“Union of Armstrong” represents some interesting ideas about tower defence. It’s not the same old, same old.
For one, you have “Power”, “Defense”, and “Resources”, and can transfer between the three, meaning if you’re being attacked by a giant satellite you can transfer (for example) resources to defence. It’s an interesting twist on a formula that’s usually just about placing and upgrading turrets, giving you more strategic and tactical considerations.
Did I mention that there is a huge satellite that attacks you periodically? That’s kind of different too, as a powerful enemy suddenly assaulting you that’s not beholden to the paths your defending mixes up the formula in a good way. Another thing that seems different is, unless I miss my guess, enemies actually become more resistant to your attacks over time, forcing you to upgrade and otherwise mix things up.
Presentation is good, reminding me of a good-looking Dreamcast game (for anyone who might not be sure, yes that’s a compliment) and the music is quite different. As always, a science fiction premise rubs me the right way too.
Speaking of science fiction premises, what’s not to love about a lunar colony defending the Apollo 11 landing site from a mining corporation that would really rather you get out of their way and let them mine this historic site. The story is first introduced through a series of interactive discussions, and a news ticker rolls throughout the game that both advances the story and attempts to amuse. The background shows the inside of your base, so as your base it attacked in the foreground you might see the people inside being shaken up in the background image (a bit reminiscent of Lumines, actually). The game has several nice touches like that.
All in all, this is a fantastic 80 Microsoft Point game.
Here’s what the developer (Domain of the Infinite) has to say about the game:
“You are the president of a Moon colony defending the historic Apollo 11 site from a corporate mining company. Command your forces during the final battle with Luna Corporation. Play over forty levels in this tower defense game.”
Writings of Mass Deduction 