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. DrMisiaq
    Apr 27, 2021
    6
    A decent tower defense game, well executed and somewhat polished. I felt like I was playing StarCraft 2 custom TD map, which was fine, but Defense Grid unfortunately does not add anything to it, I could even point out a few things that are missing (there are no items, there is only one buff tower, evolution mechanics are very simple and limited). It's still worth it for people who likeA decent tower defense game, well executed and somewhat polished. I felt like I was playing StarCraft 2 custom TD map, which was fine, but Defense Grid unfortunately does not add anything to it, I could even point out a few things that are missing (there are no items, there is only one buff tower, evolution mechanics are very simple and limited). It's still worth it for people who like this genre. A good thing about this one is map design. It's not only pretty, but also requires player to develop his brain to figure out how to use the terrain to his own advantage. The place you choose for a new turret matters a lot. Oh yea, the voice acting was good, but jokes weren't funny at all tho.… Expand
  5. MaxmilianKohler
    Dec 31, 2020
    6
    Has the potential to be a good game, but has some significant deficits.

    Checkpoint system needs improvement. Being able to tell what height level your guns can hit. The different types of towers look too similar. More speed settings. Zoom out more or a minimap. More obvious whether upgrades or more guns are better. 6/10 but could be 8-9/10 with a few improvements. It's a good game if    Has the potential to be a good game, but has some significant deficits.

    Checkpoint system needs improvement. Being able to tell what height level your guns can hit. The different types of towers look too similar. More speed settings. Zoom out more or a minimap. More obvious whether upgrades or more guns are better.

    6/10 but could be 8-9/10 with a few improvements. It's a good game if you like to test lots of things numerous times.

    EDIT: Massive discovery - you can hit the reload checkpoint button twice to go back two checkpoints. That's huge. If the game told you that I'd raise my rating. Had to find it out by pure luck though.    … Expand
  6. 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.
  7. 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)
  8. 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.
  9. gloriouspotato
    Apr 2, 2016
    7
    Probably one of the more sophisticated tower defense games around. With different game modes and solid level design, there's a good bit of content for those wanting to rise up in the leaderboards. The main campaign has a pretty barebones story though, and I think the game could do with more varied towers since it does become somewhat repetitive.

    Overall rating - 7.4/10
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. JimCorbett
    Nov 20, 2014
    7
    A good TD game that boasts a large number of levels and numerous modes which means the game has over 150 different variations to test your skills on. Great story and soundtrack only makes it better.
  13. 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.
  14. IcecreamSnowman
    Mar 11, 2014
    5
    I liked the story, the voice acting, the slightly cob-web-minded AI telling you what's going on and I like tower defense games. So why didn't I like this much overall? Maybe because I paid money for it and expected it to be better than free flash games. You can't give your towers any instructions of what or where to attack, i.e. first enemy, strongest, weakest etc. Such controls add soI liked the story, the voice acting, the slightly cob-web-minded AI telling you what's going on and I like tower defense games. So why didn't I like this much overall? Maybe because I paid money for it and expected it to be better than free flash games. You can't give your towers any instructions of what or where to attack, i.e. first enemy, strongest, weakest etc. Such controls add so much more strategy to tower defense and without them this game comes across as rather basic and not all that much fun. The various Bloons TD games from Ninjakiwi are better.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. AWG
    Jul 31, 2013
    7
    There are dozens of Tower Defense strategy games out there and I'm not expert enough to assess the genre in general. What I can say is this game is a really good and funny game and I highly enjoyed playing it. Graphics are cool and gameplay is very intuitive. 7.4 out of 10, wouldn't uninstall after taking all its Steam Trading Card drops.
  23. TheLagbringer
    Jul 28, 2013
    6
    This tower defense is extremely old school. The game is really old actually, so really don't expect innovations. If you are aware of today's tower defenses and played some of them, you are going to say "meh". For me, it was "not so bad, but not so good either".
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 4dagamer
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    I like this game, the graphics are good, there is re playability but no multiplayer, The game have a nice variety of levels,monsters and modes and great history line.
  30. gendu
    Oct 16, 2012
    10
    Towerdefense game at its best, I picked it up last Christmas period on Steam for less than 3
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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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