The different locations do not only serve for a change of appearance, they also alter gameplay. Initial areas see you able to build anywhere across the playing field, with enemies forced down very restricted paths. Later stages will not only see the direction of attack change but also the all so the number of paths the enemies are able to take increasing, making it harder to allocate tower placement. While the hordes approach was always clearly marked at the start of each assault on more than one occasion I missed the bright red arrow the game offered me leaving me rapidly undone.

 

To further compound difficulties many environments limit build space. One area saw the team head to a frozen pond. Towers can only be built on snow, which did not include the ponds ice. The result was vast areas of the map that were left open to any and all who chose to walk them.

 

 

Enemies could only be funnels at the beginning of the stage, and from there became free to avoid your stationary defences’. This resulted in a significant number of stray opposition needing to be taken out by the boys. The characters were always useful, but until that point they could just as easily been replaced by towers. On this stage however they became a necessity, shifting the game up a gear and making it more action orientated.

 

 

Environment isn’t the only factor affecting the gameplay, the enemy types also make huge differences to the tactics required. Ranging from Mongolians to Underpants Gnomes the game touches on nearly all of the series chief adversaries. Though at times their strengths and weakness may not make much sense and require a quick look at the in game hints (unless you want to go through long periods of trial and error) once you know which tower works well with each enemy then you become able to carefully plan your defences before the they advance.

 

The enemy variety forces a wide range of tactics as the game advances. Where some enemies require brute force from any weapon, others require sheer mass from the weaker towers, while some demand a specific tower type. At first it is simply a matter of building as many towers as possible and letting towers that become redundant during the stage continue to do what damage they can.

 

 

Later in the game limited building space requires that you reclaim areas, constantly destroying towers to construct alternate towers in the same spot. It is familiar tale for the experienced tower defence player, but the active nature of play makes it all the more tense as you try to keep the boys alive as they collect coins and build more towers.

 

 

"South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defence Play!" combines a direct character control and strategic tower placement to a very nice results. The mix of styles allows multiple players to enjoy the game and its humour on a superficial level (aided by a few beers) while leaving the higher level strategic play to one or two of the more experienced players.

 

While the game is certainly steeped in fan service it is not reliant on it, standing quite happily on its own a quality tower defence title. As such it offers something to both fans of the genre and the franchise.

 

 

 

 

+ Great for series fans
+ Good multiplayer
+ Looks and feels like the show