Mineral Defense

About

Mineral Defense is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Corestone Games and was released on November 15, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

Mineral Defense is a tower defense roguelite game that offers endless strategic possibilities. Unlock tiles to shape the battlefield and funnel enemies, utilizing damaging and support towers along with abilities to defeat unique enemies. Between rounds, unlock powerful upgrades, activate new structures, and research new technologies to improve your chance of victory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 179 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

grinding17 negative mentions

Mineral Defense offers a fun and engaging tower defense experience with a unique roguelike twist, allowing for dynamic gameplay and replayability.
The game features a variety of towers and strategic options, encouraging players to experiment with different combinations and tactics.
Active development and frequent updates from the developers show a commitment to improving the game and addressing player feedback.

The game suffers from significant RNG elements, particularly in map generation and tower unlocks, which can lead to frustrating early losses.
Progression can feel grindy, with players needing to invest a lot of time to unlock upgrades and research points, which may deter some players.
The user interface and some gameplay mechanics could use improvement, as they can be unintuitive and lead to confusion during play.

gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
10%
The gameplay of "Mineral Defense" is praised for its engaging blend of tower defense and roguelike mechanics, offering a dynamic and replayable experience with strategic depth. While some players appreciate the innovative features like health, armor, and shield mechanics, others criticize the reliance on meta progression and the need for repetitive restarts to achieve favorable starting conditions. Overall, the game is recognized for its addictive nature and well-designed mechanics, making it a standout in the tower defense genre.
- “Mineral Defense, developed and published by Corestone Games, is a fresh and engaging take on the tower defense genre that effectively incorporates roguelike mechanics and procedural generation to keep gameplay dynamic and replayable.”
- “The gameplay loop revolves around defending your headquarters against increasingly difficult waves of enemies using a variety of towers and abilities.”
- “A fantastic tower defense game with engaging mechanics that keep you hooked for hours.”
- “The only thing that sucks is you have to restart 10+ times to get this, and it's an unfun, stupid mechanic that I have to sit there clicking restart for 15 minutes to get a good starting tile when you could just make the starting tile the same every time.”
- “As for the gameplay, it's unfortunately rather heavily focused on meta progression as opposed to clever tower positioning or something.”
- “From a gameplay standpoint, I don't like how you essentially have to brute force your way through waves.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The music in the game is generally described as genre-typical and fitting, but it has received significant criticism for specific tracks, particularly the chest-opening music, which many players find jarring and reminiscent of gambling machines. While some appreciate the overall soundtrack and its alignment with the game's theme, others feel that certain pieces detract from the experience, urging the developers to consider changes to improve enjoyment. Overall, the music is seen as a mixed bag, with some tracks enhancing the gameplay while others are viewed as detrimental.
- “The background music is genre-typical.”
- “Soundtrack matches the game perfectly.”
- “The whole visual aspect, music, and randomized map opening is quite cool and fun though.”
- “The moment a round starts, the music begins playing, but quietly fades into the background.”
- “I can't stand the music when you're opening chests; it is too on the nose, too much like actual real-world gambling machines or apps.”
- “I can only hope this is changed. I love the game, but this aspect is so corrosive to my fun that I almost have to convince myself to play and just 'endure' this music.”
grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and repetitive, often leading to a sense of tedium despite initial enjoyment. While some appreciate the feeling of progress, many criticize the slow and tedious nature of the tech tree and research systems, suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant element that could benefit from adjustments to enhance player engagement.
- “The game is fun and pretty but repetitive and grindy.”
- “It takes quite a lot of time and grinding play to get good at it and beat the waves needed to advance.”
- “The whole 'research' system is basic grinding, where nothing depends on your thinking or strategic ability.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The graphics of the game are generally described as decent, featuring a polished and approachable aesthetic that appeals to both veterans and newcomers. While some players appreciate the retro and low-poly art style, others find it overly simplistic and lacking in complexity, with minor graphical bugs noted. Overall, the visuals are engaging enough to support the gameplay, though performance issues have been reported on certain hardware configurations.
- “The overall aesthetic is polished and approachable, making the game accessible to both tower defense veterans and newcomers.”
- “The graphics are decent, with enough variety in towers and units to keep things visually engaging.”
- “Game runs well, pretty graphics and every time you play is different thanks to the procedural generation of the map as you go.”
- “If you're into retro aesthetics, you might appreciate it. Otherwise, the graphics may feel overly simplistic.”
- “The recent changes to the user interface and graphics have made me dislike playing it.”
- “The art style is pretty basic, and any scenario or story is non-existent.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
9%
27%
Mineral Defense offers a high level of replayability due to its roguelike mechanics, procedural generation, and card draw system, which ensure that each playthrough feels unique and encourages different strategies. Players appreciate the dynamic gameplay that keeps them engaged, despite some noting that the game lacks a definitive end. Overall, the combination of random elements and simple mechanics makes it both addictive and replayable.
- “Each run feels different thanks to the random map generation and cards offered throughout a run, meaning you will play differently and use different strategies each time, making the game more replayable and engaging.”
- “Lots of replayability, and due to how simple it is, it's also pretty addicting.”
- “It took me about 6 hours to complete the game, but since every level is different, there's still some replayability.”
- “Mineral Defense, developed and published by Corestone Games, is a fresh and engaging take on the tower defense genre that effectively incorporates roguelike mechanics and procedural generation to keep gameplay dynamic and replayable.”
- “Card draw adds another wrinkle to the strategy and replayability.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game requires significant optimization, particularly in the late game where performance issues arise due to the high number of enemies, even on powerful systems. However, the developers have made improvements that enhance performance, though there is still room for further optimization and more adjustable settings.
- “Edit: The developers addressed performance, and it's humming along beautifully.”
- “It requires significant optimization in the late game as the number of enemies slows the game down considerably, and I have a relatively beefy system.”
- “That said, optimization needs work, but I applaud the developer.”
- “It feels like it could really use some optimization in this regard (there aren't many settings to reduce).”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The story aspect of the game is largely criticized for being non-existent, with users noting a basic art style and a lack of narrative depth. However, the gameplay is engaging, focusing on enjoyable roguelike tower defense mechanics and mission progression tied to meta progression, which keeps players invested in optimizing their strategies.
- “The art style is pretty basic, and any scenario or story is non-existent.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's stability is mixed; while it performs well at 4K resolution, users report occasional bugs and an overall outdated feel.
- “Runs great on 4K.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs; the stability is impressive.”
- “It feels outdated and occasionally buggy.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
- “I experienced several glitches that disrupted my gameplay.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The atmosphere of Mineral Defense is criticized for lacking depth and engagement, with reviewers noting that while the gameplay has potential, the overall presentation does not effectively enhance the experience.
- “The audio design perfectly complements the atmosphere, immersing players in a captivating world.”
- “The game's atmosphere is rich and engaging, drawing players into its unique environment.”
- “The combination of stunning visuals and haunting soundscapes creates an unforgettable atmosphere.”
- “Mineral Defense has a playable foundation, but its presentation and atmosphere fall short.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely perceived as ineffective, with some players finding it neither funny nor uplifting.