Defenders of Ardania

 PC
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 29
  3. Negative: 17 out of 29

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  1. AndreaGriffin
    Mar 16, 2012
    5
    This game comes to you from the land of Ardania, the setting of the game Majesty and its sequel Majesty II. You'll recognize the voice acting.

    Gameplay-wise, the game plays very much like other Tower Defense games: You build towers along a grid, trying to stop the bad guys from reaching your fortress. Unlike most other TD games, however, you also go on the offensive: You build your own    This game comes to you from the land of Ardania, the setting of the game Majesty and its sequel Majesty II. You'll recognize the voice acting.

    Gameplay-wise, the game plays very much like other Tower Defense games: You build towers along a grid, trying to stop the bad guys from reaching your fortress. Unlike most other TD games, however, you also go on the offensive: You build your own waves of critters and send them back through the map toward the other guy.

    While this is nice in theory and could make for a fantastic game, it just wasn't executed particularly well. You're susceptible to "zerg rush" tactics in multiplayer, the unit selection feels tactically unimportant (you'll use the same few units constantly), and the standard campaign doesn't have enough interesting challenges for an experienced TD player (although there are some challenge modes). An experienced Tower Defense gamer can expect 6-8 hours from the campaign. It's quite easy.

    One disappointment in particular is that you don't seem to be able to play the other 2 races/factions in campaign mode, which would go a long way to adding replayability to the very short campaign.

    Even after a patch applied the day after the release, the controls feel sluggish and unresponsive (although the patch fixed the most glaring errors). Graphically the game is nice and the sound is appropriate.

    Even the multiplayer experience has some issues. You cannot type messages to other players, everyone is booted back to the main menu once a game is over instead of returning to a lobby, and the AI always gangs up on Player 1 from the very beginning, never changing tactics or trying to surprise other players. Still, there IS an AI to play against, and in a game where tactical decisions need to be made it's interesting and welcome to have an AI at all.

    Game modes include free-for-all, 2v2, and 2v2 survival. The AI can be used in any of the modes. So, for your friends that can't handle playing against another player lest they (gasp) lose, there's options for their tender feelings.

    I don't know if there is a technical issue, but I was unable to find any open multiplayer games online. I was only able to get people into my game by inviting them directly via Steam.


    If you're a fan of TD games then Defenders of Ardania should be in your library; if you only have a passing interest in the genre, you may want to consider alternatives.    … Expand
  2. Tridus
    May 25, 2012
    4
    Suffers from an unforgivable sin - its boring. Due to the symmetrical nature of the game, there are stretches where you just need to wait for enough gold to do anything... And so does your opponent. That means stretches while itching at all is happening. It also takes a long time to put away a match after you've basically won due to how easy iris to take out attacking units with spells.Suffers from an unforgivable sin - its boring. Due to the symmetrical nature of the game, there are stretches where you just need to wait for enough gold to do anything... And so does your opponent. That means stretches while itching at all is happening. It also takes a long time to put away a match after you've basically won due to how easy iris to take out attacking units with spells.

    Skip this one.    … Expand
  3. Dethstar
    Mar 26, 2012
    2
    A below average game. Someone has cynically created a game to jump on the tower defence bandwagon knowing that this alone may sell it. However, it is just plane boring, dull and limited with limited control and precious little to recommend it. I want to balance this out with some positive to say about it and all I can think of is that its quite pretty.
  4. Arthas58
    Mar 23, 2013
    3
    I bought by Steam this game in reference to the good graphics aspect seen in the demo but in the daily utilization I was fully disappointed by the bug and the lag inside the game. One of this bug refer to the fault in the utilization of F1 for the positioning of the towers with Windows XP at the moment I do not understand the reason also after some call to Paradox Help Center.
    The    I bought by Steam this game in reference to the good graphics aspect seen in the demo but in the daily utilization I was fully disappointed by the bug and the lag inside the game. One of this bug refer to the fault in the utilization of F1 for the positioning of the towers with Windows XP at the moment I do not understand the reason also after some call to Paradox Help Center.
    The deployment of the game is stuffing because the only thing that you can do is send troop build towers and wait for the result that very often you can't in any manner determinate.So very often at beginning you win but you do not know really why because you do not manage the action in a useful way.Graphics and animation are good except for the window pop up of some command too much invasive that obscure a huge part of the field of battle but this is't enough to make a good TD Defense Grid ,Fieldrunner and also GratuitousTank Battle anc Comet Crash are really in another planet........    … Expand
  5. murut87
    Mar 31, 2012
    4
    This game graphics are kinda great,but sadly,the game suffers from bugs,filled with boring elements and poorly made game.There are more better Tower Defense game that this and i don`t recommend anyone to play this game.
  6. goodguy3
    Jun 8, 2013
    0
    Screw you, Paradox. First you Piss all over the Franchise with Majesty 2 and then you turn one of my favorite IPs into a freaking Tower Defence game? Ten to one this game's abhorrent sales and reviews will put the thought "Oh, guess people don't like Majesty" into the publisher's heads and as such we will never see a quality Ardania-verse game again. Ah, well. .at least we have Majesty Gold HD.
  7. AngleWyrm
    Mar 23, 2012
    4
    The graphics are nice, and the idea of sending your own forces against the attackers is original. But the troops move at different speeds, making coordination a problem that does not resemble a feature more than an unnecessary frustration. And the tutorial avatar is like an unskippable cut scene, boorishly taking over the game to grand-stand on his soap box to a captive audience, beforeThe graphics are nice, and the idea of sending your own forces against the attackers is original. But the troops move at different speeds, making coordination a problem that does not resemble a feature more than an unnecessary frustration. And the tutorial avatar is like an unskippable cut scene, boorishly taking over the game to grand-stand on his soap box to a captive audience, before allowing permission to access some locked game feature.… Expand
  8. Wrathak
    Mar 15, 2012
    3
    Sadly, while this game has great graphics and some nice ideas to spruce up the tower defense genre, the controls are too broken to play on the pc.

    I couldn't even get past the tutorial because of it

    Wait and see if they fix the controls before purchasing
  9. Scritty
    Mar 15, 2012
    8
    Firstly - there is a critic review for the PC game dated January 2012. I know this is not possible becasue the game was officially only at BETA stage then (and I was on the BETA test team - so I know this for a fact) How can metacritic publish a "review" for a game that wasn't completed for another two months until after the "review" was published?
    Anyway - moving on. DOA is a pretty good    Firstly - there is a critic review for the PC game dated January 2012. I know this is not possible becasue the game was officially only at BETA stage then (and I was on the BETA test team - so I know this for a fact) How can metacritic publish a "review" for a game that wasn't completed for another two months until after the "review" was published?
    Anyway - moving on. DOA is a pretty good game. These hybrid tower defense games are finally coming good with some decent alternatives. Dungeon Defenders, Defense Grid and this are all fine games, there are others. Control on PC is pretty good, strategy is fast and frenetic and GFX might be the best for any tower def game yet. It was on offer on Steam when I got it for less than seven bucks. Well worth it    … Expand
  10. Rentalissal
    Aug 7, 2013
    0
    The idea might see simple and good, altough the game itself lacks in giving you enjoyable gameplay.
    Sending an army is limited, Some troops are way to strong, others are very weak.
    The troops you can sent only have the goal to destroy some targets and the enemy headquarters. There is no option so your troops can attack a tower so you can expand your tower base. The towers are built,    The idea might see simple and good, altough the game itself lacks in giving you enjoyable gameplay.
    Sending an army is limited, Some troops are way to strong, others are very weak.
    The troops you can sent only have the goal to destroy some targets and the enemy headquarters.
    There is no option so your troops can attack a tower so you can expand your tower base.
    The towers are built, stand there and you can't change it all.
    Its one of the worst games I have played in a while.    … Expand
  11. Vas
    Jun 29, 2014
    7
    I personally love tower defense games, and this one lets you both defend and attack which is great. It gets progressively harder as you continue on as well to keep things from being too easy. What makes me like it more, is that it still follows the Majesty lore. You have a limited amount of towers you're allowed to place, so you have to think before you spam the field with towers.
  12. GDabir
    Nov 30, 2013
    2
    Concept of the game is very good but game plan is too bad.
    1. You can't take over the game even if you played well, every missions are too much depended on pre-planned scenario.
    2. Limited towers, troops & resources.
    3. (2x) mode doesn't work at all.
    4. Controls are half in keyboard & half in mouse, very hard to remember them while playing & its pretty bothering.
    5. No fun.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 17
  3. Negative: 5 out of 17
  1. Worth Playing
    Aug 20, 2012
    45
    In the end, only certain elements of Defenders of Ardania work well.
    Read full review
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    May 16, 2012
    62
    It tries to set itself apart from the cornucopia of tower defense games, but fails. Despite the efforts for character and new features, the overall execution is messed up. If you are a true fan of the genre or you want all fantasy games in your collection, wait for it to enter bargain bin status and go for it. [May 2012]
  3. PC Gamer UK
    May 11, 2012
    59
    A different take on tower defence, but one that needed more thought before being released on an unsuspecting public. [June 2012, p.110]
    Read full review
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