Isle of Arrows

Isle of Arrows is a tower defense style game that is putting a fresh and fun spin on the genre. It feels like it has been ages since I played a good tower defense game and the unique nature of this, along with the fact that it is made by the very talented Daniel Lutz, have made this a game that has been on my radar for a while now. I think that there is a lot going on here and I can see this being one of the more addictive game games released this year.

The Melding Of Different Types Of Game

One of the things that greatly appealed to me about Isle of Arrows was how in its description it said that it was a tower defense game that also had elements of a tile-based game, a roguelike game, and a board game. I thought that this was such a unique idea! Each round takes place on an isle and you have something that needs defending from these invaders and that is the basic premise. There are a few different campaigns for you to play through with different guilds having their own characters and story.

Laying It Down!

There is a random/rogue like nature to Isle of Arrows and that is something that greatly appeals to me. Each round gives you a random selection of tiles to make use of, this is where the board game aspect of things comes into play. You can place down towers that are used to attack invaders, roads so you can make the invaders go where you want, flags will give you more room to use, taverns make any tower that is opposite them stronger and gardens will give you coins. You can use the coins to miss a tile if you want. You are guaranteed a certain amount of each time, but the actual tiles are always random so no two games will be the same.

More Than Just Tiles

That is not all there is to the gameplay of Isle of Arrows! You see, the different guilds that are in the game (there are four of them) each have their own playstyle which changes things up considerably. There are bonus cards, special events that can help or hurt you, and of course, there is the random nature of the tiles. The game has a real pick up and play kind of vibe going on, but there is also some major “thinking on your feet” thing going on too thanks to the random nature of the tiles that you will be getting.

A Basic Kind Of Charm

One area that I think Isle of Arrows will split people down the middle is with its art style. They have gone for a very simplistic kind of design with the graphics in this game. It is all very smooth, clean, colorful, and basic and it works. The game has a real charm about it and the way the invaders hop along the road is pretty funny. However, on the flip side of this I can see why for some people, this may not be all that visually appealing.

Pros:

• I like the random nature of the tiles
• You have to think fast when it comes to organizing your defenses
• I liked how each guild offered its own unique play style
• The basic presentation has a lot of charm

Cons:

• Some people may have a hard time getting past the basic graphics
• Some rounds may not be all that kind with the tiles it dishes out!