"Evil Defenders”

"Evil Defenders”
#evildefendersonswitch
Reviewed by: Elias S. Lutes
Publisher: Crazy Panda
Developer: Crazy Panda
Platforms: iOS/Android/PC/Nintendo Switch

Evil Defenders is a fantastical entry into the Switch eShop. You are the bad guy! Taking advantage of your horde of skeletons, sleep-inducing lizards, and the very terrain you fight on — its time to show those peasants who is in charge!

The game boasts a multitude of levels, each with wonderfully vibrant colors and a fantasy art style that really pops as you move through different areas: green forests, arid deserts, a snowy castle keep, and more. Each level has a usable specialty called a “Landmark,” that can change the tide of battle, perfect for keeping yourself from being overrun.

Proceeding through the levels, I found it easy to keep up with the changes due to the incredibly helpful tutorial pop-ups. Each wave throwing more and more types of peasants at me, it was not hard to adapt and keep victory on my side as long as I saved my specials for those pesky healers!

After each succession of waves you earn a star rating and a slew of souls that you can use on a skill tree to increase your damage output, critical hit, and even the effective radius of your defenders. This provides a great way to maximize your effectiveness, and you’ll find yourself looking forward to every new unlock tier of battle-enhancing goodness.

I enjoyed my time grinding stars, souls, and unlocking upgrades in what I am sure will become a shining example of a mobile port done right.

Pros:
- A multitude of difficulty settings to challenge yourself.
- Incredible amounts of customization through upgrading defenders during battle and using souls in the skill tree.

Cons:
- farming souls for skill tree unlocks can be tedious.
- It took me way too long to realize I could also use the touch screen in portable mode.

Overall: 8.5

Evil Defenders is an amazing take on the Tower Defense genre. During my time playing, I mercilessly slaughtered knights, peasants, standard bearers, and many other types of attackers who were trying to steal my gold. For fans of the genre, this is a great acquisition that fits perfectly on Switch, and for the casual player the game fits perfectly into the schedules of busy lives. Each skirmish has ten waves, which can be fast forwarded for the time-sensitive, making this a really good pick up for those who game in small bursts.