Tower Factory

Firstly, yes I would definitely recommend the game, it's good fun, taking traditional tower defence and adding a different means of gathering resources, in the automated factory part of the game, with a pinch of exploration, which is uncovering the map to reveal hidden treasures and extra resources. However... I personally think the price, when at full price, is a little steep. Grab it in a bundle or a sale and save a wee bit and then, for sure it's worthwhile having. The fact that the game is still rated as Very Positive and has over 1,100 reviews at the time of writing, well it speaks for itself. The best bit for me, I've still got loads more I can and will do in this game,

I normally dont buy early access games anymore because of their reputation, but i saw the developer of Tower Factory using their real name publicly and knew this had to be something special. Not just a throw away company with no traceable reputation that disapears after money is made, but instead a real person with a face and name. And was I right to trust this little game. I thought there were hardly any good tower defence games being made anymore, and then Tower Factory turned that notion on its head and blew me away. [b]Gameplay;[/b] The main gameplay revolves around 3 main elements: Exploration, Resource Production and Tower Defence. [u]Exploration[/u] is done by using fog of war, you have a starting area where you can see and build and have to place beacons to extend your vision. Terrain you explore has resources you need to build and upgrade towers and expand your factory, but you will also reveal resource chests and coin chests (meta progession) that help you as you explore futher. Lastly there are crystals that you have to find that allows you to create a win condition. Because exploration is not just a means to an end, but actively rewards you with each step towards winning a round... it feels like a game mechanic properly done and fun to do. [u]Resource Production[/u] is done in a similar way as Factorio, you place down resource collectors and build transport belts to get them where you need them. These resources can then be made into other more refined resources or used as is, meaning the factory gets more complicated as you build and upgrade more complicated towers. This does not get tedious because the resources variety is limited, and production buildings have 2 recipes that you can swap between. Making the process smooth and easier to control than games that focus purely on factory building and management. Need more planks? just put a sawmill on the belt that has wood logs. Stakes? swap the sawmill recipe till you have what you need. [u]Tower Defence[/u] is done in a way that is not too easy mainly due to meta progression. You start with 3 tower types and can upgrade them once, but can research more tower types and a special upgrade as you play more. Towers can only be upgraded if they shoot the enemy and gain experience, and require resources to do so. As you play more you will collect coins that you can spend on a research tree, that lets you buy tower upgrades that give slow or DoT damage. [b]Win Conditions[/b] are done in an interesting but fair way. The first win condition is collecting 3 crystals that are scattered around the map. Exploration using becons to reveal more of the map is key, and there are always more crystals than you need. Once you have 3 or more crystals, you have to find the enemy castle and can destroy it at any time winning the round. The second win condition is defeating the boss. This is done by surviving all waves and waiting for the boss to come out at the last wave. This is no easy feat and cant be done with the starting towers without upgrades. This allows for replayability as you get closer to defeating bosses. Even when you aim to kill the boss you have the option to win the round at any time by destroying the castle with 3 crystals. So it never feels unfair even if you are not far enough in the research and upgrade tree to deal with a boss. [b]Map, Progression, Replayability;[/b] The map is randomly generated, spawning in resources, tower upgrade patches, chests and crystals. This means even if you select the same map, the only thing thats the same each time you play is the boss of that map. Progression is done by a research tree where you spend coins. You get coins from losing or winning a map, and can collect more coins by exploring the map and finding chests. Upgrades make the game easier and opens more ways to play. Not just tower upgrades and unlocks but also starting resources, castle hitpoints and sight radius. How hard the game is, is something you have some control over. The game has multiple gamemodes, multiple maps, an extensive research/upgrade tree, so plenty of replayability even in early access. [b]Early Access;[/b] I have yet to give feedback/suggestions, or followed the community doing so. So I cant comment on the EA progress, and what the developer(s) do with the feedback yet. I will update this section when I have better insight on the EA process. [b]The Medicore and Bad;[/b] Currently some maps are much harder than others due to the starting resources being sparse or further away from the starting area. Its fully playable every map i played, but starting resources can set you back quite a bit. This could be a bit better balanced. I have not found any bugs or other issues with the game. [b]Verdict;[/b] If you like tower defence games this game is worth picking up. When you also enjoy base building and automation, this game becomes a must buy. The full price of 15 euros is fair and the game does not need a (big) discount to be worth the price.