resource management as a core mechanic, requiring you to balance defending your base, controlling resource nodes, and upgrading defenses during missions. This creates a satisfying progression loop, as you unlock new towers, upgrades, and abilities to handle increasingly difficult enemy waves. The ability to call in artillery strikes or fire machine guns from space adds an exciting last-resort option when the battle feels overwhelming. There’s also a technology system that lets you upgrade units and buildings outside the battle while unlocking new abilities.

The game features a roguelite progression system, which adds a sense of long-term growth, but the grind can become repetitive over time. The core gameplay loop is enjoyable, but limited mission variety (only four mission types) and a lack of end-game content hurt replayability. Daily raids provide some incentive to keep playing, but the game would benefit from more diverse challenges and rewards.

Limited experimentation

The repetition comes from how missions reward resources and blueprints. These blueprints allow you to deploy new units or special attacks, such as airstrikes. At the start, you’re limited to just one, and while some units are available when entering a mission, unlocking additional slots requires grinding. My biggest issue is that blueprints must be crafted, meaning more resource spending.

I don’t understand why we can’t simply choose and upgrade units over time, rather than being restricted by crafting them. This limits strategic flexibility, forcing you to work within predefined options instead of freely experimenting. Yes, the game recommends certain units for each mission, but I wanted more freedom to test different strategies, which the system doesn’t fully allow.

Since it is an RTS title, you can speed up and pause IDUN. What I personally particularly like is the wide variety of turrets, such as miniguns or shotguns, and other gadgets we can use. For example, you can drop a healing bomb, bombard specific areas, and even have large tanks. All of this somehow gives you a reason to play as much and as long as possible.

Ending thoughts

Considering everything, IDUN is a fairly easy and cozy game to play. The controls are simple, the mechanics are easy to grasp, and the game doesn’t overwhelm you with too much at once. It’s quite satisfying for the first five hours, as you gradually unlock new content and experiment with given different strategies.

Yes, the game uses AI-generated voices, and while they aren’t bad, they do get repetitive and can become somewhat irritating over time. Listening to the same robotic tone during missions and in the main hub eventually becomes tiresome. However, the visual style of the game is extremely appealing, with intricately designed characters and chaotic, explosive battles that are a true visual delight.

I really enjoy the variety of enemies, and there’s something incredibly satisfying about taking down multiple foes at once. IDUN has a certain charm that keeps pulling you back in, offering both a refreshing challenge and a unique spin on the tower defense genre. The developer is actively releasing updates and patches, working to improve game balance, something the game definitely needs, especially when it comes to the different turrets available.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.8

The post IDUN – Frontline Survival – Pripremite se uništavati razne štetočine first appeared on IndieGames.

In Everwarder, you take on the role of a mystical guardian whose mission is to defend a crystal containing their imprisoned friend. As darkness creeps across the map, waves of enemies emerge, threatening the crystal’s safety. To survive, you must: strategically place defenses to hold off enemies, engage in fast-paced combat, taking an active role in battles, and explore procedurally generated maps, uncovering resources and secrets to gain an edge.

This isn’t your typical tower defense game. Unlike static defense systems, Everwarder allows free movement, giving you full control over the map. Not only you have to protect your crystal but also push back the darkness by revealing hidden areas, gathering supplies, and adapting to ever-changing challenges. Eventually, you will unlock new abilities, artifacts, and upgrades, allowing for powerful builds tailored to your playstyle.

According to Oleh, the solo developer behind qLate, Everwarder was created to shake up the tower defense genre: “I wanted to create something that breaks away from the static nature of traditional tower defense games. In Everwarder, you control the flow of enemies, making it entirely your responsibility if they overwhelm your defenses.”

The post Everwarder Brings a Fresh Take on Tower Defense with Action-Packed Gameplay first appeared on IndieGames.

In Border Pioneer, you take on the dual challenge of city-building and tower defense. Set in a nostalgic pixel-art world, the game invites you to create sprawling fortresses while defending them against outside forces. Treacherous terrains, diverse enemies, and unexpected dangers keep you on their toes as your expand their borders. As you conquer new lands and defeat adversaries, you will unlock tools to grow and fortify your cities further.

Meanwhile, Stray Path delivers a creative twist on the roguelike deckbuilder genre. You journey through dark forests and shadowy alleys, flipping cards to reveal treasures, enemies, or escape routes. Each choice matters, as every card flipped impacts the path ahead. You can select from a range of adventurers, from curious cats to powerful beast tamers, each offering a unique approach to surviving the dangers that lurk in the shadows.

For those eager to experience both, the games will be offered as part of a discounted bundle at launch, providing a 10% savings.

The post Two New Strategy Titles from Yogscast Games Are Coming to Steam This February first appeared on IndieGames.

On a faraway planet named after the Norse goddess of youth, IDUN mixes fast action with tower defense strategy. You need to gather resources, build defenses, and survive many waves of enemies. The game features battles where you can move turrets around freely, giving you more options to plan your defense.

The game has a story-based campaign where you go on an adventure across the planet. In addition to the main campaign, IDUN also features different challenge modes, each with its own goals, like defending collection points, escorting nuclear vehicles, or protecting mining carts. These modes offer different strategies and keep the gameplay fresh.

The game has completely destructible terrain and smart enemy movement, making battles unpredictable. Enemies can attack from different directions, forcing you to adapt fast. You also need to upgrade your technology using resources collected during battles to get ready for harder enemies.

The post RTS and Tower Defense Hybrid IDUN Launches January 2025 first appeared on IndieGames.

The goal of this collaboration is to combine local expertise with global reach, ensuring that indie games can find success no matter where they are developed. By working together, the two companies hope to provide indie developers with the tools and resources they need to launch their games worldwide. The first two games to benefit from this new partnership are Border Pioneer and Stray Path, both developed in China.

Border Pioneer, developed by Yahzj Games, is a pixel-style city-building game that mixes survival, deckbuilding, and tower defense elements. It is set to release later this year. Meanwhile, Stray Path, developed by chx games, combines traditional Freecell gameplay with roguelike card mechanics and will be available in the coming months.

Both Border Pioneer and Stray Path will be showcased during Steam’s October Next Fest, giving gamers a chance to explore these exciting new titles before their official releases.

The post Yogscast Games and Gamersky Games Join Forces to Support Indie Developers Globally first appeared on IndieGames.