Cartridge Defense
- September 2, 2022
- Out Gaming
- 28h median play time
Get on Steam"Cartridge Defense" is a strategic tower defense game where players protect a virtual game cartridge from being hacked by viruses. Players can place towers and utilize various abilities to fend off the viruses and prevent them from stealing valuable data. With its retro-style graphics and challenging gameplay, "Cartridge Defense" offers a unique twist on the tower defense genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- A unique blend of tower defense and deck-building mechanics that offers a lot of strategic depth and variety.
- The game features a cyberpunk aesthetic with a smooth synthwave soundtrack, enhancing the overall experience.
- Multiple game modes, including roguelike and endless modes, provide plenty of content and replayability.
- The tutorial has been reported to have bugs that hinder progress, causing frustration for new players.
- Some players experience difficulty spikes and feel that certain levels require very specific strategies to succeed, limiting creativity.
- The visuals and UI could use improvement, as they are considered weaker points in an otherwise engaging game.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of traditional tower defense and robust deck-building mechanics, offering multiple strategies and playstyles. While the card management can be cumbersome and the game requires some time to master its mechanics, it is generally considered fun and satisfying, with a good tutorial to assist new players. Overall, players appreciate the innovative approach to the genre, though some feel the total gameplay hours may be limited unless deeply engaged.
“That being said, the game is a lot of fun to play, probably one of the best games with this kind of gameplay.”
“Main gameplay is centered around building decks and then using them in typical tower defense levels.”
“Fun, multiple play modes, interesting deck building mechanics and mods let you create your own playstyles and give you multiple ways to counter most kinds of enemies.”
“Card management is a pain, prevents you from using game mechanics.”
“In-game info for how mechanics work needs improvement.”
“There is nowhere near 25-30 hours of gameplay in it from my point of view; unless you absolutely love it, you will get around 15 hours.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback, with some praising the cyberpunk aesthetic and immersive environments, while others criticize the UI and visual clarity, particularly in busy scenes. The overall design is noted for its atmospheric qualities, enhanced by a synthwave soundtrack, but there are calls for improvement in explosion effects, which are described as low quality and generic. Despite these criticisms, many players find the visuals fitting for the game's theme and atmosphere.
“The last thing I want to praise are the visuals of this game.”
“The design aesthetic is fantastic: part Blade Runner, part Oblivion, part Alien/Aliens, and it features a kick-ass synthwave soundtrack.”
“Great visuals and the UI environment is sublime.”
“The visuals and UI are weaker points, but these can be forgiven in a game like this.”
“I don't like busy or 3D screens, which often make it hard to see what's happening, and I wasn't a big fan of the Miami Vice cyberpunk aesthetic.”
“Add a variety of explosion sound and graphics effects because the current explosion is very low quality, generic, and unified. Whether you blow up a small or large enemy, and whether it was destroyed by fire, gun, or plasma, it will make the same sound and graphics effects.”
- music18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's music, characterized by a smooth synthwave soundtrack, complements its cyberpunk aesthetic and creates a relaxing atmosphere. While many players appreciate the retro vibe and find the soundtrack enjoyable, some note that the limited number of tracks can lead to repetitiveness over time. Overall, the music enhances the game's design, though there are requests for additional music packs to diversify the experience.
“Smooth gameplay and an awesome soundtrack that doesn't get repetitive after playing for a few hours.”
“The cyberpunk aesthetics and music are relaxing and atmospheric, and the UI is tangible unlike anything I've seen before.”
“The design aesthetic is fantastic: part Blade Runner, part Oblivion, part Alien/Aliens, and it features a kick-ass synthwave soundtrack.”
“The game has a cyberpunk aesthetic with a smooth synthwave soundtrack but there isn't any sort of story.”
“If I could get music packs from the roguelike rewards, I would be very happy.”
“Disable ambient sounds and music.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game presents a promising cyberpunk aesthetic and engaging synthwave soundtrack, leading players to expect a narrative that ultimately does not materialize, leaving the experience feeling incomplete. While the gameplay involves strategic tower defense elements, the absence of a cohesive story detracts from the overall immersion.
“The game has a cyberpunk aesthetic with a smooth synthwave soundtrack, creating an immersive atmosphere.”
“Certain missions will want you to focus on specific towers or strategies, adding depth to the gameplay.”
“The game starts by making you think there will be a story, which sets up expectations for a narrative experience.”
“This is really minor but the game starts by making you think there will be a story.”
“I don't need a story in a tower defense game, but advancing through city blocks and buildings made me think there'd be one, so to me it feels half finished.”
“The game has a cyberpunk aesthetic with a smooth synthwave soundtrack, but there isn't any sort of story.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, particularly after completing the main storyline, as they find it tedious to repeatedly play the same levels to collect cards. The need to spend resources on card packs, which improve over time, adds to the grind, making the process feel slow and unfulfilling.
“After beating the game, I am still far away from collecting all the cards, and I don't really like grinding the same levels while slowly building the collection.”
“It costs regents from playing levels or farming to purchase packs for more cards, which seem to get better as you progress.”
“I just notice it while continuing to play and grind.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive cyberpunk aesthetics, complemented by relaxing music and a unique, tangible user interface. Both the graphics and sound effectively enhance the overall experience, creating a captivating environment.
“The cyberpunk aesthetics and music are relaxing and atmospheric, and the UI is tangible unlike anything I've seen before.”
“Graphics and sound are fitting the atmosphere.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability through features like customizable mazes, deck-building mechanics, tower unlocks, and various modes including endless and roguelike options, all of which contribute to a compelling gameplay loop. Players can continually experiment with different strategies and setups, enhancing the overall experience.
“Target prioritization, building your own mazes, and creating your own deck of towers contribute to the game's replayability, along with tower unlocks, endless mode, and roguelike mode on top of the campaign.”
“Effectively, it has a good gameplay loop that lends itself to replayability.”
“The combination of target prioritization, maze building, and deck customization enhances the replayability, especially with the addition of endless and roguelike modes.”
“Effectively, it's got a good gameplay loop that lends itself to replayability.”
“Target prioritization, building your own mazes, making your own deck of towers to choose from, replayability, tower unlocks (card unlocks), endless mode, and roguelike mode on top of the campaign.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Players express great satisfaction with the game's monetization model, highlighting the absence of in-game purchases as a refreshing and positive aspect. This approach enhances the overall enjoyment, allowing players to engage fully without financial barriers.
“No in-game purchase :)”
“What a delight to not have a game's in-game purchase cost money!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players have noted that while the game offers a variety of cards, the optimization suffers significantly during later waves, leading to noticeable performance drops that detract from the overall experience.
“Endless wasn't that interesting; having all the cards made it pretty easy, and the performance tanks hard on later waves.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is generally stable for its price point of $14 Canadian, but players should be aware of some enjoyable and frustrating glitches, as well as a user interface that may require time to get used to, given its early access status.
“For $14 Canadian, I can recommend it quite easily, just know that there are some fun and not-so-fun glitches, and its UI takes some time to adjust to (it is early access after all).”
