Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal - PC Game Review
Creeper World 3: Arc Eternal is a tower defense game.
It has 90s style graphics, that go somewhere from retro to slight embarrassing.
However, it probably is THE BEST TOWER DEFENSE GAME I have ever played. Seriously, I can't remember enjoying any TD game anywhere near this, and I played a ton of them.
The basic "monster" is quite a bit different than the usual fare. It is just a blue mass that keeps being generated from some points in the map. It will eventually find its way to your base (and probably much sooner than you'd think reasonable).
Your mission is to build up to creeper generators and destroy them.
There are plenty of weapons, shields, a power system that uses flat surfaces (bringing Perimeter to mind, of course). Landscape features are very important, and you have a terraforming tool (called TERP) that can have huge effects. You can make walls, make mountains plain, and make bridges into the creeper sea.
Power is a huge deal. You have the regular type, and reactors, but neither provide enough for the nastier levels. I find that I usually hold the bases at start by a minimum margin, barely surviving, till I am able to get a mass of reactors AND the power upgrades provided by the Forge. Then it is a matter of being careful and using a combination of pulse cannons, shields and other tools to advance and finish the level.
Level design is sometimes inspired, even if a bit nonsensical. There are levels where there are only small asteroid block left in the planet, there is one with a star revolving around the planet, which causes tides of creeper and more.
The biggest cons is that the tutorial seems pretty poor. I think I was paying attention, but I just figured out that I could move towers by mistake. Also, the game seems pretty hard. I am not anywhere near the end, but some of the levels required looking for hints on the net, or checking out the nice completion videos available for ideas on how to complete levels.
Overall, this game is just plain awesome. But be prepared for a serious challenge (and "retro" graphics).
It has 90s style graphics, that go somewhere from retro to slight embarrassing.
However, it probably is THE BEST TOWER DEFENSE GAME I have ever played. Seriously, I can't remember enjoying any TD game anywhere near this, and I played a ton of them.
The basic "monster" is quite a bit different than the usual fare. It is just a blue mass that keeps being generated from some points in the map. It will eventually find its way to your base (and probably much sooner than you'd think reasonable).
Your mission is to build up to creeper generators and destroy them.
There are plenty of weapons, shields, a power system that uses flat surfaces (bringing Perimeter to mind, of course). Landscape features are very important, and you have a terraforming tool (called TERP) that can have huge effects. You can make walls, make mountains plain, and make bridges into the creeper sea.
Power is a huge deal. You have the regular type, and reactors, but neither provide enough for the nastier levels. I find that I usually hold the bases at start by a minimum margin, barely surviving, till I am able to get a mass of reactors AND the power upgrades provided by the Forge. Then it is a matter of being careful and using a combination of pulse cannons, shields and other tools to advance and finish the level.
Level design is sometimes inspired, even if a bit nonsensical. There are levels where there are only small asteroid block left in the planet, there is one with a star revolving around the planet, which causes tides of creeper and more.
The biggest cons is that the tutorial seems pretty poor. I think I was paying attention, but I just figured out that I could move towers by mistake. Also, the game seems pretty hard. I am not anywhere near the end, but some of the levels required looking for hints on the net, or checking out the nice completion videos available for ideas on how to complete levels.
Overall, this game is just plain awesome. But be prepared for a serious challenge (and "retro" graphics).
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