Artisan TD

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 305 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Artisan TD Game Cover
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In Artisan TD, join the Artisan's Guild to conquer the Archipelago of Chaos, building tower mazes to free corrupted magical warriors' souls and defeating 4 primordial TITANS with a wide range of actions and upgradable towers. Experience 30 unique maps, vanquish specific minions, and manage a small economy, all with handcrafted passion and precision. Playable with a controller and optimized for large screens and 4K.

Play Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 305 reviews
gameplay17 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • Artisan TD features beautiful graphics and a charming art style that enhances the gameplay experience.
  • The game offers a unique maze-building mechanic that allows players to strategize and optimize their defenses.
  • It provides a challenging experience with a well-balanced difficulty curve, especially for those seeking to achieve perfect runs.
  • The game is often criticized for being more of a puzzle game than a traditional tower defense, with limited strategic options and a single optimal solution for each level.
  • Players have reported issues with the game's difficulty spikes, making it frustratingly hard even on lower settings, leading to excessive trial and error.
  • There is a lack of meta progression and tower upgrades, which diminishes replayability and player agency in crafting unique strategies.
  • gameplay48 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by beautiful graphics and polished mechanics, offering a mix of engaging puzzles and strategic tower defense elements. While many players appreciate the intuitive maze-building and the challenge of finding optimal solutions, some criticize the linearity and lack of upgrade mechanics, which can lead to a trial-and-error approach. Overall, the game presents a unique blend of simplicity and depth, though it may frustrate those seeking more customization and progression.

    • “Very engaging gameplay with a nice difficulty curve!”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are both intuitive and strategic, making each game unique and exciting.”
    • “Great tower defense, cool art style and fun gameplay!”
    • “Most tower defense games try to get too clever and have lots of complications that cause it to ultimately be broken, usually by being too easy, or by having mobile-game/grind mechanics.”
    • “The presence of the ability to retry a level from any wave is a great inclusion, but it is unfortunately a required mechanic of the game for you to trial and error your way to finding the developer's exact intended build pattern, instead of the quality of life feature it would otherwise be.”
    • “Completing missions with no lives lost gives you nothing, and there are no points to make your units better, etc. what you see on screen is what you have, so there's no way to develop strategies according to your preferred gameplay.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and unique art style, reminiscent of classic titles like Warcraft 3 and Heroes of the Storm. While many players appreciate the stunning visuals and attention to detail, some note that the darker levels can detract from the experience, and a few find the overall aesthetic to be bland compared to other tower defense games. Overall, the graphics are considered a highlight, contributing positively to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “The fantastical universe is beautifully crafted, with stunning graphics and meticulous attention to detail.”
    • “Tight experience, great visuals, extremely polished.”
    • “With enchanting graphics and an immersive soundtrack, this game draws you into a fantastical universe where every decision matters.”
    • “The art style is pale and uninspired; all towers are unrecognizable. Flash games from over 15 years ago did this better.”
    • “This game brings nothing much new to the table except a slightly refreshing and pretty looking art style, but then lacks many features some other great tower defense games have, like permanent upgrades for towers, as one example.”
    • “The game's graphics are just okay (it's a taste thing, so my opinion is entirely subjective).”
  • story11 mentions

    The game's story elements are minimal, with players expressing a desire for a more developed narrative to enhance the experience. While some appreciate the existing story components, many feel that the missions are overly rigid and lack the depth and strategic freedom typically found in similar games. Overall, the story aspect is seen as underwhelming, contributing to a puzzle-like gameplay experience rather than a compelling narrative journey.

    • “Another nice thing is that not all missions have the same towers available, so sometimes you will have to find workarounds for not having your heavy hitter or dedicated anti-air.”
    • “This makes the game basically a puzzle in which you're constantly resetting the mission to yet again try a new tower position till you find the one the developers wanted.”
    • “If this game had a little more storyline - and it does have some story elements, which I like - it'd be close to being on par with Defense Grid.”
    • “Every mission has one exact way to complete it, and one way only.”
    • “This makes the game basically a puzzle in which you're constantly resetting the mission to yet again try a new tower position till you find the one the devs wanted, then advance some more, then restart again, and again, and again.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, described as chill, fitting, and enjoyable, with some standout tracks that enhance the overall experience. While some reviewers find the soundtrack to be basic or reminiscent of other works, many appreciate its ability to complement the game's graphics and immersive atmosphere. Overall, the music contributes positively to the gameplay, making it a notable aspect of the game.

    • “Music is chill and fitting.”
    • “Nice music and retro art style.”
    • “With enchanting graphics and an immersive soundtrack, this game draws you into a fantastical universe where every decision matters.”
    • “The soundtrack is a Jack Sparrow rip-off and winning is unrewarding, as there is nothing you get outside of the level, except the progress to the next level.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with many users noting its overly simplistic mechanics and limited upgrade options. While some players appreciate its classic tower defense elements, the absence of diverse strategies and upgrades significantly diminishes the incentive to replay. Adjustments to tower and mob balance could potentially enhance the game's replay value.

    • “Others manage to have lots of different upgrade options and different variants, which offers higher replayability.”
    • “I think with the right adjustments to tower and mob balance, the game would be immediately more playable.”
    • “Overly simple and not much replay value.”
    • “Great classical tower defense game with zero replayability.”
    • “Towers have no real upgrade (3 levels + 1 mega upgrade for 1 tower per map) so there's not much replayability or things to try.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The game offers a highly customizable tower defense experience with optimized paths for each map, particularly at higher difficulty levels. However, some users have reported performance issues, including game crashes, although the developers are actively working on improvements and plan to release additional content in the future.

    • “Amazing tower defense with the possibility of making your own optimized path on every map.”
    • “The highest difficulty is extremely hard; it has been made to perfectly fit the most optimized way to do it.”
    • “Note: the game's studio owner has already indicated that his team is still working on this game, which means they are solving lots of performance issues and that they have planned to add free content down the road.”
    • “Finally, there are performance issues which include game crashes, as many reviewers have noted.”
    • “Note: the game's studio owner has already indicated that his team is still working on this game, which means they are solving lots of performance issues (which I didn't encounter) and that they have planned to add free content down the road.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players appreciate the lack of grinding in the game, noting that it offers a challenging experience without leading to frustration. The option to restart from specific waves enhances the gameplay, preventing it from becoming tedious. Overall, the game focuses on a series of engaging puzzles rather than repetitive grinding.

    • “The ability to pick which wave you can restart with is a good addition; otherwise, the puzzles would be tedious.”
    • “That is perfect for a simple and inexpensive game; it is challenging but not to the point of grinding frustration.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes and numerous bugs, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the lack of reliability significantly detracts from gameplay enjoyment.

    • “Being forced to find only layout on repeat combined with how buggy it is makes for a hard miss.”
    • “A buggy mess that crashes regularly.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers note that character development suffers from a lack of distinctiveness among enemies, which can lead to confusion during gameplay. While acknowledging the limitations of pixel design, they suggest that improved character differentiation would enhance the overall experience.

    • “It took a long time to be able to distinguish between some of the enemies. I know there's limited pixels to design on such a limited space, but better character design would allow for easier distinguishability.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with any of the characters.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices in character progression; it felt like my decisions didn't really matter.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere is characterized by a diverse range of towers and enemy types, contributing to a relaxed and engaging environment for players.

    • “The game features a wide variety of towers, different types of enemies, and a wonderfully chilled atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is immersive, drawing you into the game's world with its unique design and sound.”
    • “Every level has its own distinct vibe, creating a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

17hMedian play time
14hAverage play time
8-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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