Ancient Planet
- February 3, 2015
- Moonlight Mouse
- 19h median play time
Get on Steam"Ancient Planet" is a Tower Defense game where you defend an ancient civilization's stronghold from invasive alien hordes using upgradable towers and diverse strategies. The game features 40 unique levels, a variety of enemy types, and improvements that can be reset and redistributed at will. The game's storyline and setting are based on the memories of intergalactic war veterans and were created with input from the High Council of Intelligent Civilizations of the Galaxy.
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Reviews
- The game features enjoyable tower defense mechanics with a good variety of levels and upgrades.
- Graphics are appealing and the humorous comic strips between levels add charm to the game.
- The gameplay is engaging, with a decent challenge that requires strategic planning and tower placement.
- The game can become grindy, requiring players to replay earlier levels to earn enough resources for upgrades.
- Some levels have a sudden spike in difficulty, making it frustrating for players who are not prepared.
- The lack of keyboard shortcuts and a clunky interface can detract from the overall experience.
- grinding137 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized, with many players noting that it becomes tedious and necessary to progress, especially in later levels. While some appreciate the challenge and replay value it offers, others feel that the grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more like a mobile game. Overall, players suggest that while grinding is a common feature in tower defense games, this title leans heavily into it, requiring significant time investment to upgrade and succeed.
“Almost no grinding: just reset upgrades you don't need and transfer diamonds to those you need.”
“The game requires massive amounts of mindless grinding to unlock upgrades that are absolutely required to advance in the game.”
“However, after about a dozen missions you get stuck on levels that can only be overcome by grinding back on earlier levels to get coins to upgrade your stuff.”
“The problem I have with the game is you need to replay levels in order to upgrade all your towers and unlock all the good stuff, and the game just plays too slow to justify all that grinding.”
- story105 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered minimal and often forgettable, serving primarily as a backdrop to showcase the artwork and gameplay mechanics. While some players appreciate the humorous comic strips that provide a light narrative between missions, many feel that the story lacks depth and coherence, with repetitive gameplay overshadowing any narrative elements. Overall, the game is more focused on tower defense mechanics than on delivering a compelling storyline.
“A great little tower defense game: nice graphics, interesting towers, mildly funny story.”
“I thought the little comic/story before and after a majority of the levels was nice and funny.”
“The art and sound design is great, there is a bit of a story (although I admit I ignore it, still a nice touch) told through still images and pictures.”
“The story is nothing big; it's more to show off their artwork and give you a reason, but I don't care about the story, to be honest.”
“The downsides of the game are - non-existing story, system of luck affecting the game difficulty, inability to build structures while pausing the game, the absence of dubbing, and the creeping stereotype as there are not so many inventive ideas.”
“There is almost no story to speak of, and what little there is consists of asinine attempts at political commentary, the kind that Russians just can't help themselves from delivering.”
- graphics103 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the art style and visual aesthetics, describing them as charming, colorful, and well-executed. While some find the graphics to be a bit simplistic or reminiscent of mobile games, others highlight the unique and detailed artwork that enhances the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are generally considered good for an indie title, contributing positively to the gameplay despite some criticisms regarding resolution and detail.
“The artwork is amazing, 9/10, I love it.”
“Great little tower defense game with cool graphics.”
“The graphics are good, kind of cartoonish but nice.”
“The graphics are a bit poor, and maybe the worst game aspect.”
“Boring, but most surprisingly while the graphics look great in screenshots, in motion they are horrid.”
“The graphics are straight from a mobile game.”
- gameplay98 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this tower defense game is characterized by its straightforward mechanics and nostalgic appeal, offering a mix of fun and challenge for players. While many appreciate the simplicity and upgrade systems, some criticize the repetitive nature and lack of strategic depth, with issues like frustrating tower placement and grindy elements detracting from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game provides a solid foundation for casual play, with a decent variety of towers and enemy types, though it may not stand out in the crowded tower defense genre.
“Proves once again, it's not about the graphics, it's about the gameplay and fun, and this game has it in spades.”
“The mechanics are fun and well thought out, but the execution can be frustrating with regards to tower placement due to lack of camera angles and actual tower coverage of an area.”
“There are many positives like the instant gameplay without long learning, a system of upgrades, a wide variety of defense structures and enemies, a balanced economic model, optional levels of difficulty, a user-friendly interface and controls, and nice graphics.”
“A mobile port of an extremely simplistic tower defense game with the pay-to-win elements stripped out, leaving nothing but grind and lackluster gameplay with no features to actually make things strategic or tactical (the most egregious example being the existence of enemy healer units with no way for your towers to prioritize units or enemy positions).”
“Poor gameplay elements that don't involve strategy as much as just grinding out more gems.”
“Repetitive straightforward gameplay.”
- music46 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature, which can become annoying over time, leading some to mute it. However, others appreciate the ambient and atmospheric qualities of the soundtrack, finding it fitting for the sci-fi theme and enjoyable in the context of gameplay. Overall, while the graphics and gameplay are praised, the music is often described as decent but unremarkable, with a few standout moments.
“The music is all I can remember when not playing, and perhaps unfortunate but from me that is actually not too bad, as a creator of music some of the tunes one can hear in this game is quite ambient in the realms of space ambience.”
“The cool sci-fi indie graphics, chilling soundtrack, challenging levels, replayability, and the many cool upgradeable towers will keep you entertained for many hours.”
“A grace note: I am surprised, actually, by the music, which is more intelligent and moody than these soundtracks deserve to be.”
“The sound and music are just so incredibly bad and annoying I had to turn both off after about 4 minutes.”
“Music became annoying so that was muted.”
“The music is like the same track again and again.”
- humor27 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the funny cutscenes, comic strips, and amusing enemy designs that enhance the overall experience. While some found the humor to be mild or inconsistent, many enjoyed the lighthearted tone and quirky illustrations that contribute to the game's charm. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, making it a fun and engaging tower defense experience.
“Had a great time unlocking all the upgrades and levels in this little game with unique humor and design.”
“Great thing in this game is humorous cutscenes and loading screens (a key wait for finish reading would be nice).”
“Funny illustrations between levels create the amazing atmosphere and you totally dive into the Aldurian and Hamalian world.”
- replayability19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is generally viewed as high, with players appreciating the ability to change loadouts, tackle challenges, and engage in upgrade systems that encourage repeated play. However, some aspects, such as a lack of competitive features and grindy mechanics for upgrades, can detract from the experience. Overall, while many find the replay value significant, others feel it can become tedious due to the necessity of replaying levels for progression.
“It makes the levels very replayable, as you can change the loadout or challenge yourself not to repeat the same maze-like design you did last time.”
“The game has great replay value; the upgrade system is meaningful, a bit grindy maybe but not terrible, and you don't have to spend any additional money to earn gems.”
“The cool sci-fi indie graphics, chilling soundtrack, challenging levels, replayability, and the many cool upgradeable towers will keep you entertained for many hours.”
“Very basic tower defense, no replay value but getting all achievements is not bad.”
“But the survival mode and even the hard difficulty ('medium' vs. 'easy', there is no 'hard') both are badly lacking so replayability isn't much more than repeating what you already did.”
“This doesn't bring the replay value to a higher position, it makes the game boring as hell since the game gives you the feel of a story being present since the first level and you want to know a bit more (it's simple but is there) but can't, the curve is high, you need to farm like a damn farmer.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players noting that while it features a standard tower defense setup, the difficulty is often unbalanced due to restrictive tower placement and enemy paths. Additionally, the user interface is criticized for being more suited to touchscreen devices, leading to confusion for PC users. Overall, the performance rating system based on player success adds a layer of engagement, but the ported nature of the game may hinder its optimization for PC gameplay.
“You earn gems based on your performance and use these to upgrade towers in-between levels.”
“More gems are awarded for better performance.”
“Your performance is rated on a 3-star system that appears to be based on the health of the gates leading into your base.”
“The recommendation is for those who like tower defense games, as the difficulty seems to not be optimized and some levels are really tough, not due to the enemies, but more due to the restriction on where you can put towers and the path of the creeps.”
“The menu UI is confusing and optimized more for touchscreen than mouse; for example, dragging the list of towers instead of using scrollbars is just unexpected on PC, and there is almost no indication that it is even possible.”
“It feels like a ported game, and it's not optimized for PC.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with users reporting various bugs and crashes, particularly after recent updates. While some players experience minor glitches and soft locks, others report no significant issues. The consensus suggests that while the game has stability problems, they are not universally severe.
“Game is buggy and tends to crash.”
“The only problem I now have is that after the recent update it's become buggy, unstable and has slowdown [this should be able to run on a tomato].”
“It is a bit buggy, including soft locks when loading every now and then.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features a one-time purchase model with no microtransactions, allowing players to unlock everything through gameplay by using rare gold coins dropped by enemies. Initially, there were plans for in-game purchases, but these were ultimately scrapped, leading to a more player-friendly monetization approach.
“The game feels like a mobile port, with the need to drag to place towers. Fortunately, there are no microtransactions; it's a buy-once game, and you can unlock everything in-game.”
“After that, you have to invest rare gold coins dropped by your enemies. Don't worry, there are no in-game purchases.”
“It seems like they originally had a super evil plan to sell upgrades, but then their conscience got to them and they stopped the microtransactions.”
“The game also feels like a mobile port, with the need to drag to place towers - fortunately, no microtransactions came with it; the game is buy once and you can unlock everything in-game.”
“After that, you have to invest rare gold coins dropped by your enemies (don't worry, there are no in-game purchases).”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its vibrant comic-style graphics and atmospheric music, creating an engaging experience. Reviewers appreciate the ironic art style and the overall aesthetic, noting that the combination of visuals and sound contributes to a well-balanced and enjoyable tower defense game with a decent variety of maps and enemies.
“Nice colorful comic graphics and atmospheric music.”
“Atmospheric and ironic art.”
“Pretty nice tower defense game with good atmospheric graphics and music, a decent amount of maps (35) and enemies, and more or less balanced gameplay.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is negatively impacted by quality of life issues, such as the need for manual collection of resources, which can detract from the overall immersive experience.
