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The tower defense genre had a spike in popularity a few years ago. These games are definitely
still prevalent, but it seems public infatuation with them has diminished somewhat. Comet Crash
is a 2009 release that reminds you why the genre can produce some quality games, and
why it was so popular. Comet Crash is a downloadable-only title developed
and published by Pelfast. As previously mentioned, it’s a tower defense game. But unlike many
games of the genre, Comet Crash has an offensive component. Simply put, opposing sides are
trying to infiltrate the enemy’s base with a certain number of units. Upgradeable turrets
and other defenses can be placed along the enemy’s route, and the game emphasizes the
ability to elongate said route by strategically placing turrets and selective gateways, all
without completely cutting off the enemy’s ability to progress. This may be, uh, interstellar
war, or whatever, but we have to be fair. So, I’m hesitant to explain the context
of what’s happening on screen because, well, I don’t know what it is. Comet Crash lacks
any form of story, and even with the decent visuals and sound, the game obviously relies
on its gameplay to speak for itself. As mentioned previously, Comet Crash sets itself apart
fairly well with its balance of tower defense as well as offense. The player-controlled
ship, while not being able to manually fire any weapons of its own, can easily fly into
enemy territory and place a turret in order to clear a path or distract defenses. It can
also take damage, but complete destruction only sets you back a few seconds, as the ship
is spawned back at the base pretty quickly. Then again, those few seconds can be kind
of aggravating considering all you can juggle in Comet Crash. Producing turrets and other
defenses, upgrading them in order to handle increasing flow of enemy units, building unit
“factories” of sorts, and just dealing with the enemy can get pretty hectic. There
are quite a few different unit varieties, ranging from basic Scouts and Tanks to “special
ops” Hammers and Thieves. The latter have more impact on enemy units, while the former
are primarily focused on reaching the enemy base. But, as we’ve learned from numerous
governments (MURICA!), defense doesn’t come cheap.
That makes it seem like you have to take out a sketchy loan in order to play Comet Crash,
and unless you’re short about $10, that’s not the case. No, Comet Crash, like most tower
defense games, has a resource system; a simplified one, really. Cash can be obtained from the
comets streaking across the environment, and it just so happens that your ship can grab
them. And turrets can shoot them. The mostly manual nature of recovering resources only
adds another layer, and Comet Crash ends up becoming a pretty engaging tower defense game.
The offensive nature of the usually defensive gameplay, the different aspects and tasks
necessary to complete the varied levels, and even the aesthetic make up this
rock solid title. Yeah, because rocks, and comets, and minerals and stuff.