Sanctum 2

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 399 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 261 out of 399
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 399
  3. Negative: 75 out of 399

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  1. MrRotch
    May 16, 2013
    6
    If you are a fan of the first Sanctum, read this before buying.

    Sanctum 2 is very different from the first. It's almost entirely different. For one, it's main focus is just co-op, while the first was both single player AND co-op. This is proven by the different character selections. There are 4 different characters this time around, instead of just one. However, each character has one    If you are a fan of the first Sanctum, read this before buying.

    Sanctum 2 is very different from the first. It's almost entirely different. For one, it's main focus is just co-op, while the first was both single player AND co-op. This is proven by the different character selections. There are 4 different characters this time around, instead of just one. However, each character has one gun that is locked directly for them (The Assault Rifle, Rocket Launcher, Sniper rifle, and Shotgun are tied to one of the 4 characters). This is very different from the original, because in the original you could pick any 3 weapons no matter what type. This time around your first weapon is locked in, and you can only have one secondary weapon instead of two. You also cannot upgrade any weapons.

    It is also pro co-op in that some enemies have weak spots in their backs (like in the original), except this time around they attack you (and thus, face you). There is literally no way of getting around them to hit them in the weak spot. It was designed so one player would distract them while another attacks, which is not a good thing in single player.

    You can only build 10 towers as well. Now, this isn't 10 towers per player. You can only build 10 towers per map regardless if it's one of 4 players. You also do not get resources after every wave like the first. They are dropped down at the core, only only one player can pick them up. So that means if you find a bad player, they may be a resource hog and not let anyone else get anything. I find this to be an extremely poor choice in design on a game that's meant to be co-op based.

    It's also more boring than the first. The maps are a LOT smaller, and the enemies per-wave are puny compared to the first (Which looked like just a long line of enemies because there were so many).

    However, there is still fun to be had here. Just don't go into this thinking that it's going to be Sanctum but with new content, because it's not.    … Expand
  2. JaydenPickens
    May 22, 2019
    7
    Got this one for free, played it with a friend, we finished it and it was fun. FPS mixed with tower defense stuff. Pickens approves!
  3. decoy26517
    Sep 10, 2013
    5
    Looks like the developers are taking this once beloved game and turning it into Call of Duty with towers.
    the towers are practically useless. The deal so little damage that there is little point in building them. Basically buy this if you enjoy FPSs and shooting things that run in a line.
  4. Nimfix
    Dec 3, 2013
    7
    I got this from the humble bundle. So meaning there wasn't much money involved buying this so I cant base my review on its worth of money.

    So lets start with the gameplay. Its different compared to the first. I like the perk system and I also love the campaign. it requires to think different and place certain towers in a different way where they are most useful. I do hope that the tower    I got this from the humble bundle. So meaning there wasn't much money involved buying this so I cant base my review on its worth of money.

    So lets start with the gameplay. Its different compared to the first. I like the perk system and I also love the campaign. it requires to think different and place certain towers in a different way where they are most useful. I do hope that the tower limit will go up at some point but haven't seen it yet. 15 towers max is a bit of a disappointment especially in bigger maps. Also BOSS spawns!! This makes it a whole lotta more interesting and harder. What I do miss is that I need to take a good look how to build.. in sanctum 1 it took me quite some time to actually get the best maze. with sanctum 2 it feels kind of being hinted where to place what.

    The Graphics are "good" as what I would expect from coffee stain studios. Nothing special but nothing bad either.

    I do miss a few things from sanctum 1. So that's the reason why I give it a 7. If I can upgrade my guns, make slow plates on the ground instead of turrets and place more then 15 towers then yea it would get an 8 or a 9.    … Expand
  5. suneater
    Jun 30, 2013
    5
    A complete 180 in game design for the worse. The original Sanctum was a great change of pace for tower defense games, putting you into the battlefield with upgradable weapons (a tower defense with shooting). Sanctum 2 takes the original's premise too far in the opposite direction in terms of game balance. Sadly, all the towers are too weak and this has become a first person shooter withA complete 180 in game design for the worse. The original Sanctum was a great change of pace for tower defense games, putting you into the battlefield with upgradable weapons (a tower defense with shooting). Sanctum 2 takes the original's premise too far in the opposite direction in terms of game balance. Sadly, all the towers are too weak and this has become a first person shooter with towers. With very limited resources and base blocks, you will be building or upgrading on average one tower per wave with mazes only becoming effective near the end of the map. Even when you do finally make a great maze that is somewhat defensible, many of the bosses can smash their way through your base blocks, destroying your towers and creating a free path for enemies. The worst part is the difficulty curve; the early levels are tutorial-esque cakewalks which quickly drop off into frustrating trial-and-error tests of endurance.

    The map design has improved significantly, including 16 levels with improved music and sound providing great atmosphere. While the drawn slideshow cutscenes are entertaining and provide some pretense for the missions, the story and characters are never really fleshed out. Sanctum 2 combines sub-par FPS elements with sub-par RPG elements and sub-par TD elements to create... a surprisingly mediocre game. This could've been a fantastic co-op game if they just built on the original's game design instead of going for the CoD/console audience.    … Expand
  6. Sneaktastic
    May 29, 2013
    7
    Tower defense first person shooter-Extremely challenging-So so on the co op-For consoles there is no split screen so beware-Changed multiplayer to have 4 different characters and changed the way you collect
    the supplies to make it so only 1 person can grab the supplies in each wave
    Get this game if- 1.You love tower defense games 2.You love challenges 3.You love co op games Do not    Tower defense first person shooter-Extremely challenging-So so on the co op-For consoles there is no split screen so beware-Changed multiplayer to have 4 different characters and changed the way you collect
    the supplies to make it so only 1 person can grab the supplies in each wave
    Get this game if-
    1.You love tower defense games
    2.You love challenges
    3.You love co op games
    Do not get this game if-
    1.You do not like the changes made to the co op
    2.You only play single player
    3.You do not like tower defense games    … Expand
  7. FattyMooMooMan
    May 17, 2013
    7
    I gave this game a poor review score initially as the first release was so dumbed down as a tower defence game and the devs made some awful design choices with their product alienating many of the sanctum 1 fans, myself included these changes included tower limitations, no resource sharing and underpowered towers amongst other things. I had no intention of playing the game in that stateI gave this game a poor review score initially as the first release was so dumbed down as a tower defence game and the devs made some awful design choices with their product alienating many of the sanctum 1 fans, myself included these changes included tower limitations, no resource sharing and underpowered towers amongst other things. I had no intention of playing the game in that state and it was no fun to me at all hence the low score.

    However since the recent outcry from many of the fans the devs have actually listened (this is unusual these days with most devs and does command a lot of respect) and made changes improving the game and are looking towards making future changes in support of their product. With the new shared resources (this was a major issue before) and increase in towers the game is moving in the right direction and becoming a much better game for it. As such I am submitting this new score based on where I see the game going, I still do not believe it will be the best TD out there and will appeal more for its fps side (hopefully the devs will prove me wrong) but it is certainly not the waste of money it was in its initial form and is becoming much more enjoyable to play.    … Expand
  8. Lolbbqcabbage
    May 16, 2013
    6
    While Sanctum 2 does a few things right, such as improved graphics and interesting unlock system. I feel it's a completely different monster to the first. The first Sanctum was a TOWER DEFENSE with FPS elements added to you. Sanctum 2 feels primarily FPS with a torn up tower defense thrown ontop, despite the fact guns are no longer upgradable which was a feature I enjoyed in the firstWhile Sanctum 2 does a few things right, such as improved graphics and interesting unlock system. I feel it's a completely different monster to the first. The first Sanctum was a TOWER DEFENSE with FPS elements added to you. Sanctum 2 feels primarily FPS with a torn up tower defense thrown ontop, despite the fact guns are no longer upgradable which was a feature I enjoyed in the first

    Sanctum 1 allowed for an enjoyable Co-op and Single player experience, where as Sanctum 2 feels like it's forced to be played Co-op as enemies will try to attack you, some with weak spots on their back turning to attack you, making it hard to do damage. It seems it was made for one to distract and the other to shoot the weakspots. Then again Co-op it's self is rather hindered, since Sanctum 2 offers rather limit resources so often players in the game may have conflicting maze designs or tower placements, so sometimes you have to allocate who gets what each round. Sanctum 2 is also setup for griefing, you could get a player that just hogs everything then refuse to build etc.

    Also Sanctum 2 has torn up the tower defense side of things, by adding some rounds with timers. I understand that it makes players think fast, but in a game that boasts to be tower defense, allowing time for players to plan their mazes etc is a part of that. By adding limit resources and tower limits most of the time you are unable to get a decent maze going along with the fact there is a 10 tower limit and towers no longer upgrade to level 5, but instead 3.

    Sanctum 2 is not a bad game by all means, I think it just has missed some of the magic the first had. If you're a huge fan of the first, then you may want to give it a miss or pick it up on steam sale. If you're a first time Sanctum player, give it a crack you may enjoy it.

    But that is just my opinion, take it as a grain of salt.    … Expand
  9. crimeodile
    Sep 6, 2014
    5
    As a game, it does alright. As a sequel to Sanctum, it leaves much to be desired. I really enjoyed Sanctum for what it was, it definitely wasn't perfect but it was good and had lot's of potential. Really the game isn't bad, it's just not good. If you can pick it up on sale 50% off I'd say grab it, otherwise just pass on this one. As consumers, we vote with money and we shouldn'tAs a game, it does alright. As a sequel to Sanctum, it leaves much to be desired. I really enjoyed Sanctum for what it was, it definitely wasn't perfect but it was good and had lot's of potential. Really the game isn't bad, it's just not good. If you can pick it up on sale 50% off I'd say grab it, otherwise just pass on this one. As consumers, we vote with money and we shouldn't support developers that add new features at the expense of removing old GOOD features without good reason.… Expand
  10. BenHazelden
    Oct 13, 2014
    7
    Sanctum 2 is an all-round fun FPS and tower defense game, with difficult enemy encounters and dazzling game-play, even if a little lacking.
    7/10 - Ben Hazelden
  11. Klewer
    Dec 22, 2013
    6
    Moving in a slightly different direction to the first Sanctum 2 adds a little more polish while focusing on Co-Op than actual Single Player.

    Moving away from immediately having access to most weapons and all towers you now must unlock them, which means you now have limited tactics available at certain stages and the game feels poorer for it. Still if a fan of the first worth a look.
  12. AbyssionGaming
    Jul 24, 2013
    7
    Like its previous title, Sanctum 2 is an entertaining blend of first-person shooting and tower-defense-style strategy. Instead of passively watching your towers do all the dirty work, you are allowed descend into the action and distribute carnage alongside them. Both games execute this concept almost flawlessly, however Sanctum 2 has far more content than its small-scale predecessor. ThisLike its previous title, Sanctum 2 is an entertaining blend of first-person shooting and tower-defense-style strategy. Instead of passively watching your towers do all the dirty work, you are allowed descend into the action and distribute carnage alongside them. Both games execute this concept almost flawlessly, however Sanctum 2 has far more content than its small-scale predecessor. This is the fully featured, fully realized game this series needed, and offers lots of content to enjoy whether you’re a strategy fan first and shooter fan second, or vice versa. With 16 levels, 8 weapons, and 4 different character classes to choose from, there is a lot more to do right out of the box compare to the first title. with additional DLC being announced and there’s a Season Pass available that gets you all the future expansion packs at a reduced price.

    Multiplayer has been completely overhauled as well. It is now easier to drop in or out of multiplayer matches, and you can now specify who exactly is allowed to join your ongoing game. It also scales rather nicely, with each additional player adding even more resources to the pool but also increasing the overall challenge. This way, the game’s difficulty is well-balanced. There is an easy mode, but it skews the game balance a little too much in your favor and is not entirely recommended.

    Resources have also received a sort of overhaul. The game sort of just drops a set amount of supply for you to utilize, breaking up barricades and towers into separate categories. Credits, however are no longer a shared currency required for building barricades and towers. Instead you just get a certain amount of tower credits, and a certain allotment of barricades at the end of each round. Although It may not seem like that much, but taking away the decision of spending money on barricades really does make the game better, as you’re free to spend more thought on strategy instead of playing accountant on the battlefield. This is also mainly because on the field, weapon upgrades have been given the boot. In the first Sanctum you had towers, barricades, and weapon upgrades that you had to spend credits on. All of these things operated on the same currency, meaning that you could spend wrong and die. This would happen often. Though the field upgrades are gone, you can still tweak and improve your weapons through the smart use of loadout perks that can affect the behavior and damage of your guns. These perks however can also affect yourself, or your towers; but with the removal of upgrades, it would be smart to use the perk slots for more offensive purposes.

    Other improvements in the game are minor tweaks and additions that keep things refreshing and new in smart ways. You’ve got AI squad buddies that will assist you now. While they can take about as much damage as a dandelion, they still try. Weapon damages are tweaked, enemy damage values and health have been tweaked. Bosses have been added and maps are varied and consistently intelligently challenging. To top it all off, the game looks gorgeous and is really brought to life by its high gloss neon art style. A style that has clearly taken cues from ’80s futurism, and the Anime from that era.

    Sanctum 2 is a brilliant representation of a game that was developed with an open ear. When Sanctum was released in 2011, it was a great idea that wasn’t without flaws in the structure of its design. Here, Coffee Stain Studios have taken the time to improve upon every flaw, and produced an indie gem polished in the fire of scrutiny. While Sanctum 2 is still a challenging game, it’s tough in smart substantive ways that add up. Opting for this instead of the punitive approach that Sanctum was built on has made for a far superior product in the form of Sanctum 2.    … Expand
  13. Frast2013X
    Aug 2, 2013
    7
    Kontynuacja jednej z najciekawszych gier tower-defense powraca, z nowymi rzeczami, polepszonymi elementami i podobnymi błędami co jedynka. Twórcy nie poszli na łatwiznę biorąc stary silnik, odrobinę go polepszając i wydając grę jak zwykłe DLC. Nie, Sanctum 2 to porządna kontynuacja. Nowy silnik nie jest idealny, ale wygląda ładnie, twórcy dodali i polepszyli elementy tower-defense. Gra sięKontynuacja jednej z najciekawszych gier tower-defense powraca, z nowymi rzeczami, polepszonymi elementami i podobnymi błędami co jedynka. Twórcy nie poszli na łatwiznę biorąc stary silnik, odrobinę go polepszając i wydając grę jak zwykłe DLC. Nie, Sanctum 2 to porządna kontynuacja. Nowy silnik nie jest idealny, ale wygląda ładnie, twórcy dodali i polepszyli elementy tower-defense. Gra się o wiele przyjemniej niż w jedynkę, sam Sanctum to jedna z nie wielu gier tower-defense w którą gra się przyjemnie nawet samemu. Jest mi jednak smutno, ponieważ gra która kładzie duży nacisk na coopa, jest w nim po prostu słaba. Coop jest tutaj(zresztą, podobnie jak w jedynce) trochę bezsensowny. Kiedy jedna osoba odwala budowanie, reszta nie musi robić nic, co prawda gdy zaczyna się już obrabianie jest ciekawiej, ale to nie to czego oczekiwałem po 2.Myślę też że twórcy mogli nową część o wiele lepiej dopracować. Sanctum 2 jest pełne bugów. Nie raz blokowałem się w niektórych miejscach mapy i przez to przegrywałem. Sanctum 2 to dobra gra, ale oczekiwałem od niej, trochę więcej. Moja ocena 7/10… Expand
  14. SirCoolo
    Oct 5, 2013
    6
    I give the game a 6 out of ten because while it is a nice refresh of the original, it has some bad changes/features that make Sanctum 1 more enjoyable. Unlike the original, which had a nice balance of TD and FPS that lent a bit more to the TD side, where you could make great mazes and if done well, not even touch your trigger, I found many of the maps had very small buildable areas andI give the game a 6 out of ten because while it is a nice refresh of the original, it has some bad changes/features that make Sanctum 1 more enjoyable. Unlike the original, which had a nice balance of TD and FPS that lent a bit more to the TD side, where you could make great mazes and if done well, not even touch your trigger, I found many of the maps had very small buildable areas and lots of open space that was unusable, making your towers only a small distraction, and mazes too short too be of use. I find that the weakspots are not as obvious and are harder to hit than the original, and some of the enemy's (Floater) attacks were overpowered or kept you out of range. I haven't played much multiplayer, but from what I have played it seems pretty normal, but from what I have read, the resource pickups are a bit annoying, especially if playing with people you don't know/trolls who can sit at the core, not helping, and taking all of the resources.
    Back to the FPS part of the game, unlike the previous in which you could upgrade your weapon range, ammo, damage and abilitys, Sanctum 2 relys on choosing completely different guns that do not progress through the round as the waves get harder. I like to use the rex and tesla, but I cant use my rex against swarms of flying enemys with 6 individual flak missiles, I have to hope that my 3 and the very small amount of towers can destroy them. That also leads me into the fact you can only have 2 weapons on you, and you can only choose the second one, which is only a sidearm (Unless you change class, which is annoying, what if I want a rex and double jumps?) I find that the armored enemys are a bit strong, but have found how to deal with them, but for new players they may be very hard to defeat, and the floater's shockwave thing makes it very difficult to hit it's weakspot, and impossible with short range weapons such as the shotgun. Unlike in 1, you can no longer get ingame info about the enemys, such as speed, description and weakspot, which is no good at all. Now when you die you have to wait an obscene amount of time to respawn (A full ten seconds), while many games get respawn times right (Going up as you get better) and even when you do manage to respawn, the lack of televators means you have to run from the spawn to the enemys and lose even more time, and if you were fighting off some enemys on one side of the map and some start getting to the core from somewhere else, you cant teleport to the closet televator, you have to hope that your legs are fast enough and your stamina is high enough to get you there before you lose. The game is more Co-Op centered, despite the rescource problem, as some of the enemys have weakspots on their backs, but they turn around to fight you, thus protecting their back, so that you need another player as a distraction. There is a 15 tower limit, although I have found it is too hard to get more than 4-5 per games because of the lack of money. The limit isn't 15 towers per person though, it is 15 towers in total. The small amount of different towers a player can use per game (3 or 4 I think) means you can't really play very well on singleplayer because you need other players to have other towers.
    Finally, now that I have gotten through all of the bads, I can get to the goods.
    The game is quite aesthetically pleasing and the comics between levels are a nice little extra that can make waiting for it to load a better experience and the music is amazing! The flying enemys are a lot easy to kill as they no longer fly out of range of everything but the rex and towers and the level up system is very nice, although not perfect. I enjoy having perks, and being able to change myself to fit the needs of a difficult level and I love that the enemys now attack the player and do damage. The minimap is nice, but I often get disorientated (Although I don't really know why.) The fact that the enemys now physically attack the core rather than exploding on it and doing tonnes of damage is also very nice. The possibility to upgrade towers even when you don't have enough for a full upgrade is also nice, allowing you to dump leftover resources into upgrades, rather than waiting till the next round.

    Overall, I don't really think the game is worth more than the Original and I think it needs a major update that addresses at least some of these issues to be worth buying. The game as stated in another review is mainly a downgrade from the original, although the newer graphics, music and progression system is nice.    … Expand
  15. dyspeptic
    Aug 27, 2014
    7
    Last Played: Aug 2014

    PROS: + Looks spacey/sci-fi-ish + Many guns are satisfying, and you feel like you are really contributing + Teammates can significantly help CONS: - Teammates can significantly hinder – Some levels have lots of holes that you can get stuck in SUMMARY: Sanctum 2 focuses heavily on team-based play with all the evils that entails (network connections, chatty    Last Played: Aug 2014

    PROS: + Looks spacey/sci-fi-ish + Many guns are satisfying, and you feel like you are really contributing + Teammates can significantly help

    CONS: - Teammates can significantly hinder – Some levels have lots of holes that you can get stuck in

    SUMMARY: Sanctum 2 focuses heavily on team-based play with all the evils that entails (network connections, chatty players, poor players, etc.) so you should know about these in advance and they’ll get no further mention here. What this game does well is deliver a shooter that feels futuristic and spacey, as well as delivering some strategy. Not too much strategy, since you ultimately still just have to put bullets into something until it dies, however weapon and tower selection can make or break a level when you are playing solo. This reflects just how important these choices are, in combination with the layout you select to obstruct your enemies-spacing them out is as important as choosing the right guns (which vary from level to level in a very positive twist). I personally failed a mission 10+ times with random jump-ins before I buckled down and beat it solo (“canopy”, in case you are interested) by choosing a smarter layout than was possible when sharing resources.
    Which brings me to my main complaint: the game is not very balanced between single/co-op modes. If you play with good players it is really easy, while if you play with poor players it is impossible (solo is middling difficulty). This is because there are the same number of enemies with the same amount of health, but depending on the number of players you’ll have more resources and more “moving turrets” (though the resources can be wasted and the moving turrets can get in the way). It would have made sense to me that when more players enter a map the creatures have more health to deliver a multiplayer challenge, but I guess that was a design choice. My other main complaint is that some (not all levels) are riddled with traps-holes that are covered with a solid plane but that you can still accidentally jump into. This is a problem because getting out is way harder than getting in. Sometimes the only way out is the “suicide” menu option so you can respawn outside the hole. I realize that it is hard to find all these spaces before release, but continuing support should be addressing them, and they make the game feel a bit incomplete. Fairly minor gripe though. Main thing that keeps me from playing is dread of annoying drop-ins (note: it is possible to lock your game so no one can join but the lure of potentially good players to make it easier is hard to resist).    … Expand
  16. Gorem
    Nov 25, 2015
    5
    They took sanctum in such a weird direction I think it would have been better to call this a whole new game just to separate it. Sanctum one was much more suited for solo play, and was a solo game that you could play with friends, and have a lot of fun in it. Sanctum 2 suddenly got massive changes with how guns work and how resources work and how the enemy works, ect.

    You can't use all    They took sanctum in such a weird direction I think it would have been better to call this a whole new game just to separate it. Sanctum one was much more suited for solo play, and was a solo game that you could play with friends, and have a lot of fun in it. Sanctum 2 suddenly got massive changes with how guns work and how resources work and how the enemy works, ect.

    You can't use all gun types, which sucks, since they are locked to the character you pick. So you can't assault rifle and snipe anymore.

    mobs with weak spots behind them forever face you, meaning that in solo play, you can never hit their weak spots.

    Small maps and a turret limit only hinder the game.

    It truly is a game that is completely different then the first. But you will have some fun in it. The only main problem is if fans of Sanctum one go to it thinking it'd be the same game type, when it isn't, is what has hurt this game behind the scenes.    … Expand
  17. blutank24
    Nov 18, 2019
    7
    [Posted December 9, 2013]
    Pros: Incredibly unique concept and done near-perfect, wide range of customizable features, refreshingly new style of game, overall visual quality
    Cons: Lack of diversity for enemies, tower building only from first person When I first heard about Sanctum and what the gameplay is like my initial reaction was “Yes! Yes! Yes!”, never did play Sanctum however    [Posted December 9, 2013]
    Pros: Incredibly unique concept and done near-perfect, wide range of customizable features, refreshingly new style of game, overall visual quality

    Cons: Lack of diversity for enemies, tower building only from first person

    When I first heard about Sanctum and what the gameplay is like my initial reaction was “Yes! Yes! Yes!”, never did play Sanctum however as Sanctum 2 was just being released and whatever people may say about the first I have to say that the 2nd does not disappoint. Sanctum 2 is a unique and refreshingly new concept of mixing the tower defense / tower grid concept with FPS. It’s a bit of RTS as well in that you place your towers with the tower grid and then you play a unit in your own FPS and become a soldier on the ground during the battle.

    There are a few main classes that have set perks and primary weapons, then a list of universal secondary weapons, towers, and passive perks. For sure there are lots of options with towers and perks to adapt to a very wide variety of play-styles. And the multiplayer coop allows for interesting blends of play-styles or an all-out stacking of a set style with synchronizing to get the most out of the various perks.

    Overall it’s a brilliant game, and I for sure recommend it. I think the build phase being only in first person is a mistake however, would have liked the choice to view the grid and place turrets from a bird’s eye of the entire grid instead of having to constantly refer to the mini-map to make sure I’m placing things in the correct square. Also the enemy units are immediately redundant so while there is a huge range of variety on the player side with perks and weapons there is just the same few enemy units (the DLCs seem to address this – as well as add even more weapons and perks!). No difficulty option but the game has five “Feats of Strength” options to make it both harder and give greater rewards, similar to Bastion’s “Idols”.

    All in all the wide range of turret types, weapons, and perks are all blended and balanced nicely to make a very nice RTS / FPS blend that – and I cannot state this enough – was soooo refreshing to play. Indie games like this or something like Frozen Synapse that push the boundaries of the gaming development “norm” will forever be welcome in my gaming libraries, they are fantastic. The RTS to place the walls to funnel enemies into pinch points and U-turns while placing the proper turrets to take advantage of the situation then starting the wave and going into the battle yourself in an FPS with your own highly customized class unit is something that will not get old quickly for me.    … Expand
  18. greendestiny_re
    Jan 31, 2020
    7
    First-person tower defense co-op shooter with Borderlands-like graphics that can also be played solo.

    It's a decent tower defense game but the shooting mechanics are subpar at best—all weapons have tiny magazines that require constant reloading and some feature tremendous knockback that often sent me hurtling through one of the countless gaps in the terrain. It's all manageable while    First-person tower defense co-op shooter with Borderlands-like graphics that can also be played solo.

    It's a decent tower defense game but the shooting mechanics are subpar at best—all weapons have tiny magazines that require constant reloading and some feature tremendous knockback that often sent me hurtling through one of the countless gaps in the terrain. It's all manageable while the map is on relatively flat terrain but it's on quirky terrain that I died dozens of time per map.

    I found the game really easy even on the hardest difficulty, simply maze to the max, find a perch and snipe everything.

    The story is presented through comic panels and barely makes any sense but it's a tower defense game after all: monsters are coming, kill them.

    Playing Sanctum 2 with friends could be fun, I guess.

    -1 for poor shooting mechanics
    -1 for being too easy
    -1 for poor story

    7/10    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Best PC Game of 2013
75
#75 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Level7.nu
    Sep 10, 2013
    70
    The second entry in the Sanctum series continues exploring the odd mix of tower defense and first person shooter. The mechanics in the sequel are solid if a bit too simple to invite a deeper engagement. Still as a co-op game it excels in places that few games do.
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  2. DarkStation
    Jul 18, 2013
    80
    Sanctum 2 is a good game, especially if you have friends to play it with, but if there is a Sanctum 3 in the future then I hope the developers take a more critical, iterative approach to their craft.
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  3. Gaming Nexus
    Jul 17, 2013
    80
    While the first game was an enjoyable proof of concept, Sanctum 2 is that idea realized. A great experience all around, it brings the best of both the shooter and tower defense worlds together. Try to bring along a couple of friends for the adventure though, as they will make it exponentially more enjoyable.
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