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Artificial Defense

85%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
story, grinding
85% User Score Based on 143 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $1.17
Buy NowGet on Steam$2.99

About

"Artificial Defense" is a unique game that combines elements of RTS, Tower Defense, and Orbital Shooter genres. Your mission is to defend your Operation System from intruding creeps using an arsenal of 21 offense weapons and 21 defense towers. As you progress, you can earn RAM to upgrade your arsenal and hardware levels, starting from an analog punch-tape system and evolving to a quantum AI. The game features 49 challenges across 7 servers and an original soundtrack to complement your gameplay.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot
Artificial Defense screenshot

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 143 reviews
gameplay23 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique blend of genres, combining tower defense, orbital shooting, and RTS elements, which creates an engaging and innovative gameplay experience.
  • The graphics and music are well-designed, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game offers a satisfying progression system with upgrades that keep the gameplay fresh and challenging, encouraging players to strategize and adapt their approach.
  • The controls can be unintuitive and may require time to get used to, leading to frustration during gameplay.
  • The upgrade system feels linear and artificial, as new upgrades are often just strictly better versions of previous ones, lacking meaningful choices.
  • Some players find the game grindy, especially towards the end, as it can become tedious to earn enough resources for upgrades and progress.
  • gameplay
    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is a blend of tower defense, orbital shooter, and RTS mechanics, offering a unique and engaging experience that can be both challenging and addictive. While some players appreciate the smooth mechanics and visual design, others criticize the obfuscation of controls and the steep learning curve, which can detract from enjoyment. Overall, the game features a variety of modes and mechanics that encourage strategic play, though the execution may frustrate some players due to its complexity and pacing.

    • “The gameplay is addicting and difficult with many options of gameplay.”
    • “Very interesting, difficult and fast-paced gameplay, with some unique mechanics.”
    • “Artificial defense is a very cool, compact tower defense game with a unique style and dynamic gameplay!”
    • “New mechanics mostly just add more pain points to the gameplay.”
    • “The developers deliberately obfuscated what should be straightforward controls and gameplay, for no apparent reason other than to try to fit into their weird electropop theme.”
    • “It took what felt like 30-45 minutes to really adapt to the game and its interface and understanding all of the mechanics, which in reality are really simple, but they're explained so abruptly it's hard to take it all in.”
  • music
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and engaging electronic tracks, which complement the gameplay and visuals effectively. Many players appreciate the high quality of the soundtrack, noting its ability to enhance the gaming experience without becoming repetitive or annoying. Overall, the combination of great music and stylish graphics contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature for many reviewers.

    • “The music is very catchy and the graphics are smooth.”
    • “Great music, stunning visuals, and the explosions - you can really feel the power of the impacts.”
    • “Amazing music that really fits the game.”
    • “While the sound can use some variety, the soundtracks that come with the game are pretty upbeat and nice to hear.”
    • “That said, if you get stuck on a level for a while, they can get quite irritating because the music just goes on a loop.”
    • “What else would you expect than repetitive electronic music?”
  • graphics
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their smoothness, minimalistic design, and unique aesthetic that combines 3D elements with a clean, digital look. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as stylish and effective, enhancing the overall gameplay experience, while some note that the graphics, though not groundbreaking, are functional and well-suited to the game's theme. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, with a strong emphasis on clarity and visual feedback.

    • “The graphics are crisp and clean with a nice feel to them.”
    • “The visuals are clean, crisp, and vibrant; the music is strong, and the menus are all quite sleek.”
    • “The graphics, game mechanics, and the flow between levels are great.”
    • “If you are looking for an action game with very poor graphics and poor controls with only a few tower defense elements, then this may be the game for you.”
    • “The graphics aren't incredible, but they're functional and fit the theme of the game (since it takes place in a computer).”
    • “The graphics are serviceable, but they aren't anything noteworthy.”
  • story
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal, revolving around a simple premise of defending a computer system against corruption, which some players found lacking but ultimately acceptable given the gameplay focus. Each of the 7 board levels features distinct missions with varying objectives, providing enough variety to keep players engaged despite the repetitive maps. While the narrative is not a central element, the mission structure and upgrade mechanics contribute to a satisfying gameplay experience.

    • “The attempt at a story is room for huge props considering the game could have easily gone without any explanation at all - you're just there to kill stuff and that's it.”
    • “The background story is set in a computer system, where you have to battle against hordes of intruders. It's not a completely new story, but it matches the game style, which is good.”
    • “Each mission has a slightly different set of objectives (don't use this weapon or structure, gain this much RAM, conquer this structure, etc.), so despite there being only a few maps, each mission still feels different.”
    • “The plot is simplicity in itself, simply defend a computer against corruption.”
    • “The game's story is... well, nonexistent.”
    • “And nobody misses said story.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly repetitive, particularly when it comes to defeating enemies for upgrades. While some appreciate the concept and music, many feel that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it difficult to progress without feeling stuck. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's unique features.

    • “Good concept and music, but I wasn't able to finish it as it felt a bit too grindy by the end.”
    • “Quite grindy if you're stuck on some levels and you just have to do your best before you fail to get as much money as possible to upgrade your current gear.”
    • “Maybe when you upgrade everything this game would be amazing, I just don't want to go through the grind and not enjoy it along the way. I'm okay with grinding when it's done right.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts strong replayability, featuring seven unique board levels with diverse missions and adjustable difficulty settings that enhance the challenge. Players appreciate the vast array of gameplay styles and a robust reward and upgrade system, contributing to an experience that feels infinitely replayable.

    • “The game features 7 different board levels, each with 7 distinct missions and various completion criteria, along with 3 difficulty levels that increase the number and speed of enemies, adding challenge and replayability to the game.”
    • “Due to its enormous amount of possible gamestyles and fantastic reward and upgrade systems, the game offers a lot of replayability.”
    • “Infinite replayability!”
    • “The game features 7 different board levels, each with 7 distinct missions and various completion criteria, but the lack of meaningful differences between playthroughs makes it feel repetitive.”
    • “While the game offers a variety of gamestyles and a fantastic reward system, the overall experience lacks the depth needed for true replayability.”
    • “Despite having multiple difficulty levels, the game quickly becomes stale as the core gameplay does not change significantly with each replay.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by a funny DJ character and engaging tutorials that effectively teach players the basics while keeping the experience light-hearted and enjoyable.

    • “The interface is clean, and the DJ is funny!”
    • “This is in part thanks to the somewhat humorous but very easy-to-play tutorials that teach you the basics.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers acknowledge the inherent challenges in developing a game that balances fun, minimal bugs, and player challenge, indicating that stability is a complex aspect that can significantly impact the overall gaming experience.

    • “As a game developer and an avid gamer, I know the challenges of creating a game that is fun, relatively bug-free, and still presents a challenge for every player.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is praised for its strong performance and well-designed user interface, contributing to a smooth overall experience.

    • “What I also like is the UI; it is very well thought out, and the performance is also very good!”
    • “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the game to run efficiently, making it accessible to a wider audience.”

Buy Artificial Defense

13h Median play time
13h Average play time
13-13h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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