Sentinel

About

Sentinel is an interactive audio tower defense game. It mixes strategic game play with a dynamic music system. The game takes place on a sequencer-like grid. As you add defenses, collect resources and destroy enemies, musical elements are triggered in time to the music. Fight through 31 levels to clear the virus from the system.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

music19 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The game features a unique integration of music with gameplay, where tower actions and enemy movements sync to the beat, creating an engaging audio-visual experience.
The variety of levels and distinct features in each stage, along with the creative presentation, showcase a dedication to detail and provide a fun atmosphere.
As a free game, it offers a solid challenge for tower defense fans, with interesting mechanics that require quick reflexes and strategic thinking.

The game suffers from a lack of intuitive controls and documentation, making it difficult for players to understand mechanics and effectively manage their towers.
Many players find the micromanagement aspect overwhelming, as it requires constant power shifting between towers without a pause feature, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The difficulty spikes significantly in later levels, with some players feeling that the game becomes more of a memory test than a strategic challenge, making it less enjoyable.

music
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
4%
The music in the game is a standout feature, integrating dynamically with gameplay mechanics, where tower placements and actions influence the soundtrack, creating an interactive audio experience. While many players appreciate the electronic music and its ability to enhance the atmosphere, some criticize it for being repetitive and not particularly memorable outside the context of the game. Overall, the music is well-received by fans of electronic genres, adding a unique twist to the tower defense experience, though it may not appeal to everyone.
- “This is a very simplified and straightforward interpretation of one with the added gimmick that your actions (of placing towers) and the shooting (from those towers) integrates into the music to create an 'interactive audio' experience.”
- “The music is one of the most important elements in this game, and the tracklist is composed of very good electronic music.”
- “Your tower placement affects the music (imagine the screen as one large step sequencer) as well as events like tower shots, dying enemies, etc.”
- “The music in the game plays no part in how the tower defense handles.”
- “The game doesn't even do that right; you look at dubstep and how it has a drop and different pitches, this is more like techno generic song one a, then on to game two remix of generic song one a, and so forth.”
- “The best way to describe this is if you have ever been to a club, stood in the middle of the dance floor, had people bumping into you, as you stare up into a strobe light and let the mind numbing, repetitive remix of the same song you heard the last 4 songs melt your brain.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
70%
17%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of tower defense mechanics and micromanagement, requiring players to strategically manage power levels and resources while defending against waves of enemies. While some players appreciate the unique 'power distribution' mechanic and the engaging bonus stages, others find the core gameplay unintuitive, repetitive, and lacking in rewarding progression. Overall, the experience is described as straightforward but not particularly innovative, with a contrasting atmosphere created by the dynamic music.
- “I specifically liked the bonus stages which are different from the usual gameplay.”
- “Gameplay consists of maintaining different power levels to your defense towers, while collecting money to buy more towers, keeping the virus at bay.”
- “The music suits the game very well, going from calm and relaxed to active and upbeat as you change stages, and it's always very unintrusive, letting you focus on the gameplay.”
- “Some game mechanics are unintuitive and poorly documented.”
- “The gameplay is very boring, and the level progression goes from hard to impossible.”
- “The way the gameplay handles is simple, but it never rewards you for winning a match; it feels more like a chore.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The graphics of the game are described as minimalistic yet vibrant, with a nice visual aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. While some players appreciate the lively colors and backgrounds, others criticize the graphics as being poor compared to other tower defense games. Overall, the visuals effectively complement the game's theme and mechanics, despite some minor issues with graphical elements not disappearing as intended.
- “The aesthetics are very nice - the colors and backgrounds are alive with vivid color.”
- “Sentinel is a tower defense game with a quite novel 'power distribution' mechanic, a nice visual aesthetic and some cool sounds/music.”
- “The basic premise is that you're an anti-virus program defending off viruses, and the visuals and music that accompany it fit their roles well to put you into that world.”
- “Compared to other tower defense games, this one has quite poor graphics; soundtracks are never a major selling point (I can listen to the radio for free).”
- “There is no way of disabling the unnecessary throbbing graphics.”
- “Minimalistic visuals.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The reviews indicate that the game lacks a coherent or engaging story, with some users noting that there is essentially no narrative present.
- “There is no story either.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often requiring significant time investment, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I found it to be tedious.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its fitting music that enhances the fun experience, although it can sometimes clash with the frequent task-switching required during gameplay. Overall, reviewers agree that the atmosphere effectively complements the game's design.
- “I found the music to be wonderfully fit for creating a fun atmosphere, despite the many times it contrasts with how much task-switching you have to do during gameplay.”
- “I'll start off by saying it's got a good atmosphere to go along with what it is.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for being completely free with no hidden costs or microtransactions, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of tower defense games.
- “It's a nice game for free without any hidden costs or microtransactions and definitely worth a shot if you like tower defense games.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The Windows version of the game has been reported to have significant bugs, indicating stability issues that affect the overall gameplay experience.
- “The Windows version was still buggy when I played it.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the experience.”