Developer: Heliceum
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.01
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
Is Human Defense a Tower Defense game or a puzzle game? That’s the first question that will enter most players’ heads when they load it up. The tutorial explains what’s going on but it certainly owes as much to the Tower Defense genre as it does to a more logical puzzle game.
It’s a confusing mishmash at first and the tutorial doesn’t help matters. Practice is what will make Human Defense more understandable but don’t expect an easy ride. Familiar paths are laid out in which players must line with towers in order to destroy the invading force. Things get more complicated than that. Due to the human body theme, the player must clear the organ of pathogens while also acquiring carbohydrates.
It sounds confusing and it almost is, with both carbs and pathogens wandering down the path at the same time. Towers must be placed at certain points along the route to destroy the pathogens but they also require carbs to become active. Players can place a tower in any of the relevant gaps but they won’t work until enough carbs have been accrued. Carbs can also be sent towards the organ that needs protecting in order to boost its health.
This focus on directing carbs is where the puzzle elements emerge. Players can branch paths off, thereby diverting the pathogens to another path to create more time, and they can also divert carbs past specific towers in order for them to develop further.
It’s a nice touch but one that takes some time to click. The typical Tower Defense way of playing doesn’t quite work here with such original tactical elements. Other new additions to the genre is the fact that germs grow in strength and resistance to certain weapons, much as they would in the human body.
It’s things like this that make Human Defense a fresh take on the genre but also obtuse to master. The tutorial might explain all this but it’s still quite a steep learning curve which may put some players off. It’s worth pursuing, however, as it’s an interesting take on a tried and tested formula.