With levels that are structured around goals (rather than just kill everything in sight), “Defenders of the Last Colony” brings the one thing that most dual-stick shooters lack: a meaningful campaign mode with varied objectives. I’ve always enjoyed having something to do aside from attack every enemy on screen, and this game does that well. It has been done before (“Geometry Wars: Galaxies” comes to mind), but it’s rare and it’s nice to see it done again.
Need a break from the main mode? There are 2d side-scrolling and a Space Invaders’-esque mode where you’re on a static screen and shooting up. But the campaign mode is the meat of the game, and makes it worth its 80 Microsoft Points purchase price.
Here’s what the developer (knitted pixels) has to say about the game:
“Defend the Last Human Colony from the Starians. Build your defenses in this unique mix of Tower Defense and Twin Stick Shooter. 12 worlds to explore, final boss battle, 2 different classes (Engineer and Fighter), retro modes to unlock, 15 awards, 30 challenges and coop up to 4 players.”
Writings of Mass Deduction 