Emberward

Let me tell you, Emberward is one of the most fun surprises I have had in gaming this year! You know a game is good when you download the demo, play it for like 10 minutes and then know right away you need to stop playing the demo and just buy the full game! This is a charming and fun roguelike tower defense game and it is just so addictive and fun that it is going to take over your life. I like how it is short, it makes it the perfect game to fire up and play when you only have a spare 10 or so minutes, but it is so addictive, that intended 10 minutes can have your wife yelling at you that you have been gaming for an hour and dinner is cold!

A Colorful Monstrous World

I have played a ton of tower defense and roguelike games over the years and I would have to put Emberward right up there with the most charming when it comes to the style. The game is not super story driven and on the surface, this is that tried and tested formula of people vs monsters, but it is the way that it is all presented that makes this such a blast. You have a selection of characters to pick from and while their “fire type” is the main draw, they each have their own personality. I love the world that they have created here and I wish they expanded on it a bit more.

Build It Your Way

The tower defense portion of Emberward is a lot of fun. The game starts by having you build the walls which will basically funnel the monsters where you want them to go. This is the kind of thing that is easier said than done. I have made so many great plans that I thought were so awesome, only to realize I did not plan it properly and a run goes to hell right away. Hey, that is not a complaint, if anything it is funny and gets you pumped up. When something goes wrong in this game, it is 99/100 your lack of planning that caused it. The twist is that you do not just have an unlimited number of blocks to make your maze with! You have a select amount of block cards and it is with these you need to make your maze. I liked the way that the game pushed my creativity. It is certainly challenging, but challenging in a fun way.

Tower Of Power, Too Sweet To Be Sour

If you get that, you are awesome and you can chow down on steaks and lift barbell plates with me anytime. A huge part of the fun with Emberward is that the towers you use to fight back the monsters are so creative. Being a Dungeons & Dragons fan, the tower that is like a D20 and gives you random different amounts of damage depending on the role was something I got a huge kick out of. From a tower that unleashes drones to a tower that drops acid like The Masters of the Universe Slime Pit. There is so much creativity with the towers in this game and you will have so much fun trying to find the best place for them, the tower placement along with making your maze is something that is tricky, but also a great deal of fun.

Putting On A Brave Face!

I already touched on this before, but Emberward has so much charm and style. In many ways, it kind of reminds me of the chibi art style that Nintendo used for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening that they did on the Nintendo Switch. The game is bright and colorful and the soundtrack as well as the various sound effects are just so much fun and fit the carnage that is going on as you play the game perfectly. So many random video games end up with merch getting made these days and this game is so charming, I could see this being one of them and you better believe that I would need a plush or some kind of figure!

Pros:

• The building of your maze is challenging, but fun
• I love how creative and wacky the towers are
• The game has a ton of charm and style
• This is one of the most fun games I have played this year

Cons:

• Some may feel it is a bit short
• The game is not fully completed yet