At first glance, Dungeon Defenders seems like a tower defense game taken straight out of a children's fairytale. Young children training to emulate their warrior parents are the only line of defense between all the evil of Etheria and the Eternia crystals that will protect the kingdom. However, after our time with the latest release from Trendy Games, it was discovered that this is a very deep and complex hybrid, with controls and other issues that hold it back from being one of the best cooperative experiences this year.
So it needs to be mentioned right away that Dungeon Defenders is a difficult game, taking the basic concept of tower defense and layering it with role-playing elements and mechanics that are similar to what is seen in MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. The game offers four classes, each with their own defenses and special attacks. The apprentice (wizard) and squire seem to be the common starting classes, the huntress (archer) and especially the monk reserved for more advanced players. The gameplay has two phases: a building phase where you can set up defenses such as turrets, barricades and traps to slow down the waves of enemies such as orcs, goblins and dark elves that will attempt to destroy the Eternia crystals that are located at the player's home base.
The second phase is the actual encounter, where players are able to jump into battle as the defenses are used to take out as many enemies as possible. The building aspect is the more enjoyable part of these encounters, as the player uses strategy and choke points to ensure the enemy is stopped dead in their tracks. What brings the experience down a notch is when players take the hero into battle, where a faulty auto-targeting lock will never seem to be on the right villain, and the camera is constantly working against players in the heat of battle. Also attempting to utilize the menus in battle to heal or perform other actions will take the hero out of the battle completely, leading to unwanted damage and even death in the battle.
The other -- and most obvious reason why this game is difficult -- is the fact that the game is a cooperative game by design. Single player is available, but is certainly not the recommended path to take. Having a party to coordinate defenses and assist in battle is the only way to succeed in Dungeon Defenders. Hopefully the chosen party is willing to participate and contribute fairly to the battle. Too many times a game ended with either being kicked from the match, or greedy teammates taking dropped loot that would be greatly needed by the playable class we were using. This, of course, is no fault of the developers; they have no control over who is playing their game. However, for a strictly cooperative game to have a less than stellar audience does take away from the experience. If four friends are playing, Dungeon Defenders can truly shine as a great co-op experience.
A great selling point for this downloadable title is the fact that there is so much to do and so much to pick up in the game. It's very loot-heavy, with armor and weapons constantly dropping from fallen enemies. These items can either be sold or equipped, with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down on each item to ensure the player is using gear that's an improvement over the older wardrobe.
The menus seem to be simple enough, and a simple button press can sell any items not needed, as well as lock an item in place that cannot be equipped at the current level. This way the player will be able to use it later, and won't accidentally sell it. Unfortunately, the actual armor does not change the appearance of the hero, which is a misstep that Trendy should have avoided in this type of game. Each wave of the battle will become more difficult, leading to an epic boss battle at the end where the players will face off against dragons, giants and other high fantasy creatures. When the game is played correctly, the battles can be hectic and very enjoyable. Just make sure the right people are battling alongside the hero during the matches.
Dungeon Defenders proves that playing with friends makes the game much more enjoyable, but ultimately suffers from controls and camera problems that can really break the enjoyment when dozens of enemies are flooding the arena, and ready to destroy everything in their path. In our playthrough of the Xbox Live version, there were many insane moments that sounded like a conversation someone would have about their recent raid in WoW. We only hope that the game will be supported heavily in the future with downloadable content; extra heroes, challenges, and game modes would guarantee that this release become one of the most enjoyable titles this year.