Released on June 29, 2011 from Cellar Door Games, Villainous is a “reverse” tower defense game designed around dodging defense towers in order to plunder towns and cities; eventually razing them to the ground. Instead of just the run of the mill tower defense title, Villainous gives the player control over an evil mage who seeks to conquer the world with the power of his minion hordes. Instead of building towers, it’s time to take part in some destruction. Get ready to get… evil.
Your story as an evil mage begins with a simple tutorial to describe basic elements of gameplay to new users, but can be skipped if the player does not wish to do so. This is a welcomed option for many veteran gamers I’m sure. The story of Villainous could not be simpler or more to the point. You are an evil mage with delusions of grandeur and the world will be yours… as soon as you build an army to do so that is. The story is a simplistic one, and while some cut scenes or story encounters would have been a welcome addition, it is hardly the focus of the title. It’s all about the conquest. The primary progression of the game is controlled from the conquest map. From here, the player can decided which town or city they will ambush next; or research what changes they may need to make to their minions before attempting an attack.
Between missions, the player can return to their evil lair and use their accumulated wealth and renown – built up during sieges – to enhance their strength in battle. By upgrading their currently existing armies or unlocking new minions the player can drastically change their siege styles to accommodate the changing missions. The lair itself will actually change, adding on new wings and towers, as you purchase upgrades and additions to your army. This not only gives you a great visual understanding of just how far you are progressing, but a very simple way to quickly check the statistics of all minion types under your control using the games “flag” system.
Each flag visually displayed over certain parts of the keep gives the player a constant update of the abilities or attributes of the units or spells the particular upgrade affects. The upgrade system takes little time to pickup and understand and the menus to do so are easy to navigate; however, the effects of those upgrades seem to leave much to be desired in actual gameplay. This issues leads me to one of the larger complaints most casual gamers will have about Villainous.
The gameplay does require a large amount of grinding for the average player to progress through the game, and as such, many players may find themselves a bit bored with the tedium. As in the aforementioned paragraph, the fruits of your labor are just not that wow-ing when you seem them in action. An upgrade, when completely maxed out, feels more like it should only be the first step among many. But that is not to say the system is poor in anyway. It works, but it would be much more compelling had they made the upgrades a bit more potent. Beyond the upgrade system’s minor flaws, Villainous is actually a lot of fun.
At the beginning of each siege, the player must decide not only what types of minions they will summon and attack with, but in what order they will do so. This is a very vital part of Villainous, as the layout of each mission and types of defense towers you will encounter will drastically change which order your minions will need to travel in order to survive. If the player makes a poor decision or things don’t turn out quite as planned, they – being the awesome villain that they are – will have their spells to even the odds a bit. Ranging from earthquakes to lighting strikes this villain is ready, but use them wisely. Every time the player uses a spell, its successive uses will cost an increasing amount of mana until the player can no longer afford it. It has its flaws, but Villainous is a very enjoyable concept.
The player controls their dastardly minion assaults on these unsuspecting towns primarily with the simplistic click of a mouse and the occasional hotkey to cast a spell. The controls are devilishly simple, but their correct usage will take practice and precise timing; especially when it comes to casting your spells. The controls work smoothly and just the way you would assume they would. Nothing felt awkward or unusual in its layout, making it a great game to just jump right into.
Visually, Villainous is not the most unique title you’ll see on the market, but it does everything quite well. The menus are slick, uncluttered, and easy for new players to pickup and immediately navigate. The magical effects are beautifully done and a very impressive way to liven up the battlefield during sieges. The animations are simplistic, but are in no way detrimental to the overall game or the action on-screen; lending themselves nicely to the style of the game. The levels grow in their own unique style as the game progresses and the player conquers more and more territory for their evil kingdom; never leaving the player bored with what they’re seeing.
The unusual world of Villainous is brought to life with fantastically implemented sound effects that give every enemy and each attack a truly unique feel of its own. From the electrical surges of power from your evil spells to the crushing earthen explosions of the defensive quake towers, Villainous does an amazing job of keeping everything alive with sound. It’s one and only flaw is the nearly complete and utter lack of a true soundtrack. The two songs present in the game are fantastically orchestrated and feel perfect for the game, but after the 100th time, any song can wear a bit thin.
All-in-all, Villainous is a unique concept brought to life in a brilliant way. With all of the abilities and minion upgrades to unlock and a full in-game “throne room” achievement system; this one will have you busy for quite some time. It has it’s flaws and may not be for everyone, but it’s a very fresh way to turn a genre that has been done many times before completely on its head. Sometimes it really is fun to be evil.
