"Taur is a single-player action-strategy sci-fi game with wonderful mechanics and fabulous visuals. Command the Prime Cannon, unlock and upgrade weapons and abilities, and build defenses to withstand different types of attacks. Every object in the environment is destructible, providing a tactically engaging experience, but beware of the heavy grinding."
Unique take on the tower defense genre with engaging gameplay mechanics.
Visually stunning with great sound design and satisfying explosions.
Offers a variety of towers, weapons, and a tech tree that allows for different strategies.
Repetitive gameplay with limited content and enemy variety after a few hours.
Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, leading to a potential 'death spiral' if players lose missions.
RNG-based weapon upgrades can result in frustrating downgrades, impacting overall gameplay.
story
654 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
84%
8%
The game's story is minimal and largely underwhelming, with players noting that it lacks depth and character development, primarily serving as a backdrop for the gameplay. Most reviews emphasize that the narrative is simplistic, revolving around defending against invaders, and that the missions quickly become repetitive without significant story progression or engaging plot elements. While some players appreciate the gameplay mechanics, they express a desire for a more substantial storyline to enhance the overall experience.
“The story is super simple but makes sense and needs little added.”
“The main issue here for me personally is that the story and campaign is quite underwhelming in the sense that you only get the actual gameplay.”
“What I would have liked to see, as you can probably guess, is that there needs to be an actual story... more bosses that encourage you to actually play the game more.”
“This is not a game you play for its story; it really doesn't have much.”
“There is really no story, neither campaign. The customization is nice, you could play the game again on different difficulty and using a different build; however, the levels get repetitive very quickly.”
“The main issue here for me personally is that the story and campaign are quite underwhelming in the sense that you only get the actual gameplay.”
gameplay
400 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a simple yet addictive loop involving resource gathering, tower defense, and shooter mechanics, which many players find engaging initially. However, it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of content, leading to a feeling of grind after a few hours. While the graphics and sound design are praised, the core mechanics and strategic depth are often criticized for being shallow and not fully realized, leaving players wanting more variety and challenge.
“It's a great game with nice ambience, sounds and graphics, with successful mechanics that make you play it over and over again.”
“The gameplay loop is simple: you just play mission after mission trying to gather resources to advance a tech tree and try to power yourself up.”
“Great gameplay paired with slick visuals and a bunch of big explosions makes for a great time.”
“Very frustrating as this has the potential to be a fantastic game, but currently the core gameplay/fun proposition is broken, as it's a bad 'shooter', with awful aim and unsatisfying/untactful player-controlled shooting, but also a bad tower defense, with turrets and units that are very weak and can't be relied upon for anything.”
“While the graphics and sound design are decent, the gameplay itself is lackluster and fails to engage the player in a meaningful way.”
“The gameplay loop gets old with no way to modify or alter the experience other than your tower build.”
graphics
314 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
28%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, unique art style, and effective use of effects and lighting, contributing to an immersive experience during gameplay. Many players noted the game's ability to handle large-scale battles smoothly, although some expressed concerns about optimization issues that could affect performance on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are considered a highlight, enhancing the game's appeal despite some critiques regarding gameplay depth and content.
“The graphics and visuals are absolutely stunning, and the gameplay is very engaging.”
“Taur has really great unique graphics and visuals which made me want to get the game in the first place but it has much more than that.”
“The aesthetics, from the visual design to the sound effects, are awesome, and once you get these massive battles on screen it's chaotic and exciting.”
“While the graphics and sound design are decent, the gameplay itself is lackluster and fails to engage the player in a meaningful way.”
“On the other hand, optimization is still terrible as lowering the graphic settings does not change anything at all.”
“Do not get suckered in by the visuals and sound design, and its promises of 'strategy' lest you end up like me; horribly disappointed by the actual gameplay.”
replayability
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
51%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting a lack of substantial replay value due to repetitive gameplay and limited content after the initial playthrough. While some enjoy experimenting with different strategies and builds, others feel that the game becomes stale quickly, with little incentive to return once the main objectives are completed. Recent updates have improved replayability slightly, but many still express a desire for more variety and additional content to enhance long-term engagement.
“Over all 10/10 game that hasn't stopped being fun and replayable in my 929 hours of play time over the course of like 5 years.”
“Great gameplay, lots of replayability.”
“Whether you wish to reforge your main weapons and fight the waves yourself, summon armies of mechanical phalanxes to guard you as I did, or sit back and watch as your pilots rain death from above, there's a playstyle for everyone it seemed and a lot of replayability.”
“There's not much replay value sadly.”
“The only downside I see is the relatively short playing time, which is about 8 hours per run, and the lack of replayability, because you see all there is in the first run.”
“The game has practically zero replayability and scalability.”
music
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
46%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and fit within the game's atmosphere, particularly during preparation phases. However, a significant number of players express disappointment over the lack of in-game music during battles, feeling that this absence detracts from the overall experience. While some find the soundtrack enjoyable and a highlight of the game, others resort to external music to enhance their gameplay.
“Brutal sound effects in the battles, and impeccable sci-fi feeling music in the preparations part.”
“The gameplay is immensely enjoyable, the soundtrack, graphics, and game mechanics flow smoothly with each other.”
“The music is also a great fit and enhances the entire gameplay to the next level.”
“The problem with this game is there is no soundtrack.”
“The game itself is pretty decent, but for some reason, shooting a horde of minions with a lot of explosions without any uplifting soundtrack like in the trailer makes the game dull.”
“Firstly, there is no level music, so make sure to bring your own.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly time-consuming, particularly after initial excitement fades. While the variety of upgrades and choices can be enjoyable at first, many reviewers express frustration with long wait times, repetitive gameplay, and a reliance on randomness that detracts from the experience. Overall, the grind can feel excessive, with significant time spent on upgrades that may not feel rewarding.
“Tediously unskippable long waiting time between each action feels like it's stretched out for filler purposes (entering a location, winning, losing, etc...).”
“You will constantly be cast into death spirals over and over with no hope of recovery; the progression can feel pretty grindy, and nearly everything the player does is dictated by pure randomness.”
“All in all, you're missing out on about 1 hour's worth of content with 5 hours of grinding.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game's stability is significantly hampered by persistent issues such as non-toggleable mouse acceleration, duplicated cursors, and frequent freezes upon exiting, which have been reported for years without resolution. While some players find the gameplay itself relatively smooth, the technical problems, particularly during startup and shutdown, render the experience frustrating and often unplayable. Overall, the lack of updates and ongoing bugs contribute to a disappointing stability rating.
“In fact, the entire game seems to be bug-free.”
“But while the game feels quite polished and bug-free, I quickly realized that while all the turrets you can call in add to the overall damage you will cause, exchanging a few towers here and there hardly makes a difference in the big picture.”
“I had it on my wishlist for some time and finally gave it a try. Unfortunately, I suffer from a duplicated cursor (the game uses a custom cursor but fails to hide the system cursor) and freezes when quitting, forcing me to restart the system.”
“Bought this years ago. I've been waiting for updates, and now that I decided to actually play it, it is unplayable on my system: double mouse cursor on the screen, and it also freezes when I try to exit the game.”
“The game sometimes doesn't close, and tabbing out of the game is buggy.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the performance relative to its graphics, others report significant GPU usage and performance issues, particularly at higher refresh rates. The upgrade mechanics can also strain resources, especially early in the game, and there are calls for improvements in the user interface and settings. Despite these concerns, the core gameplay remains enjoyable, especially when purchased at a discount.
“To start off with, the optimization is fantastic for the level of graphics, and I absolutely adore the sound effects and the way enemies die and fall apart.”
“At high refresh rates, the game is not well optimized.”
“So there is no really good way to tell if your offense/defense config is optimized or which towers are doing what.”
“- A big part of the game is an upgrade mechanic (to increase your main weapon's damage) that completely relies on RNG, eats up a ton of resources, and can easily cripple your performance, especially early game.”
“Optimization, given the somewhat simple graphics, is not the best as GPU consumption was around 90-100% in 1440p, 144Hz - however, it goes to a much more acceptable 60% if the frame rate is limited to 85fps.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, particularly through its ironic and cheeky approach that playfully insults the gamer, adding a layer of fun to the gameplay. Players enjoy the comedic elements intertwined with the action, describing it as a funny experience where humor complements the chaotic gameplay.
“Funny game where you kill stuff with more stuff.”
“Funny pew pew.”
“I do love that irony at the beginning of the game though... sort of insulting the gamer in a cheeky, funny way... love that bit.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration and disappointment regarding emotional engagement in the game, indicating that unresolved issues have led to a lack of connection and enjoyment. Many are hesitant to continue playing until promised improvements are made in future updates.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the impressive soundtrack and level art as key elements that contribute to an engaging and immersive experience.
“The soundtrack, level art, and atmosphere are all amazing.”