Fantasy Defense

| Your Opinion
Category: Age: 10+ 15 - Min 1 - 2 Players 2017

Game Summary

Set-Up Ease: In a battle, the right preparations shall be made.3.5 / 5 Gameplay Ease: Easy to learn, hard to defeat. 4.5 / 5 Replay Value: Know your enemy to win. 3 / 5 Thematic: We will fight until our last breath! 4 / 5
Overall Rating: A quick and epic battle full of challenges! 7.5 / 10

*See how the rating system works!

Please notice that I played a pre-production copy of Fantasy Defense, as it is currently on Kickstarter and not yet available on the market.
Click here to check out its campaign. It only has some days left to go!

GOAL OF THE GAME AND GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW

As the name implies, in “Fantasy Defense”, you take control of a fantasy race army trying to protect its city from the invading Orcs. The game follows a storyline that unfolds each time you win. There is an envelope for each Chapter you unlock that contains additional components which introduce new mechanics to the game and a narrative element.

Let’s see how the game plays. “Fantasy Defense” is a quick card game for a solo or duo experience that is sure to give you a hard time. To start the game, after you decide if you are playing solo or cooperatively, you have to choose one of the two starting available race decks, “Humans” or “Elves”, create the “Enemy Deck” and finally lay out your “City Gates” cards.
The game flow is pretty simple and consists of the following steps:

  • Invasion Phase: New enemies will arrive at your gates, by drawing them from the deck. Immediate effects may apply, weakening your forces and negating your strategy.
  • Strategy Phase: You may deploy or move units to defend your gates and cast powerful spells to get the upper hand in battle.
  • Battle Phase: There will be blood. Your brave warriors will defend any besieged gate and enemies will pillage your city on the undefended or poorly protected ones. There are going to be casualties but reinforcements shall come!
  • Reinforcement Phase: You will draw five new card from your deck before the next wave hits, trying to prepare for the catastrophe that will hit you.

If the enemy deck is depleted and all the enemy cards are defeated, you successfully defended your city, for now. If your city morale is reduced to zero (it starts with 20), you have failed miserably.

The solo mode of the game plays pretty fast and straightforward with the co-op mode being slightly more complex as you will have to combine your forces and strategies in a greater battle.

If you win your first game, as mentioned before, you have the right to open the first envelope and discover what lies beyond. This will go on as there are available chapters to enrich the game. The basic game, apart from the invading orcs, comes with some powerful dragons that will make your people shiver in fear.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

First of all, the artwork of the game is stunning, letting you dive in the fantasy realm right away! Apart from that, the gameplay is right up my alley, a player Vs game puzzle that breathes with theme and is quick and challenging enough.
The basic game is neither easy nor hard, just enough to let you learn the game, make a few smart combos and taste victory. I wish I could say the same for what lies next. I won`t spoil it and just say that I was obliterated and couldn`t feel a ray of hope even for a moment.
With that said, “Fantasy Defense” is a game that I enjoyed every minute of it. It gets mathy which is an element that I like a lot, calling you to solve that puzzle and reach victory. The two race decks are pretty interesting and have a unique feel to them which I liked a lot as you can follow different strategies. The replay value goes up as you unlock the additional components of the game, along with the difficulty and complexity of the game.
The game plays great both ways and its quick play time makes you want to play it multiple times. I`m not a solo player but “Fantasy Defense” made me play it alone over and over again. The coop mode on the other hand feels different and has a synergy feel to it, making it a great two player choice.

THE RIGHT MOOD TO PLAY THE GAME

Are you alone or with a partner in search of a challenging, quick and epic experience that will move your brain muscles? It won`t go easy on you and there are many times that you will have to sum up a lot of numbers but this adds to the experience of the game, as you try to figure out the right combo. The game is easy to learn and can be played with people that have no experience in tabletop gaming and have a great time without struggling with the rules.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Quick
  • Challenging
  • Combos
  • Campaign

Cons

  • Value adding may give trouble to some (I love it)
  • Random drawing (from both decks) adds tactics but negates strategy
  • Can be frustrating

 

Recommended Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzazbh1WG0&list=PLmO4kIhX9jQ760auA_04zE2gkA81z-64w