PixelJunk Monsters 2

If PixelJunk Monsters is one of the all-time-great tower defence games – if not the greatest – then Monsters 2 is the tower defence evolved. It’s a seriously beautiful-looking game, and Q-Games has found ingenious ways to make the translation to 3D work for, and not against, the gameplay. And it achieves all this without losing the heart and soul of the original.

After waiting all these years, it’s absolutely wonderful to see PixelJunk Monsters back once more, but the more I played it, I couldn’t help but feel a looming sense of disappointment at the lack of content and new ideas. It’s a game I hoped to love but walked away only liking, and that’s a shame for what is a follow up to my favorite tower defense game of all time.

A true and very solid sequel to the roughly ten year old tower defense action.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a decent follow-up to the classic tower defense game. It may take a few steps back but there's no denying that its fresh visuals and addictive gameplay make it worth checking out for long-time fans and real-time strategy enthusiasts.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is exceedingly similar to its predecessor. The core mechanics remain simple with deep, nuanced strategy, but the short length and lack of multiplayer innovations are a letdown. It’s an easy game to recommend for fans and newcomers to the tower defense genre, but it lacks the impact of the original.

PixelJunk Monsters 1 was a great tower defense game, and its sequel is exactly that. The claymation layer is impressive, but the game is haunted by a clumsy camera and limitations in co-op.

PixelJunk Monsters 2 is a brave sequel that attempts to fix something that isn't broken, and has ended up taking away more than it adds. The 3D graphics are gorgeous, but the game is less readable as a result, and maintaining all your towers is more difficult when you can't see them all at once. However, the root of what makes these games special shines through, and when you're slaying enemies in a perfectly executed run, the flaws fade away, and you're left with a delightfully satisfying tower defence title that almost anyone can enjoy.

Pixeljunk Monsters 2 does the original great justice by lifting the core experience and spreading it across a big, bright, three-dimensional playing field. But it feels like a typical tower defense game from the 2007-08 boom. It fails to incorporate ideas from genre contemporaries who have moved the mark as far as agency.