IS Defense
- April 19, 2016
- Destructive Creations
- 4h median play time
If you adore turret segments more than anything, love grinding, and have an absolute hate-on for ISIS then IS Defense is the video game for you. For anyone else please, for the love of God, avoid this game.
Get on Steam"IS Defense" is a strategy tower defense game set in a modern-day war scenario. Players must defend their base from incoming enemy forces using a variety of weapons and towers. The game offers challenging gameplay with realistic ballistics and a wide range of enemy types to keep things interesting. With multiple difficulty settings and leaderboards, "IS Defense" offers plenty of replayability.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Fun and addictive gameplay that offers a nostalgic arcade shooter experience.
- Great graphics and sound design enhance the overall experience.
- The upgrade system adds depth and encourages replayability.
- Limited content with only four maps, leading to potential repetitiveness.
- Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially in later levels.
- Some players may find the game's premise and themes controversial or offensive.
- graphics111 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise, with many users noting their impressive quality, especially for a budget title. The visuals are described as vibrant and detailed, enhancing the chaotic gameplay with effective destruction effects and smooth performance. While some reviews mention minor graphical issues or a simplistic aesthetic, the overall consensus is that the graphics significantly elevate the gaming experience.
“The graphics are fantastic (game is running on the Unreal Engine) so killing those barbaric terrorists never felt and looked as good as in this game.”
“The graphics are surprisingly nice, solid framerate too; I guess Unreal 3 is to thank for that.”
“Great graphics and fun rail shooter... for $6 you really can have a blast!”
“I loved Hatred, but damn this new game by Destructive Creations sucks. They basically pre-packaged a free-to-play flash game and updated it with pretty graphics, and the first map looks like something out of an asset store that was made for World War II games, and the shooting gets boring after a while due to the game's repetition.”
“The graphics are awful, the gameplay extremely easy, and you just have to spam infantry.”
“Though released in 2016, the graphics and special effects are mediocre, but not alarming enough to make you regret it.”
- gameplay94 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simple yet addictive mechanics, primarily revolving around turret-based defense against waves of enemies. While some players appreciate the engaging upgrade system and satisfying action, others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of depth across the limited maps. Overall, it offers a nostalgic arcade experience with decent graphics, though it may not appeal to those seeking more complex gameplay.
“I personally was surprised at how well designed the game mechanics were implemented; including the progression in the game that doesn't feel padded out or tedious, which a lot of other similar titles have.”
“The rules and mechanics are basic, we play with a stationary turret with a 360° view on 4 different stages, at our disposal we will have air support, chopper support, infantry call outs among others, making your experience much more entertaining as we fight endless waves of enemies with various levels of difficulty and numbers, the more we kill the more points we will get to unlock skills and improve perks.”
“With its engaging turret-based defense mechanics, it offers a depth that I hadn't expected, drawing me in further with each wave of enemies.”
“In summary, it's a relatively very good looking game for the genre, but there's zero depth in the gameplay.”
“The gameplay is pretty banal.”
“What bothers me severely is the inclusion of a few mechanics, which turns the game from the (seemingly intended) hopeless struggle against an unending horde of evil into a sort of boring slog.”
- story63 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with many reviews noting a lack of narrative depth and character development, focusing instead on straightforward, repetitive action against waves of enemies. While some players appreciate the arcade-style gameplay and the simplicity of the mission objectives, others criticize the absence of a compelling storyline, suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game caters to those seeking mindless action rather than a rich narrative.
“The game's story is perhaps its weakest point, though still adequately interesting, particularly so long as you don't take it too seriously. At the game's end, it sets up a potential sequel where maybe you will wind up shooting up Russian soldiers instead of Islamic State terrorists.”
“The story revolves around a fictitious invasion of Europe and one man's bravery to stand on his own against a horde of vicious religious fanatics that want to expand their dominion.”
“On starting the game, you first get a small intro which shows a brief story.”
“On the story side, there isn't any as you are just given a single task to kill the terrorists... period.”
“The fact there is no story makes the game kind of repetitive and there is no actual ending other than dying and replaying the stages to see how long you last, kill as many enemies and unlock the sweet Steam achievements.”
“There's no story, no plot (beyond 'kill bad guys'), no extensive dialogue trees, just fluid, heart-thudding violence.”
- grinding28 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed perception of grinding in the game, with some players finding it entertaining and well-integrated into the mechanics, while others describe it as tedious and repetitive. Many note that grinding is necessary for progression, particularly in the early stages, and can feel excessive, especially when it limits the ability to farm experience from earlier levels. Overall, while some enjoy the grind as part of the gameplay, others find it detracts from the overall experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's designed to be tedious.”
“You have to defeat an arbitrary amount of enemies on the current level to unlock the next one, so it's virtually impossible to unlock the next level without grinding the current one at least 10 times.”
“A bland, boring, grindy game, that tries to sell itself by generating controversy.”
- music18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to enhance the action and atmosphere, likening it to soundtracks from titles like Command & Conquer and Call of Duty. However, others find the original soundtrack weak and suggest playing personal music, such as Slayer or Korn, for a more enjoyable experience. Overall, while the music can be exciting and fitting, it often gets overshadowed by combat sounds, leading players to prefer their own playlists.
“The music captures the atmosphere.”
“Brilliant music and sound design.”
“The music is fantastic and adrenaline charging.”
“The soundtrack is weak, but you can set Slayer's discography in the background for a full experience.”
“Audio is clear, though the music is difficult to hear over the multiple layers of combat audio, which is fine anyways because you can blast whatever Five Finger Death Punch song you want to this and it'll work.”
“Mute the soundtrack and jam to some black metal while playing.”
- replayability15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mix of replayability experiences; while some players find it highly replayable due to upgrade systems, achievements, and leaderboard challenges, others note that it can quickly lose its appeal after completing all content. The potential for modding could enhance replay value further, but the limited enemy types and simplistic gameplay may deter some from returning. Despite these mixed opinions, many agree that the game provides good value for its price.
“What this game may lack in content and variety makes up for it in replay value.”
“Good replay value, challenging, good sound, and fun gameplay (just one more round, just one more round...)”
“Highly replayable and gets really tense in the last stage.”
“The game took me 5.1 hours to complete and once you've unlocked all the upgrades and maps, the game quickly loses its replayability.”
“As an on-rails shooter, it has minimal replay value, especially given the limited enemy types and stage designs.”
“-not much replay value outside of stress relief.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its over-the-top, chaotic violence and satirical take on current events, particularly involving ISIS, which some players find amusing despite its controversial nature. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to create hilarious and absurd situations, especially when all upgrades are unlocked, contributing to a fun, albeit repetitive, gameplay experience. However, some players note that the humor can be edgy and may not appeal to everyone, particularly due to its sensitive subject matter.
“Especially when all upgrades are unlocked, the game becomes an incredible and hilarious mayhem. The weapon controls and upgrades are terrific.”
“It is good to kill some time; the graphics are fine, the gameplay is simple, but the game itself is a lot of fun, with lots of explosions, blood, hilarious and cinematic situations. I would definitely recommend this game.”
“Simple and funny!!!”
- optimization7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Overall, optimization feedback is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and quick startup, others experience significant frame rate drops during intense battles, indicating a need for better optimization in these scenarios. The game performs well on decent hardware but can become nearly unplayable for some, particularly in busy combat situations.
“The performance wasn't an issue and the game played smoothly.”
“Graphics look very nice, performance is great too, no frame drops or stuttering.”
“It starts up quickly, runs smoothly, no quests or thinking required, just chill and shoot.”
“Also, it seems FPS suffers a lot once the battles intensify. I saw them dropping to below 30 even though I have a decent PC, so crappy performance awaits sometimes.”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed; while some players report a smooth experience with great graphics and performance, others encounter significant issues such as lag, bugs, and graphical glitches that require workarounds. Overall, the game shows potential but may frustrate users with its inconsistent stability.
“Runs great.”
“The game looks pretty and runs great on my machine. The reinforcement/support system is nice, and blowing up the little boats is really satisfying.”
“Looks and runs great right at launch! I've put a couple of hours into it, and it looks like it'll take a few more to unlock all those achievements.”
“Laggy, buggy, and unfun.”
“I had to play this game in borderless windowed mode to fix the green graphical glitches.”
“After playing (and despising) the buggy mess that was Hatred, I wasn't expecting much out of this game.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional satisfaction from the game, highlighting its wholesome and enjoyable nature, which provides a fulfilling and uplifting experience.
“I've never been this satisfied emotionally from buying a game.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is highly praised for its thrilling quality, with the music playing a crucial role in enhancing the overall experience and maintaining a sense of excitement and adrenaline throughout the game.
“The music captures the atmosphere.”
“They work in tandem to create a thrilling atmosphere that keeps the adrenaline pumping.”
