Destiny Defense: Angel or Devil – side-scrolling Attack & Defense game
by Paul Wilks
Apr 30, 2012 11:10 AM –
Install
Destiny Defense Angel or Devil is a side-scrolling defense game, of similar ilk to Gamevil’s CartoonWars or Shooting Warrior. In it, you have to defend your commander and base against the onslaught of your enemy, building new forces and weapons in real-time combat. Like the name implies, however, the game itself has its ‘angels‘ and ‘devils‘. There are some really good features, but also some pretty bad. Here’s my take…
Price: Free, $0.99
Tested on: HTC One X,
Content Rating: Medium Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros (Angels)
- Great graphics for the genre!
- Immersive sound!
- Easy to play, once you fathom the controls!
- Various upgrade paths, units and powers!
Cons (Devils)
- Tutorial isn’t translated very well at all, English speakers will have to rely on their previous experience of the genre.
- Freemium model of in-game purchases, yet there is still a paid-for version of the game.
- Levels are stacked so you essentially win-lose-win-lose unless you buy in-game credits.
Features:
Destiny Defense Angel or Devil is a game of two sides in more ways than one. At first there’s two battling sides in this immersive and challenging 2D defense strategy game, the angels and the devils. It’s head-to-head, angel on devil action. However, there are elements to the game which are both good and bad. So, let’s divide the review into these two sides… first the angels.. the good sides of the game, that might make you want to buy it.
Angels
Firstly, as these kind of games go, the graphics are pretty awesome. Very colourful and full of little details, the visuals make the game come to life, despite its 2D limitations. The animations are superb and your little angels will battle with all they have! Your flying commander figure can swoop and dive about with a flick of the thumbstick. Your units, in their various forms all look very slick and it’s great fun to play.
Sound is also top-notch, searing and immersive music and effects which add vitality to gameplay and make it very enjoyable on the whole. The game has a real ‘in-the-thick-of-it‘ feel to gameplay and the music is genuinely epic, like some colossal mythic battle soundscape. Impressive stuff!
Defense Angel or Devil is easy to play. Move your commander using the thumbstick, add new units when you have enough ‘soul’ available and send them headlong into battle. Units start basic- sword-wielding kick-ass Amazonian-types, but these build to spear throwers, archers and beyond. You build these up and can buy new units with the crystals you earn, which you do by killing devils and winning battles. There is a store which lets you buy new units and upgrade existing ones. You can also enhance your commander and their powers.
Devils
Despite these great features, there’s a few devils lurking in the game which take the shine off an otherwise exciting and challenging title. Firstly, the tutorial isn’t particularly well translated so controls take a bit of guesswork. Thankfully I’ve played these type of defense games before so I kind of knew what to expect. I have no idea how gamers new to the genre will fare, however, some of the text makes little sense.
If you can get your head around this, you’ll also have to navigate the fact that even if you’ve bought the full version of the game, you’ll also be required to dig deep into your pockets for in-game purchases- if you wish to progress normally that is. Essentially, this is a freemium game you have to pay for! At $0.99 it’s not much, but considering the game is boasting its currently on sale with 66% off, it’s otherwise quite an expensive game to begin with. My advice would be to avoid the paid-for version altogether.
If, like me, you go down the indignant route and refuse to pay-out more for a game you’ve already invested in (if you purchased the full version), progress can be quite slow. The first level you will win, simply by building unit after unit as and when you can. Very simple. The second level you will also win, especially if you have been able to upgrade your swords to level 2. Level three seems very simple too, but then just as your hordes are thrashing away at the enemy base they come up with a host of spear-wielding (and, at this point, there’s zero chance of your being able to have upgraded to spears unless you’ve made in-game purchases) devils who drive you right back. There’s no way to compete from this point on and you can only be defeated. The only thing you leave with here is enough crystals to upgrade to spears yourself. With these, you’ll win the next level, only for the devils to get powerful archers on the next… and so on. It means you’ll just win-lose-win-lose for the remainder of the game which, I think, sucks. It’s less about strategy and more about timing.
So, who wins this battle within a game? It’s not quite over yet. Check out the video and pictures to see how they sway you…
Watch on Mobile
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Angels or Devils – Gamplay 1
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Angels or Devils – Gamplay 2
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Angels or Devils – Gamplay 3
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Angels or Devils – Defeat
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Angels or Devils – Commander upgrade path
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Angels or Devils – Tutorial
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Angels or Devils – Level map
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Angels or Devils – Intro story
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Angels or Devils – Initial menu
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Angels or Devils – Freemium model purchases
Fun Factor:
Within normal gameplay, it is quite fun. I found it a bit of a kick when you lose, especially when everything is so obviously loaded against you every other level. The devils seem to drop half-a-dozen powerful spear-devils just when you’re first about to destroy their base, completely out of nowhere, and then go and destroy yours. This is completely out of the blue and there is nothing you can do about it.
Also, despite the Google Play Store blurb inferring this is a role-playing game, it really isn’t.
Addictive:
Gameplay-wise, it is an addictive concept and I’ve been engrossed with games like this before. However, unless you’re willing to make in-game purchases, it’s just a simple process of win-lose-upgrade-win-lose-upgrade… and so on.
Graphics:
As discussed previously, the graphics are exemplary for the genre and look great. Lots of detail and polished animations, vivid colours and lush backgrounds.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The sound is also immense. Lots of sound effects and a rich musical score that is about as good as we ever get in the Google Play Store. There is the occasional vibration, like just when several powerful devils jump out and destroy you.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Cartoon Wars,
Defense,
Defense Angel or Devil,
Freemium,
Gamevil
Categorised in: Arcade & Action
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