ValeGuard
- August 23, 2018
- Lost Tower Games
- 24h median play time
Get on Steam"Valeguard is a single-player Role Playing game that takes about 24 hours to beat. It is a Tower Defense and Town-Management hybrid, where you construct defenses, train troops, and prepare for battle during the day, and defend with towers, troops, and heroes at night. Each town you save unlocks unique assets and heroes for future battles, with the option to gather resources, craft weapons, and train troops to help with defense."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- ValeGuard features a charming art design and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The game offers a unique blend of tower defense, RTS, and city-building mechanics, providing a variety of gameplay options and replayability.
- Players appreciate the depth of strategy involved in managing resources, unlocking heroes, and making meaningful choices during gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including problems with saving progress and unresponsive controls, which can lead to frustrating experiences.
- Many players find the difficulty balance inconsistent, with some modes being too easy and others being excessively hard, making it hard to enjoy the game.
- The user interface is often described as clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to manage their units and resources effectively.
- story70 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 91 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being short and lacking depth, with players expressing a desire for more missions and narrative content. While the campaign features engaging elements like decision-making and random events that can impact gameplay, the limited choices and repetitive nature of missions detract from the overall experience. Additionally, technical issues such as crashes and camera problems further hinder the enjoyment of the story-driven gameplay.
“I love all those little story elements between battles which allow you to make decisions that could either help or hinder you later on - at times I wished I was a bit wiser (letting a mumbling madman tamper with the village well was not a good idea!).”
“After finishing the story mode of this game on normal difficulty, I can say I am happy with my purchase.”
“Also has enough of a story to keep you wanting to defend your town :)”
“A full path to the last mission only has a few choices, which is a shame as it makes for a rather short campaign.”
“The price for the available content and limited story and stifled/restricted campaign is a touch on the rich side in my opinion.”
“The storyline is a bit lackluster.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring enjoyable city-building and tower defense mechanics, but marred by frustrating combat and unintuitive controls. While the game offers solid replayability and unique puzzle quests, it suffers from a lack of depth and clarity in its mechanics, making it feel short on features. Overall, it can be fun for fans of the genre, but the gameplay loop may not deliver the excitement players expect.
“So I would recommend this game for its unique gameplay and solid replayability.”
“Its fun and deep gameplay tends to pull you in and keep you hooked as you go from town to town building and defending until you are sure the hordes have passed.”
“8.5/10... I'd definitely recommend if you're into this type of gameplay, it's loads of fun.”
“It's also not a great RPG and has very frustrating combat mechanics.”
“Gameplay is slow and unintuitive.”
“The town building mechanics are pretty arcane by today's standards.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming cartoon art style, distinct character designs, and appealing color balance that enhances both day and night settings. However, some users have reported glitches, particularly when building structures that interfere with unit placement, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the visuals are considered fun and approachable, reminiscent of classic titles like Warcraft 3.
“The characters are all done really well, both in graphics and design.”
“This game has a pleasant cartoon art style with a good balance of colors that make both night and day aesthetically appealing.”
“And the graphics are already charming.”
“What I found is the graphics of units glitching out if you set a building to be built on a square they stand on, and not being able to delete a building you can't connect a road to since it won't function without it.”
“I love the graphic design and the concept, however at this time I have to give it a no.”
“It is very reminiscent of Warcraft 3 tower defense aesthetically and thematically.”
- replayability20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability, particularly for players who enjoy challenging themselves and exploring different strategies. Unlockable characters, random events, and the ability to choose various towns with unique advantages contribute to a diverse gameplay experience, although some players note that the maps can become repetitive over time. Overall, while the campaign can be completed relatively quickly, the potential for hours of varied play keeps players engaged.
“I have really enjoyed it, and the replayability is quite strong.”
“The price for the available content and limited story and stifled/restricted campaign (even with the replayability thanks to unlockable characters and random events with multiple different ways to complete them) is a touch on the rich side in my opinion.”
“Finishing the campaign doesn't take long, but it definitely has some replayability because you are allowed to choose which town you wish to protect, and different towns offer different advantages, be it extremely long-range ballista turrets or medium-range archer turrets, or units like spearmen and knights.”
“As for replayability, each game you complete unlocks more to play with (heroes, units, buildings, etc.), so you could spend hours defending towns and still find new stuff to play with, even though the maps can get a little repetitive.”
- music16 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with many praising the catchy soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere and mood. Reviewers recommend purchasing the soundtrack for its relaxing qualities, particularly noting its effectiveness during boss encounters. While the music is well-received, some players found the game loop itself to be less satisfying.
“The music is good and the balance feels fair to the player on normal difficulty.”
“Also, some great music that really sets a mood that goes well with this type of game (if you like good and relaxing video game music, I recommend getting the soundtrack).”
“It's very catchy, and great for background music.”
“I love the art design and soundtrack, but the game loop here was pretty rough and unsatisfying for me.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow, boring, and repetitive, often describing it as tedious and lacking depth. While some ideas seem promising, the execution leads to a monotonous experience, particularly due to limitations like the inability to select multiple units for movement. Overall, the grinding feels more frustrating than engaging.
“Some decent ideas, but it is slow, boring, tedious, repetitive, etc. and just not enough meat on the bone.”
“Sounds good on paper, but since you are not experiencing the game the same way the videos promise, it's just tedious, random, and monotonous.”
“- Can't select more than one unit (hopefully gets added soon?), so it can be tedious to move units around.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report only minor glitches that are easily overlooked, others experience more significant issues, such as enemies phasing through objects and characters becoming unresponsive. These glitches can detract from the gameplay experience, particularly in specific scenarios.
“That said... the game does have more than a few annoying glitches. Enemies tend to phase through gatehouses, the summoner falls into a spasm (leaving her unable to attack or move) when you try to summon with her, and units glitch out into the landscape and buildings.”
“The first time I played, I encountered only one or two minor glitches that you barely notice. However, unless you make some pretty specific decisions or mistakes, I found them to be nearly nonexistent.”
“That said... the game does have more than a few annoying glitches. Enemies tend to phase through gatehouses, the summoner falls into a spasm (leaving her unable to attack or move) when you try to summon with her, and units glitch out into the landscape and buildings.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find that the monetization strategy, which includes ads, adds an element of uncertainty and excitement to the gameplay experience. This unpredictability enhances the overall enjoyment rather than detracting from it.
“The uncertainty of what you will lose to the night-only ads adds to the frustration.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's disappointing to see such aggressive monetization tactics in a game that could be so much more.”
