It’s interesting to view tower defense games as retro. While the genre can be traced back to earlier titles like Defender, today’s tower defense games are often associated with the early cell phone era. These games typically involve building towers to fend off waves of enemies moving in a line, making them well-suited for the limited hardware and control schemes of that time. However, there was no technical requirement for tower defense games to be confined to mobile platforms, which inspired John Roo to develop Collie Defense.
A graduate of GBA Game Jam 2022, Collie Defense successfully funded its Kickstarter campaign last year and is now available for purchase on the Retro Room Games website for fifty dollars. While the novelty of running on Game Boy Advance hardware is appealing, the price might feel a bit steep for such a simple game. If you’ve played one tower defense game, you likely know what to expect from Collie Defense. I’d hesitate to delve too deeply into gameplay mechanics, as the fun lies in discovering the balance through limited cues.
The collie you control and the sheep you protect don’t significantly impact the gameplay, though they do sport charming sprites on the Game Boy Advance. Shooting these adorable characters can feel a bit awkward, but it’s part of the experience. Ultimately, Collie Defense focuses more on arcade-like fun and efficient strategy, as you build defenses while ensuring you have enough resources for subsequent levels.
The game’s design allows you to largely disengage after setting up defenses, which might explain why the tower defense genre gained traction during the cell phone boom. It’s a game for multitaskers, rather than one that requires full concentration. Unfortunately, this trait makes Collie Defense feel less engaging as a Game Boy Advance title. Unlike Elland: The Crystal Wars, it doesn’t provide enough depth to fully justify its price point, given the limited content to discuss.
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Original article by www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com
