Neural Shock

About

Neural Shock is an ARPG/Tower Defense hybrid where you build turrets, traps, and fight waves of enemies in a dark, futuristic world. Level up your characters and weapons, with class-based character building and specialization in weapon, turret, and trap masteries. Experience engaging gameplay that caters to both short and long play sessions.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Engaging tower defense gameplay with a fun meta progression system and two distinct character classes.
Variety of traps, turrets, and enemies, along with a fair difficulty curve that keeps the gameplay challenging yet enjoyable.
Great value for the price, offering hours of content and replayability with adjustable difficulty and strategic depth.

Graphics are considered poor by some players, which may detract from the overall experience.
Enemies lack attack animations and have unexpectedly long attack ranges, making hits feel frustrating.
Collision detection for shots can be inconsistent, leading to confusion during gameplay.

music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
64%
21%
The music in the game is predominantly hard rock and heavy metal, which complements the intense atmosphere and action well, drawing comparisons to titles like Killing Floor. While some players appreciate the energetic metal riffs, others note a lack of variation, suggesting that those who dislike this genre may want to mute the soundtrack. Overall, the music is praised for enhancing the game's immersive experience.
- “Bonus points for the soundtrack, which features hard rock and heavy metal grooves that suit the atmosphere very well.”
- “Excellent in-game music!”
- “The soundtrack lacks variation and it's mostly just metal riffs, so if you hate that, you're going to have to mute it.”
- “The game's style reminds me of Killing Floor, with its heavy soundtrack, constant blasting of gunfire, and endless gory deaths of all manner of creepy monsters.”
- “The soundtrack lacks variation and it's mostly just metal riffs, so if you hate that, you're going to have to mute it.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story revolves around a series of 27 missions where players must strategically place traps and defend a command center from waves of enemies, adapting their tactics as the missions progress. Players can enhance their skills and equipment between missions, allowing for varied gameplay and experimentation with different loadouts. The narrative is driven by the challenge of protecting the command center while managing resources and adapting strategies to overcome increasingly difficult levels.
- “In total, at the time of writing this, there are 27 missions, so there seems to be a lot of content.”
- “The later levels will also have the player adapting their strategy as the level progresses, as the decisions made early on might not be effective anymore at the end of a mission.”
- “Between missions, the player can choose how to spend skill points to improve their own skills and the traps.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks a cohesive narrative that keeps players engaged throughout the missions.”
- “Despite having 27 missions, the plot fails to develop meaningfully, leaving players feeling uninvested in the outcome.”
- “The side objectives are often repetitive and do little to enhance the overall story experience.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized as being unattractive and not appealing to everyone, with some players describing them as "horrible" and "ugly." However, others appreciate the vintage style, finding it nostalgic and charming. Ultimately, many reviewers suggest that the gameplay experience is strong enough to overshadow the poor visuals, making it enjoyable despite the graphical shortcomings.
- “The game has very cool vintage-looking graphics that bring nice memories.”
- “Seriously, this game is fun when you get past the graphics.”
- “If you can look past the admittedly horrible graphics, you will find an excellent tower defense game.”
- “First the downsides, the graphics are not to everyone's taste.”
- “I know the visuals are very ugly, but it's one of the most challenging and addictive games in the tower defense genre, with an interesting grind on the characters and the tower perks.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is characterized by a fast-paced real-time system that includes a pausing option, allowing for a dynamic flow and strategic depth. Players can adopt various styles, focusing on either traps or player skills, which adds to the game's replayability and engagement. Overall, it features interesting mechanics and constraints that enhance the gaming experience.
- “The gameplay is real-time (with a pausing option as well), which makes the overall flow of the game very exciting and fast-paced.”
- “I feel like this mechanic has a lot of room for choosing different playing styles: one can choose to focus on the traps or the player skills, or do a little bit of both.”
- “Nice little game with interesting mechanics and constraints.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its consistency and effectiveness, enhanced by a fitting hard rock and heavy metal soundtrack that complements the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate how the music aligns with the game's tone, contributing to an immersive environment.
- “Bonus points for the hard rock and heavy metal soundtrack that perfectly complements the atmosphere.”
- “Special bonus for the consistent and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is enhanced by a fantastic soundtrack that fits the game's vibe exceptionally well.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the game surprisingly high in replayability, with engaging map challenge modifiers and a leveling system that encourage continued play beyond initial completion. The combination of appealing visuals and a controllable character further enhances the game's lasting appeal, making it more enjoyable than typical tower defense titles.
- “The look of the game and the controllable player character are what drew me in, but the replayability from the map challenge modifiers and the leveling system has kept me playing.”
- “At first I was hesitant about getting this, thinking it'd just be a game I could beat and get bored of in an afternoon like something on Kongregate; but after I tried the demo and then bought the full game, turns out it's more fun and replayable than any tower defense game I can recall playing.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the innovative blend of tower defense and RPG elements, highlighting the engaging character development that enhances gameplay. The combination of smooth mechanics and challenging features contributes to a compelling experience that keeps players invested for hours.
- “I absolutely enjoy the game: smooth gameplay, an innovative combination of tower defense with RPG-esque character development, and nice level design with annoyingly challenging features that make me play the game for hours.”