Duke of Defense
- August 9, 2018
- Fern Nigro
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreThe itch.io version of this game is DRM-free! Discover a world brimming with humor, interesting characters, and adventure. Interact with overly observant villagers and egotistical wizards. You'll find yourself in a role more significant than a knight could ever dream of! Any true hero can call upon trusty companions in their time of need. New strategies can be explored and singular pronouns …
Reviews
- Duke of Defense offers a fun blend of tower defense and hack-and-slash gameplay, making it engaging and enjoyable.
- The game features charming pixel art and a catchy soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- It has a humorous story and interesting mechanics, providing a light-hearted and entertaining atmosphere for players.
- The game suffers from bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as issues with tower selection and enemy waves not appearing.
- Unskippable cutscenes and dialogue can be frustrating, especially after repeated failures against bosses.
- The game is relatively short and may lack depth in terms of level design and enemy variety, leaving some players wanting more.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun and engaging tower defense mechanics, with many players enjoying the unique upgrade system and overall addictive loop. However, the experience is significantly hindered by intrusive and unskippable dialogue cutscenes that disrupt the flow of play. Overall, the game offers a concise and enjoyable experience, lasting around 4-6 hours, with ratings ranging from 7/10 to 9/10.
“Lots to keep you busy, interesting mechanics while snubbing all that boring stuff.”
“The mechanic of standing in/over your tower over a set period of time allows you to 'upgrade' your tower.”
“The gameplay loop of the tower defense elements of the game is fun and addicting.”
“I absolutely hate this mechanic in 'Pixeljunk'.”
“The gameplay is heavily inspired by Pixeljunk Monsters.”
- music13 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its engaging and catchy tunes, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience. Reviewers highlight the impressive soundtrack, which complements the game's visuals and retro style, although some express difficulty in finding the soundtrack outside of Steam. Overall, the combination of music and art creates a delightful experience for players.
“Ho-ly heeellll is the soundtrack awesome or what?!”
“Me and my brother played this game on the Switch a while back; we first bought it since we were looking for retro 2-player games, and the soundtrack caught us completely off guard.”
“My only problem is that I can't find the soundtrack anywhere but on Steam.”
“- decent soundtrack”
“The music and sound effects together blend well to put you in the atmosphere.”
- story11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The story in "Duke of Defense" is surprisingly engaging for a tower defense game, featuring humor and interactive elements that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the cutscenes and find the narrative enjoyable, often rating it highly despite the game's shorter length compared to others in the genre. However, some missions have inconsistencies, such as unexplained skill point omissions and questionable design choices, which detract from the overall experience.
“Duke of Defense is a tower defense game with some great humor and a story that's better than some of these 20+ hour tower defense games.”
“The game is also a pretty fun short story.”
“Duke of Defense has cutscenes that go along with the story.”
“Some missions didn't give skill points with no explanation as to why.”
“I had a mission where there was a shortcut path to the castle that only got used on the final wave; it felt like a cheap design choice, especially since the main fighting space was on the other side of the map.”
“Duke of Defense has cutscenes that go along with the story, but they don't add much depth or engagement.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, clean visuals, and vibrant colors, contributing to an engaging aesthetic experience. While the art style and music receive high marks, some players note issues with color differentiation in boss attacks and the inability to skip cutscenes. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
“The art style is great.”
“Very nice music, visuals are clean and clear.”
“The game has nice pixel art style with pleasant colors, and just great music.”
“My only two problems with the visuals are that some boss attacks are the same colors as their indicators and sometimes similar colors on the level floor, and the fact that I cannot skip cutscenes and dialogue.”
“It's like Pixel Junk Monsters, but it has a bit of its own flair; the graphics are charming.”
“Graphics and audio are both very well done; the game is sprinkled with humor for the entire duration of it.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Duke of Defense" is a standout feature, with players appreciating its lighthearted and whimsical storytelling that enhances the gameplay experience. While some users noted occasional failed attempts at humor, many found the game consistently amusing, with moments that elicit genuine laughter, such as riding a helpful deer to defeat an ice wizard. Overall, the humor adds a delightful charm to the game, making it enjoyable throughout.
“Duke of Defense is a TD game with some great humor, a story that's better than some of these 20+ hour TD games.”
“Duke of Defense is a humorous tale about a knight's rise to the duke of defense and his tale of defending the land.”
“Graphics and audio are both very well done; the game is sprinkled with humor for the entire duration of it.”
