Fieldrunners HD a Superb Award-winning Tower Defense Game
by Paul Wilks
Jul 15, 2011 12:32 PM –
Install
Fieldrunners HD is a superb award winning tower defense game now on Android after colossal popularity on the iPhone, PSP and DSI platforms. Gorgeous high-definition graphics compliment the brilliant gameplay and 400 action packed levels of complete destructive mayhem. Recently available for free as Amazon’s App of the Day, Fieldrunners HD is a premium Android game that demands attention.
Price: $0.99
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Stunning HD graphics with fantastic details.
- Superb music and sound.
- 400 Levels.
- Challenging, engrossing and addictive gameplay.
- Variety of upgradable towers.
- Variety of modes and achievements.
- Ability to zoom in closer to the action.
Cons
- Just 4 battlefields.
- Entering text name field is problematic and unresponsive.
Features:
As a reviewer I obviously download and play with quite a lot of apps and games. It is quite rare therefore when a game or app genuinely makes my jaw drop. Then along comes Fieldrunners HD and does just that. This wonderfully engaging and fun tower defense app has amazing graphics, nail-bitingly intense game play and lots of variety.
Getting the small negatives out of the way first, just 4 battlefields does seem a bit limited considering this game is such a wonderful monster in other departments. Additionally, at the end of a hard-fought game the challenge of entering your name shouldn’t be as nightmarish as it is. I have no idea why this is; why the developers can pull off an extravagantly fabulous tower defense game like this yet stumble over data entry… I am unable to fathom. You can enter your name but it’s a bit inconsistent and feels unresponsive until the keyboard suddenly pops up.
Those issues aside this game is a large bucket of destruction and explosions. Anyone familiar with tower defense games should be immediately comfortable with the gameplay: strategically select towers dependent on the location of enemies and how much money you have, enemies increase in strength as you progress, deploy and upgrade as necessary and make sure you don’t run out of the 20 lives you start with.
You cannot review this app without mentioning the graphics first. Gorgeous and bright HD with plenty of tiny graphical details and impressive visuals. Playing this game reminded me of lots of other games brought together. Music seems to be straight from Medal of Honour, graphics and atmosphere are very similar to the old PlayStation games Loaded and Re:Loaded (extra points to you if you remember them!!), there must be a nod in there towards Command & Conquer titles and Android-wise there is a familiarity to games like Gun Bros. In a nutshell, Fieldrunners HD is all these games cooked together into a delicious pie of gaming goodness. 
While, visually stunning, the gameplay isn’t bad either! Choose from a variety of towers, which can be gradually upgraded for more powerful effects. These include a basic gun tower, acid/chemical tower, rocket launcher, fire-tower, telsa coil tower and bomb launchers. What I liked most about all of these towers is that they can attack both ground and air enemies alike- you do not need to have specific ones to hit air-based enemies.
Each game has 100 waves of baddies coming at you, from fieldrunner types to motorbikes, tanks, big grunts with guns, airships, helicopters and fighter planes, there is lots to wipe off the face of the Earth. These all have different sounds and noises associated with them so explosions sound more detailed and unique with each experience.
Once you have your towers set up you can fast forward the waves, which speeds up gameplay without making it impossible to manage. This is useful because games would be much, much longer, perhaps becoming a bit wearisome, without this.
You have 4 battlefields to choose from:
- Grasslands- a clearing in a wooded area, you must stop the baddies entering a hidden base there. A bit easier than the other levels, this has one entry and one exit point. A great place to start.
- Crystal Caves- looks like a mining facility. Not only do you have to stop the baddies from racing across the battlefield, but you also have to stop the trains along the outside.
- Crossroads- factory warehouse setting and enemies comes from two directions, requiring two exit points to be defended.
- Drylands- This puts you in a hot, dry desert canyon. There are three entry and exit points so your strategy has to be just right to avoid defeat.
Each map has an easy, medium and hard setting and can be played in either Classic, Extended or Endless mode. Lots of challenges then and plenty to destroy.
Watch on Mobile (Not viewable in U.S.)
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Fieldrunners – Crossroads Map
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Fieldrunners – Crystal Caves Map
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Fieldrunners – Crystal Caves, attack trains as they pass around the edge
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Fieldrunners – Defeated
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Fieldrunners – Drylands map
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Fieldrunners – Gameplay tips
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Fieldrunners – Grasslands map
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Fieldrunners – Lives are top right.
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Fieldrunners – Lots of upgradable towers.
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Fieldrunners – Main menu
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Fieldrunners – Map selection 2
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Fieldrunners – Map selection
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Fieldrunners – Money is top left
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Fieldrunners – New high score!
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Fieldrunners – Options
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Fieldrunners – Pause, fast forward and settings are bottom left
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Fieldrunners – Pre-level info
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Fieldrunners – Splashscreen
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Fieldrunners – Start new game
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Fieldrunners – Towers along the bottom.
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Fieldrunners – Use strategy to defeat your enemies.
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Fieldrunners – Zoom in by pinching.
Fun Factor:
Endless fun to be had in this gorgeously rendered game. With a variety of modes and difficulty levels there is something here for both fans of the tower defense genre and those who haven’t played this kind of game before.
Addictive:
Each game takes quite a few minutes to play, so it’s not as casual as many games- it requires you to put some time into it. This perhaps removes the ‘one-more-game’ factor which is crucial to games like Angry Birds and A Monster Ate My Homework in terms of addictiveness. That said, playing Fieldrunners HD is compulsive and I found myself picking it up regularly.
Graphics:
They are fewer games available on the Android Market with better graphics than Fieldrunners HD. I can’t say more than that beyond mentioned the graphics are bright, lush and jaw-droppingly impressive.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
Sound is highly developed and detailed. Each baddie has different sounds and explosions and this creates a superb audio experience. The music is great- reminded me hugely of Medal of Honour on the PS2 and genuinely a highlight in this game of highlights.