TT:L is a rouge-lite, deck-based, tower defense game. A given run is played out over three areas as you traverse a node-based system (basically identical to StS). Each node may contain a regular battle (easy enemies over a few rounds), a trinket-yielding elite battle (buffed enemies over a large number of rounds), a forge (spend resources to permanently upgrade stats), a shop (buy trinkets, trim deck, etc.) a rest site (heal or permanently buff one stat), or a horde fight (one long round of swarm of easy enemies). “Boss fights” for each of the three areas are pretty much just like longer elite battles, with the final battle featuring a boss of sorts.
Your deck is comprised of your starter cards plus any cards you obtain along the way, both of which are restricted to a card pool defined by the deck you have chosen for a given run. There are four types of cards, towers (which are permanent for a given battle), spells (which are temporary and typically instantaneous), emblems (cards which can’t be played but offer a bonus while they are in your hand), and enchantments (one-time-per-battle cards which grant a passive bonus for the rest of the battle).
Battles are conducted over a series of rounds in typical tower defense fashion. Cards are played from your randomly drawn hand using stored “global” mana, which may be used for any card, and “spell” mana, which may only be used on spells or enchantments. A key mechanic of the game is that you gain more mana per turn if you have managed to store a set amount of mana from the previous turn.
Meta-progression between runs occurs in two ways. First in the form of global passive bonuses you may select as you play more and more. These are somewhat flexible, but cap out pretty early in your overall playtime. Second, your towers gain attack speed and range as you repeatedly play each unique deck.
There are 10 Ascensions within each deck, though realistically you may consider a deck as complete after playing only twice: First at Level 0, and then, after beating Level 0, at Level 10 (after purchasing the intermediate Ascensions as if you had played the game). I considered the game as complete when I finished all decks on Ascension 10. There is an expansion, though I didn’t feel the need to purchase that.
Pros:
+++ The flexibility in spending your crystals, be it through purchasing cards, trinkets, or direct stat upgrades is broad and satisfying.
++ The dozens of different decks, many with unique trinkets, each play somewhat differently.
++ The tactics introduced by the special bonus tiles is appreciated.
++ Runs are really easy to get into and don’t take too long.
++ Some unlockable decks require certain in-game achievements, which I found enjoyable to strive for.
++ I liked the interplay between the two different mana types and the bonus mana which could be gained by hoarding mana.
+ The complement of enemies and different maps is minimally sufficient.
+ The diversity of cards (towers, spells, enchantments) is impressive, though this diversity doesn’t always come across as significant in the gameplay.
Cons:
-- The pacing of the meta-progression is off. The first set of bonuses is unlocked way too fast and the bonuses within each deck progress way too slowly.
- Despite the diversity present in trinkets and unique decks, gameplay may become repetitive.
Summary: TT:L is a competent rouge lite, card-based, TD game. I think the merging of these various genres comes off nicely, though not spectacularly. If you have played every TD game out there, then this game probably won’t move the needle for you. There are quite a few negative reviews of this game which contain points that I don’t really disagree with. That said, I found TT:L to be a nice little filler game that is easy to fire up and executes at a level high enough to keep me mildly amused while I am taking a break from weightier pursuits (gaming or otherwise). A sequel is planned, which I plan to purchase after I recharge my batteries on this game (and on sale of course).
Overall: 7.0/10
