A unique but heavy minigame

[My reviews are based on a mixture of subjective preference and objective game design criteria]

[Disclaimer: I am the developer of this project]

Design ratings:

-Originality: 7/10

-Aesthetics: 9/10

-Thematic Consistency: 6/10

-Custom Content: 10/10

-Grind: Very Low

This project was created to try and capture some of the nostalgia I had playing old tower defense flash games. For me, it captures that gameplay really well. Actually relying on towers for defense instead of just the player is something I had only seen one other pack do (Mirage Tower Defense, which is unplayable due to bugs unfortunately). Between the custom invasions, challenges, and the first prototype of SAM Worlds © (semi procedural adventure maps), I think it offers very unique and fun gameplay.

It’s not without its flaws though, and there are many things I’d do differently now if I were to revisit it. Although a lot of time was spent balancing the in game shop and the 20 levels, the invasion levels themselves lack variety. It would be better if each invasion’s enemy distribution and maybe even type were randomized instead of being fixed for any given level. As is, the replayability isn’t very high. The gameplay is also somewhat awkwardly split between genres, with the player engaging in a more RPG-like gameplay in between invasions. While this wouldn’t be bad on its own, since invasions trigger every night, the day cycle/ time between each level doesn’t really give the player enough time to both repair their base *and* go exploring the structures to engage with the story. And considering that certain parts of the story unlock some of the most powerful weapons in the pack, it creates a bit of a rushed experience. The day length should have been much longer. Another issue is the large number of mobs in later levels, which make it difficult for weaker systems to run the modpack. It definitely would have been better to reduce mob count and increase their health instead to achieve the same effect in a more performance friendly way.

Despite its flaws, it’s still some of the most fun I’ve had in modded MC (creator bias, I know). I enjoy total overhauls and custom content, and this is about as far from vanilla gameplay as I’ve played so far. My favorite part of the pack is still the challenge levels, even though I’ve never actually managed to beat them >_