Defense Grid: The Awakening

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 289 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 239 out of 289
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 289
  3. Negative: 9 out of 289
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  1. cezar88augusto
    Mar 11, 2022
    8
    There is no much to say about this game. It's a Tower Defense Game style with some variety of phases. Over the time the game phases becomes harder and you just give up to finish.
  2. Demiurge11
    Jan 1, 2022
    8
    A birds-eye-view real-time tower defense game. I spent an enjoyable 10 hours or so playing (poorly).

    THE GOOD: - Very intense, nail-biting gameplay! - Surprisingly deep strategy derived from very simple principles (like the line of sight of guns, or the enemy path-finding around towers) - There seem to be lots of special game modes, and extra non-story missions, for completionists    A birds-eye-view real-time tower defense game. I spent an enjoyable 10 hours or so playing (poorly).

    THE GOOD:
    - Very intense, nail-biting gameplay!
    - Surprisingly deep strategy derived from very simple principles (like the line of sight of guns, or the enemy path-finding around towers)
    - There seem to be lots of special game modes, and extra non-story missions, for completionists (caveat: I didn't try any of them)

    THE BAD:
    - There's *technically* a story. I'm not sure it makes any sense (see MINOR SPOILERS for details).
    - I found it difficult to come up with winning strategies because there is a large lag between making a strategic choice and seeing the result. Although, I could usually muddle my way through after a few retries.

    THE UGLY:
    - Nothing! I found no bugs or glitches in this game.

    MINOR SPOILERS:
    - The plot is fluff that makes no sense. For some reason, aliens need to march across your indestructible walkways, and bear the fire of your indestructible guns, only to arrive at a convenient fueling station full of your precious power cores. Why didn't you cover the power cores with the same indestructible material you use for the guns and walkways?    … Expand
  3. scharman
    Aug 24, 2021
    9
    Fun and enjoyable light game. A perfect buy on discount, and a great buy at full price if you enjoy this sort of game. I got it free with Epic, and then ended up buying the entire games plus expansions on steam. Have had 60+ hours of fun - if at times frustration!
  4. Orey-eyed
    Dec 20, 2020
    9
    You plop down towers, upgrade them, and try to stop waves from taking your thingies. Among the best straightforward tower defense games, without the "do you also want to play an action game at the same time" fad of newer TD games. It nails the basics of the genre, but is elevated by better-than-average graphics and stellar narration.
  5. crazymurdock
    Aug 17, 2018
    10
    I bought this for 99p, and have since bought 2 expansions (at 99p each I think). Have over 24 hours clocked up and have enjoyed every one of them immensely.

    This is my favourite tower defence game ever (yes, better than it's sequel)
  6. MAKTWEB
    May 22, 2016
    10
    The best defense tower game out there. How anyone could like plants vs zombies above this can only be down to the fact that DG requires some intelligence.
  7. Matseb2611
    Oct 23, 2015
    8
    A nice tower defence game. It doesn't differ too much from other TD games, but it's pretty fun once you get a hang of it. Most of the standard mechanics associated with TD genre are here: a good tower variety, a good enemy variety, rock-paper-scissors tactic of using the right tower against the right enemy, scoreboards, and so on.

    Graphically the game is very beautiful. Though at times    A nice tower defence game. It doesn't differ too much from other TD games, but it's pretty fun once you get a hang of it. Most of the standard mechanics associated with TD genre are here: a good tower variety, a good enemy variety, rock-paper-scissors tactic of using the right tower against the right enemy, scoreboards, and so on.

    Graphically the game is very beautiful. Though at times I wished the towers looked a bit more different to one another, otherwise it can get confusing what is what. I do like the whole colour scheme of green towers being basic, yellow advanced, and red the best. The musical side of things could've been a bit better though. Most levels have between 20-30 waves, and can take a while to play through, so it would've been nice to have it spiced up with more memorable tunes. The A.I. narrator most times provides a nice commentary and keeps you entertained with his colourful personality, though at times he can be annoying when he keeps telling you about cores being stolen. *shakes fist*

    Most levels had a very interesting design and forced you to think hard on how to channel enemies down a longer path and where would be the points of highest offense. They provided a nice challenge. A few felt like difficulty spikes and seemed unnecessarily convoluted (looking at you, Waste Disposal), but most were a great fun.

    There were a few aspects that annoyed me slightly, so might be worth mentioning them. First one which I noticed straight away was how much punishment the enemies could sustain before going down. Even the weakest, most basic enemies could absorb a fair amount of damage, which in turn made many towers feel too weak. And this brings me to another one. Majority of towers are very situational and tend to have a lot more shortcomings than strengths. The only tower that I felt was all-round good at just about everything was the Cannon tower, and these usually formed the meat and potatoes of my defence, with all the other towers just acting in supporting roles. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means there is a bit too little room for experimentation with various setups.

    Aside from the story mode, each map also has a variety of other modes, most providing some form of a new challenge, like enemies being tougher, or the cores which you must protect not going back to their starting location, and so on. So there's a lot of stuff to try out here and the completionists can easily sink tens or hundreds of hours in this game.

    Overall, it's a fun TD game. Don't expect anything new and extraordinary, but if you like the genre, then you should definitely grab this game.    … Expand
  8. ave
    Feb 7, 2015
    9
    Defense Grid : The Awakening has anything I could wish from a Tower Defense :
    - a variety of multipurpose towers with strengths and weaknesses, that can upgraded and sold,
    - a level layout that allows you to carefully plan where and when to build towers, - a diversity of enemies with strengths and weaknesses, that always challenge your initial strategy and forces you to think deeper, -    Defense Grid : The Awakening has anything I could wish from a Tower Defense :
    - a variety of multipurpose towers with strengths and weaknesses, that can upgraded and sold,
    - a level layout that allows you to carefully plan where and when to build towers,
    - a diversity of enemies with strengths and weaknesses, that always challenge your initial strategy and forces you to think deeper,
    - a good level of pressure and the ability to speed up the game.

    I've played it twice, and will certainly replay it at least another time :)    … Expand
  9. boyband6666
    Sep 23, 2014
    10
    Fun, addictive,and really well made.

    Also with all the different modes, and challenges to get gold medals (the last ones added 4 years after the game came out), fantastic value.

    A fantastic experience, that I recommend to anyone.
  10. generaljaxon
    Mar 4, 2014
    9
    Several reviewers said that there are better tower defense games out there but I think anyone would be hard pressed to find one with more playability than this. By playability I mean the ability to come back to this game time and time again in an attempt to beat your own or someone else's high score. I am proud of the few accomplishments I have made in this game and I am excited every timeSeveral reviewers said that there are better tower defense games out there but I think anyone would be hard pressed to find one with more playability than this. By playability I mean the ability to come back to this game time and time again in an attempt to beat your own or someone else's high score. I am proud of the few accomplishments I have made in this game and I am excited every time I get a new high score. I haven't felt that since I played pinball at the arcade and tried to beat the high score. The scores are high enough to be a challenge but not impossible to reach. Steam is the perfect platform for this type of game. There are enough competitors out there so that when my ranking improves I am proud enough to brag...if I were a bragging person. Don't take my word for it. Dig in deep and find out what it is all about before the new version comes out this year.… Expand
  11. MightyThor
    Nov 6, 2013
    8
    At first glance this looks like just another run of the mill tower defense with pretty graphics. But the game is actually surprisingly complex if you are going for the highest scores and hardest achievements.

    First the things that stood out to me are no resource collectors. You get resources by killing enemies primarily and a tiny amount of interest based on how much you have saved in    At first glance this looks like just another run of the mill tower defense with pretty graphics. But the game is actually surprisingly complex if you are going for the highest scores and hardest achievements.

    First the things that stood out to me are no resource collectors. You get resources by killing enemies primarily and a tiny amount of interest based on how much you have saved in the bank. The second thing was towers are invulnerable. Some tower defense games are like this, some aren't. While it seems like these two changes would overly simplify a game like this, the other features of the game add plenty of depth.

    The main feature, and what makes this game amazingly awesome is the AI pathing. Many levels have multiple entry and exit points for the enemy aliens and many are giant open areas. The trick is you can place towers to strategically block off certain routes, make choke points, etc. There are thousands of ways you can beat levels. This isn't anything like plants vs zombies where you have 6 lanes and that's it. There's tons of tower placement options. The maps are very well designed imo.

    Not so unique is the types of towers, though they are very well done. There's about 10 types, ranging from flame throwers to giant cannons. There's also upgrades. At first I thought the game was too easy. Once I got to the levels where cannons were available I just build tons of them and beat the game with minimal scores. But then I went back and tried to get gold medals on each level and man! It is hard! You definitely need very good tower placement and to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each type, as well as understand the cost/benefits of upgrading vs building more towers. I found it very addictive and fun. I have 20 hours played in two weeks and I got the game on sale for under $5. Well worth it. Even if you don't try for any achievements the game should last you 4-5 hours which isn't bad for this price.    … Expand
  12. keefbaker
    Oct 31, 2013
    8
    One of the best tower defense games ever made and one that manages to comfortably hold a plot together. For pure tower defense with clear and flexible tactics you can't go wrong.
  13. Quellor
    Oct 20, 2013
    10
    Fun and addictive. At this point it's nearly free on steam. Just get it, seriously! If you like strategy and addictive puzzle-like gameplay, it satisfies. Hours of gameplay with more DLC available.
  14. stranglehold
    Oct 19, 2013
    8
    Defense Grid's excellent personality and gameplay make it both a great game for experienced tower defense fans and an excellent starting point for new players.
  15. Kyalpha
    Aug 26, 2013
    10
    This is THE BEST tower defense game! I've played lost of games of this kind, but none of them can get me so addicted like this one. Gameplay, story, difficulty, music graphic everything is the best of this kind.
  16. Niumen
    Aug 7, 2013
    10
    Tower defense games should stay from where there came simple flash games, like Gemcraft or so. BUT! Defense Grid: The Awakening push all boundaries to provide true masterpiece among tower defense games. Great graphics, great plot, great narrator, great DLC's everything is great in this game. Tons of fun and repeatability. This is "must have" for everyone. Period.
  17. GolovA
    Jul 16, 2013
    8
    A solid 8/10. This game kept me up for long hours of enjoyable playing. It accomplished that, probably due to its excellent balancing: you use defense towers (guns) to hold off enemy attacks. Each tower has its own strength and weakness, and combinations of them on the map are really limited only to your imagination. Excellent graphics, awesome voice-acting (even though only of oneA solid 8/10. This game kept me up for long hours of enjoyable playing. It accomplished that, probably due to its excellent balancing: you use defense towers (guns) to hold off enemy attacks. Each tower has its own strength and weakness, and combinations of them on the map are really limited only to your imagination. Excellent graphics, awesome voice-acting (even though only of one character), superb re-playability. Prepare for sleepless nights! … Expand
  18. Fraz
    Apr 29, 2013
    8
    This game is a great tower defence game, although it is not unique in any way, it feels well made and also gives you a challenge and makes you think how you are going to go about playing it. It has a narrative with this game having a voice actor which honestly I did not list to much as he just kept droning on about different enemy's and towers. It is defiantly worth the price of a coupleThis game is a great tower defence game, although it is not unique in any way, it feels well made and also gives you a challenge and makes you think how you are going to go about playing it. It has a narrative with this game having a voice actor which honestly I did not list to much as he just kept droning on about different enemy's and towers. It is defiantly worth the price of a couple of pounds and can keep you playing for hours. I would recommend to any tower defence players.… Expand
  19. chevmech
    Feb 2, 2013
    10
    Best tower defense game ever created. Mob pathing adds a ton of strategic variety to the levels. The graphics are great- zooming in on a well fortified bottleneck provides great satisfaction. The variety of different game modes makes for interesting challenges level after level. Most TD games I get bored with after a short while, but DG keeps me engaged- sometimes for longer than IBest tower defense game ever created. Mob pathing adds a ton of strategic variety to the levels. The graphics are great- zooming in on a well fortified bottleneck provides great satisfaction. The variety of different game modes makes for interesting challenges level after level. Most TD games I get bored with after a short while, but DG keeps me engaged- sometimes for longer than I would like! I would love to see a sequel!… Expand
  20. Borrelia
    Dec 30, 2012
    8
    This game is fantastic and very addictive. I didn't care that much for the storyline, but the levels looked very nice and the voice-acting was okay too. I wasn't really into tower defense games until I played this game. I got it in one of the many indie bundles and I thought I would not like it. I was so wrong. The levels are diverse and it never really gets boring. There is a good varietyThis game is fantastic and very addictive. I didn't care that much for the storyline, but the levels looked very nice and the voice-acting was okay too. I wasn't really into tower defense games until I played this game. I got it in one of the many indie bundles and I thought I would not like it. I was so wrong. The levels are diverse and it never really gets boring. There is a good variety in towers, although I usually just use a few of them. I think the gun tower is a bit too powerful though. The developers are constantly improving this game, making it effectively better. The DLC's are cheap too and provide many extra hours of entertainment. It's good value for money. I highly recommend anyone to try this game. You won't be disappointed.… Expand
  21. suneater
    Dec 11, 2012
    8
    Best tower defense game I've played. Very clean UI with a long main campaign and many side things to do after everything is done. Replay value comes with trying to get perfect scores to 100% maps, more difficulties and game modes. A good first choice to pick up if you haven't played a game in the genre before since it introduces new mechanics slowly enough, but keeps a tight grip onBest tower defense game I've played. Very clean UI with a long main campaign and many side things to do after everything is done. Replay value comes with trying to get perfect scores to 100% maps, more difficulties and game modes. A good first choice to pick up if you haven't played a game in the genre before since it introduces new mechanics slowly enough, but keeps a tight grip on difficulty to give tower defense pros a workout.… Expand
  22. gendu
    Oct 16, 2012
    10
    Towerdefense game at its best, I picked it up last Christmas period on Steam for less than 3
  23. Hatred
    Oct 5, 2012
    9
    *this game is a great game for those who love tower defence* *strategy is needed to get past the many levels**each level slightly harder then the last* learning curve scales nicely* nice sense of achievement once completed a level**after completing the game you find yourself trying to beat your old scores for satisfaction**
  24. Phillippe
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    For it's value, this is completely worth it. The game has a lot of replayability then if you add the few dlc, this will give you a lot of hours to play. I have almost 100 hours of play and pay around 15$ for the game and some of the dlc. This is worth it.
  25. fartheststar
    Sep 17, 2012
    9
    Edit: upping my score on this to a 9 after over 100 hours of play. There is so much to this game, and so many approaches to try out long after playing the levels. I learned alot by completing some challenges that required me to build with only 10 towers, or without certain towers available. Playing the different challenge modes requires you think hard about the strengths and weaknessesEdit: upping my score on this to a 9 after over 100 hours of play. There is so much to this game, and so many approaches to try out long after playing the levels. I learned alot by completing some challenges that required me to build with only 10 towers, or without certain towers available. Playing the different challenge modes requires you think hard about the strengths and weaknesses of towers and use them optimally. Yeah, you can win without optimum setups, but to do it with less and get gold medals and even higher scores requires serious thinking and learning from the process.

    original review: I found myself often thinking about a particular level long after I finished playing it, trying to find better strategic and tactical approaches to improve performance. It's the epitome of easy-to-play / hard-to-master in that you can can have fun from the first game, but still find increased fun days later by learning much more through gameplay and experience. The game gives you time to seriously think about next moves in a real time context. If you like watching the progress of the battle and making macro level decisions that shape the battle then this game will appeal. If you prefer "twitchy" games and want to instead be the creatures running through the maze shooting everything, then this game is _not_ for you. I actually like being the general on the hill watching the battle and deciding where to deploy my resources. Other nice things: The talking computer brain is entertaining, the medal system encourages you to do better via replayability, and the global ranking system lets you know if your solution for particular levels is one of the better ones compared to other players. Score:8 well above average. fun from day 1 w/ high replayability.    … Expand
  26. chronoT
    Sep 3, 2012
    8
    If you enjoy the whole concept of "turret defense," this game is a must have. It is by far the best single player game of its type, and is addicting. Once you successfully protect your core on one map, you'll want to keep going and going. I also enjoy UMS Turret Defense games that are on Starcraft: Broodwar and Starcraft 2, and Defense Grid uses some of these ideas and builds on them.If you enjoy the whole concept of "turret defense," this game is a must have. It is by far the best single player game of its type, and is addicting. Once you successfully protect your core on one map, you'll want to keep going and going. I also enjoy UMS Turret Defense games that are on Starcraft: Broodwar and Starcraft 2, and Defense Grid uses some of these ideas and builds on them. There are also many ways to play each level, so it remains challenging and refreshing.… Expand
  27. Mogul
    Mar 19, 2012
    8
    Ah, raspberries....how I love them. :P For a tower defense game, the voice acting here is amazing, and helps create an enjoyable game world. The gameplay itself is highly addictive and rewarding, with lots of towers that are actually worth building, and several fun challenge modes that help provide variety. I actually think that this is the best tower defense game that I have played soAh, raspberries....how I love them. :P For a tower defense game, the voice acting here is amazing, and helps create an enjoyable game world. The gameplay itself is highly addictive and rewarding, with lots of towers that are actually worth building, and several fun challenge modes that help provide variety. I actually think that this is the best tower defense game that I have played so far, but it still left me wanting a little bit more from it (and not just more levels or "modes" or anything like that).… Expand
  28. KouDy
    Mar 14, 2012
    9
    After 3 years out Defense Grid is still probably the best true tower defense game out there. Still receiving love from developers in patches and newly added content even after such a long time. If you love tower defense genre, you will enjoy this game from top down.
  29. Mikester7
    Feb 9, 2012
    8
    Currently the best standalone tower defence game you can buy. The voice acting and narration are spot on and it provides a substantial amount of levels, towers and basic tower defence game play. A must buy for tower defense fans, but still leaps and bounds behind the quality of TD games available through Warcraft III.
  30. hassenpheffer
    Jan 5, 2012
    9
    I'm a big fan of Tower Defense games. That being said, Defense Grid: TA is one of the best I've ever played. It's simple yet clever design allows the player infinite possibilities for strategies. The enemies come in several distinct variations and the level designs vary in sizes and terrain. The AI voice over is simply terrific as he adds levels of humanity to the stakes. The controls areI'm a big fan of Tower Defense games. That being said, Defense Grid: TA is one of the best I've ever played. It's simple yet clever design allows the player infinite possibilities for strategies. The enemies come in several distinct variations and the level designs vary in sizes and terrain. The AI voice over is simply terrific as he adds levels of humanity to the stakes. The controls are fluid and simple and the music is great but a tad repetitive. There are several DLC that can be purchased so after The Awakening story is completed you can keep playing. It's a true gem.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Best PC Game of 2008
24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. GamePro
    90
    It's amazing what a little touch up in graphics and sound can do for a tower defense gameplay-based title. And Hidden Path Entertainment's Defense Grid: The Awakening is a prime example of that sudden transformation of taking a unoriginal. well-known style of video game and turning it into a masterpiece for your PC.
    Read full review
  2. Destructoid
    70
    If you like tower defense games and have $20 to spend, Defense Grid: The Awakening is absolutely worth checking out and will provide you with some solid entertainment - just don't expect to get 40 hours of playtime out of it.
    Read full review
  3. Gamervision
    80
    The later of the 20 unique levels can grow frustratingly difficult, but the amount of replayability due to different challenges and scoreboards are more than enough to justify picking it up, or at least buying it when it eventually makes its way to Xbox Live.
    Read full review
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