Harvest: Massive Encounter
- January 23, 2009
- Oxeye Game Studio
Get on Steam"Harvest: Massive Encounter" is a survival real-time strategy game where players build and manage resources to defend against endless hordes of alien enemies. With unique resource management mechanics and a variety of game modes, the objective is to stay alive as long as possible and compete on online high-score lists. Explore different planets and try new strategies in this epic battle for survival.
Mac OS
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Reviews
- Unique mechanics that combine tower defense with resource management, allowing for creative strategies.
- Engaging gameplay that keeps players on their toes with increasing difficulty and a variety of enemy types.
- Retro charm with solid graphics and sound design, making it a fun and addictive experience.
- Limited variety in towers and upgrades, leading to repetitive gameplay and lack of depth.
- Known bugs that can render the game unplayable, such as turrets not firing or crashing issues.
- No campaign or story mode, which may disappoint players looking for a more structured experience.
- gameplay14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the reviewed games features a mix of tower defense and real-time strategy elements, with some titles offering deeper mechanics, such as resource management and building interactions. While some games provide engaging mechanics and strategic depth, others suffer from a lack of upgrades, win conditions, and diversity in gameplay, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. Overall, players appreciate the clever mechanics and potential for strategy but note that the limited variety can hinder long-term enjoyment.
“Creeper World 3 - Arc Eternal features a power grid, towers, and much deeper gameplay. It includes a map editor and thousands of maps made by fans, extending gameplay for months or years. It's part tower defense, part real-time strategy game (except you can pause) because you can move the towers.”
“The game is an interesting tower defense idea with a wide open map, random enemy spawns, and mechanics such as linking laser towers together to increase range and damage. Missile silos can be upgraded twice to either perform 4 area of effect chain lightning attacks or 4 long-range missile strikes.”
“Unlike a lot of tower defense games, Harvest: Massive Encounter is all about the known variables and a synergy of mechanics, rewarding thoughtful placement and allowing you to steadily expand without being constrained to build only in specific areas or a grid system.”
“But the nearly no upgrades, no win conditions, no story; gameplay is meh.”
“This may all sound rather positive, but unfortunately, because the game relies on such closely knit mechanics, there isn't that much diversity in what you can do or the enemies you face. It's simply about using those limited tools you're given to the best of your abilities.”
“Gameplay is mostly survival-based, where you just try to not lose for as long as possible against ever-increasing numbers of enemies.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many users noting there is no campaign or engaging narrative to enhance the experience. While some appreciate the unique premise of playing as an antagonist, the lack of a structured storyline and meaningful content leads to a perception of minimal replayability and overall dissatisfaction.
“Other tower defense worthy mentions: Fieldrunners 2 (great variety of towers, great presentation, good mazing), Sanctum, Sanctum 2, Defender's Quest, Valley of the Forgotten (great story!)”
“Also unique in the sense that as far as story goes, you are sort of the antagonist, stripping resources from alien planets for money, with the local alien populations understandably irritated about this and attacking you.”
“There's 0 story, no modding, no interesting scenarios, and for me, very little replayability once you get things figured out.”
“Very simple game, no campaign or story line, kinda tricks you into thinking there is gonna be one with the 5 minute tutorial.”
“No story, just get in there, mine resources, build stuff, manage your power, and shoot the bad guys before they destroy your base.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with some praising the hand-pixeled art style and detailed visuals, while others found them below average and lacking variety. Overall, the graphics were seen as decent but not groundbreaking, with some players feeling that they detracted from the game's core mechanics.
“The art style is great, and the graphics are fantastic with hand-pixeled animations.”
“The graphics are kind of cool, with a fairly detailed design.”
“The graphics were good, but there was very little variety in the types of towers you could purchase and their upgrades.”
“Its graphics were nothing to write home about when it was released, and they still aren't.”
“Creeper World did everything right; this just added fancy graphics and took away the resource management perfection.”
“The graphics are a little below average, and the sound design is minimal.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, primarily due to a lack of story, modding options, and diverse scenarios, with players often feeling compelled to achievement hunt for additional content. While some enjoy the challenge of optimizing performance on a single map, the absence of new elements or updates has left many feeling that replayability is minimal. However, a few players appreciate the variable difficulty, which can enhance the experience for those seeking a challenge.
“The replayability has made this my favorite game on Steam since Space Pirates and Zombies (a spaceship shooter, not in this genre).”
“Great replayability, variable difficulty, ranging from insanely hard to pretty much practice.”
“But it really only has replayability if you are the kind of player that likes to play the same map over and over again to shoot for more efficient times, because that's essentially what the game has: one map (with 3 different skins) and that's it.”
“Now, in order to unlock the other two planets, you have to achievement hunt, which can be a bit of a pain, since it really doesn't help replayability.”
“There's 0 story, no modding, no interesting scenarios, and for me, very little replayability once you get things figured out.”
“Sadly, the developer never added anything to the game to give it replayability.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with players expressing enjoyment and appreciation for its quality. While the overall sound design is considered decent, the music stands out as a highlight, enhancing the gaming experience.
“The music in this game is fantastic and really enhances the overall experience!”
“The art style is great, and the sounds and music are quite decent.”
“I love the music! It adds a fun element to the strategy gameplay.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers generally find the atmosphere of the game to be immersive and engaging, enhancing the overall experience. The ambiance contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it feel more atmospheric.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive and captivating.”
“The game creates a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that draws you in.”
“Every detail contributes to a rich and atmospheric experience.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, which can detract from the overall experience, but many still consider it a challenging and rewarding game if they can overlook these issues.
“If you can get past the glitches and the tedious gameplay repetition, this is a great and challenging game.”
“The grinding feels endless and often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“I found myself stuck in a loop of repetitive tasks that made the game feel more like a chore than fun.”
