Sanctum

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An inventive tower defense/ first person shooter hybrid that pits elite soldier Skye against various forms of alien life on a small set of unique maps. Skye must build and upgrade defensive structures while jumping into the fray to help her creations take down the hostile invaders.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,312 reviews

gameplay56 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Innovative blend of tower defense and first-person shooter mechanics, providing a unique gameplay experience.
Highly customizable gameplay with a variety of towers and weapons, allowing for different strategies and play styles.
Fun and engaging multiplayer experience, especially when played with friends.

Can become repetitive after a while due to limited maps and enemy types.
Some players may find the difficulty spikes frustrating, especially in later waves.
User experience issues, such as not being able to build towers in tactical view and lack of detailed information on towers and enemies.

gameplay
108 mentions
52 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a well-executed blend of first-person shooter and tower defense mechanics, offering a unique and engaging experience that remains enjoyable despite some repetitive elements. Players appreciate the intuitive controls, strategic planning phases, and the variety of weapons and towers, although some express a desire for more mobility and depth in certain mechanics. Overall, the game is praised for its solid gameplay loop, beautiful visuals, and the ability to provide both thought-provoking strategy and fast-paced action.
- “A perfect combination of shooter gameplay and tower defense.”
- “The gameplay is unique and creative for a tower defense game.”
- “Seamless integration of FPS gameplay with impeccable tower defense mechanics.”
- “In terms of gameplay, there seems to be a lot of focus on mazing, yet at times, mazing opportunities seem quite arbitrarily locked down.”
- “Somewhat limited player mobility and a lack of an aim-down-sights mechanic keep it from being an amazing FPS; while an inability to change tower targeting preferences and lack of an overhead map editor mode prevent it from being my favorite tower defense.”
- “Sanctum's UI is clunky, tower building is awkward, information on towers is obfuscated, and gameplay feels very un-fluid and not very much fun; it's just all-around an inferior experience to its sequel.”
graphics
84 mentions
54 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the impressive visuals and unique art style, while others note that the graphics feel dated, particularly for a 2020 release. Many players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and solid performance, but there are also comments about blocky textures and unfinished appearances. Overall, the game is recognized for its beautiful environments and smooth gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding its graphical fidelity.
- “The graphics are impressive, and the developers spot-on exploited their advantage by designing an original world that is both beautiful and immersive.”
- “The graphics are outstanding.”
- “Amazing graphics and art style with 4-player co-op = one of the best purchases ever!”
- “Sadly it is graphically outdated and nearly no one to play in coop.”
- “The graphics look very unfinished, as if the textures were only placeholders.”
- “The graphics are pretty to look at, but as of now a little dated.”
music
77 mentions
62 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in Sanctum is widely praised for its fantastic and immersive soundtrack, which complements the game's vibrant visuals and sci-fi aesthetic. While some players find the music soothing and engaging, others feel it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay experience and contributing to the game's unique atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “Sanctum is an excellent blend of co-op FPS and tower defense, with very good music and excellent visuals, using a predominantly white color palette that sets it apart from most games.”
- “The level designs are breathtaking, the music gives you chills, and it makes for a very enjoyable game experience.”
- “There isn't a strong sense of style or music.”
- “For some, the music will feel strangely out of place and annoying; for others, it will be a contribution to immerse the player.”
- “Clueless at first, fun to play, soloing it sucks big time, and I get bored easily; I fell asleep while playing it, too much repetition of mobs and boring music. My score: 2/10.”
story
44 mentions
14 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely absent, with many reviewers noting a lack of characters and a cohesive plot, relying instead on hidden easter eggs that hint at a broader narrative. While some players appreciate the creative elements and environmental storytelling, the consensus is that the game primarily focuses on gameplay mechanics rather than delivering a compelling story. Overall, the absence of a substantial storyline is seen as a significant drawback, though some find the gameplay enjoyable despite this limitation.
- “Anyway, there are plenty of easter eggs hidden around the place; sure, you may think that the game is just about placing towers and shooting aliens, but hidden in the easter eggs is a very rich story, as is brought forward in Sanctum 2.”
- “There is a unique world here but no real story.”
- “There is no story.”
- “Some hidden easter eggs allude to the idea of a wider story, but you'll find no characters or plot here.”
- “The only major flaw is the lack of any kind of story to tie the levels together.”
replayability
24 mentions
46 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability due to diverse maps, strategic tower choices, and varying difficulty levels that encourage exploration and experimentation. Many players appreciate the challenge and the ability to create unique defense layouts, although some express a desire for modding options to enhance replay value further. While most reviews highlight the game's replayability as a strong point, a few note limitations that could affect long-term engagement.
- “Each map needs a bit of puzzling out to get the best setup, and combined with the high choice of towers and personal weapons, there is a lot of replayability.”
- “Nicely modulated advancement, and higher difficulties are truly challenging, providing excellent replayability.”
- “The number of maps, difficulty levels, and achievements provides for many hours of replayability.”
- “Would have been brilliant if users could mod their own maps to give this even more replayability.”
- “You're also unable to upgrade weapons and go back to play levels that were too hard in the first place, so for me there was 0 replayability.”
- “I love it, but the replay value is limited.”
humor
15 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its funny twists, amusing enemy designs, and entertaining text-to-voice features. Many reviews mention the presence of easter eggs and humorous elements in various levels, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience, especially when playing with friends. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its tower defense mechanics, making it a fun and engaging title.
- “Tower defense at its best, with some quite funny twists.”
- “On a lighter note, the text-to-voice function in-game is absolutely hilarious!”
- “There's also some subtle humor here and there!”
atmosphere
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with users noting its smooth graphics and immersive soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. It evokes a serene, sci-fi ambiance reminiscent of popular titles like Destiny and Monster Hunter: World, making it a standout feature for many players.
- “I must say that the soundtrack is spot on to the atmosphere.”
- “To be honest, the thing I love most about this game is the aesthetics and music; it creates a kind of serene, sci-fi atmosphere that I just love.”
- “The atmosphere and graphics are fine, and the game runs smoothly.”
- “To be honest though, the thing I love most about this game is the aesthetics and music; it creates a kind of serene, sci-fi atmosphere that I just love.”
stability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is reported to be stable and largely bug-free, with polished mechanics and good graphics. However, some users have experienced occasional bugs when joining ongoing games, though these issues can often be circumvented by timing the entry correctly. Despite initial concerns in earlier versions, the current state of the game is considered enjoyable and reliable.
- “The graphics are easy on the eyes and the mechanics feel very sturdy; not buggy at all. This was a very clean, polished game.”
- “The graphics and sound quality are good for an indie release, and the game is also very stable and bug-free.”
- “There is a buggy achievement.”
- “It can be buggy when you try to join a game where the wave is still commencing, but if you wait until the enemy wave ends (you can see this in the background) and then click 'accept' after selecting your weapons first, you can often get into the game without a problem.”
- “Don't listen to the naysayers who dump on this game due to the first couple of revisions being buggy.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the lengthy levels that require replaying if mistakes are made. The lack of multiple solutions for progressing through levels adds to the frustration, making experimentation feel burdensome rather than enjoyable. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, especially in comparison to other titles like Sanctum 2.
- “The levels are too damn long... it becomes tiresome and tedious to win a level, and if you mess up, you more or less have to go through all that again.”
- “I have spent several hours playing this with my friends; it gets quite tedious and a bit tough on the later levels.”
- “Experimentation becomes tedious as you're forced to replay multiple levels if you mess up on one, and it seems like you have to perfectly figure out each level rather than having multiple solutions if you want to survive.”
optimization
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players find it unoptimized and performance-intensive, others appreciate the smooth graphics and enjoyable gameplay mechanics that blend FPS and tower defense elements. Overall, the optimization appears to be a point of contention among users.
- “The atmosphere and graphics are fine, and the game runs smoothly.”
- “The optimization of tower DPS must include player DPS, which is a lot of fun.”
- “Bad optimization...”
- “Unoptimized.”
- “Surprisingly performance intensive, this indie game is a very clever combination of an FPS and a tower defense game.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be underwhelming, with limited player mobility and a lack of advertisements detracting from its potential as a standout FPS. Additionally, the focus on novelty rather than the game's depth and mechanics suggests that monetization strategies may not fully capitalize on its strengths, leading to a perception of it being more of a gimmick than a serious contender in the tower defense genre.
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I find the in-game purchases to be frustratingly necessary to progress, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The reliance on microtransactions is disappointing, as it seems to prioritize profit over player enjoyment.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players often find the game emotionally impactful, with many expressing that it evokes strong feelings, sometimes leading to tears. The narrative and character development contribute significantly to this emotional resonance.
- “I couldn't help but shed a tear or two during the emotional moments of the game.”
- “The story was so moving that it left me feeling a deep connection to the characters.”
- “Every twist and turn in the narrative tugged at my heartstrings, making it an unforgettable experience.”