Sanctum came up on one of the ‘free for a weekend’ deals on Steam a couple of weekends ago and I became quickly addicted. The game reminded me a lot of one of my favourite tower defence games ‘Defence Grid’ crossed with a bit ‘Unreal Tournament’, which is not surprise as it’s running on the Unreal Engine.
The main game itself comes with 5 maps (Mine, Bridge, Arc, Glade, Facility and Complex), and in normal tower defence style, you put down various towers to stop the waves of enemies getting to their target. The enemies (Lumes) come in all shapes and sizes, varying speeds, with varying abilities, and on land or via air, however all tend to have a weak spot. These weak spots can be anything from a clear headshot to take down their shields for a small amount of time, to shooting them in the back which means you really have to mix up your towers and weapons to ensure you’re ready for all waves.
Unlike most tower defence games, this also adds the addition element of FPS (first person shooter), allowing you to get in there with various weapons and take out the the Lumes yourself. This does however add a little more complexity as you really have to think about your upgrade strategy throughout the game. In addition, every level starts with a picklist of towers and weapons, there is no silver bullet, and you may find yourself starting a level again to go with other option.
Now I have to admit, I enjoyed the game, but find myself rage quitting more than once. There was nothing more annoying to get through 28 of the 30 levels without losing any life, to be somehow not prepare from the abuse from the final two waves and lose the level. I seem to remember having to restart the level Facility a number of times, to ensure I was ready for the last two waves.
Sanctum also supports four player co-op, allowing you to get in there with some mates and destroy the waves of Lumes. This was implemented really well as you were able to see what your team mate was planning on doing, where they planned on placing the towers, and gave you an equal amount of resources to spend to either buy towers, or upgrade your weapons.
All in all, a very enjoyable tower defense game, and the FPS side of things really does add a unique spin on it. Finally, if you’re reading this and thinking ‘Darren, aren’t you on the Year of Shame Challenge, and isn’t this a new game’, please listen to episode 09, all will be revealed.
Approx Time taken to beat – 14 hours
Difficulty setting – Normal
Score – [Rating:4/5]
Games Trailer
Tags: Amount Of Time, Arc, Bridge, Complexity, Element, Enemies, First Person Shooter, Fps, Glade, Headshot, Maps, Mates, Picklist, Rage, Shapes And Sizes, Shields, Silver Bullet, Target, Team Mate, Tower Defence Game, Tower Defence Games, Tower Defense, Unreal Engine, Unreal Tournament, Waves, Weak Spot, Weapons, Weekend Deals
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