PixelJunk Monsters

8.8
Good

Gameplay	10	"The definition of an easy to learn yet hard to master title."
Graphics	8.0
Sound	7.5
Value	8.0

By Daniel Needham

The tower or fortress defence genre is one that's very familiar to PC gamers and RTS fans alike. However, console gamers have rarely experienced the easily understandable and addictive nature of this offshot of the strategy genre. PixelJunk Monsters, the second downloadable title from Q Games, brings its unique style and meshes it with a time-tested gameplay formula, to give a captivating experience.

Throughout the game, you guide a small, admittedly charming character around forest environments, defending your tribe of helpless little creatures. Each monster that gets through your defences will kill one of your tribe until none remain. Stopping the diverse types of monsters is all about building the right tower in the right place at the right time.

PixelJunk Monsters gives you control of the battlefield through the hands of a single character. In this game, you have three primary resources at your disposal: trees, coins and gems. Trees act as your template. You can build any type of tower on any tree on the field, assuming you have sufficient coins, which you collect from fallen enemies. While coins build towers, gems give you access to quick upgrades, or you can spend them on researching more powerful types of towers, which you can then build at any time.

Although the presentation is decidedly simple, the execution is anything but. Hidden underneath the cute exterior is a game that's incredible difficult. As easy as the controls and the concept are, this is easily one of the most hardcore games available on the PSN. PixelJunk Monsters will strain the minds of even the most cunning gamer. Ultimately, its difficulty is a double-edged sword: it makes each level addictive and satisfying to complete, but also inspires a painful level of crushing frustration.

Playing PixelJunk Monsters is surprisingly easy controller-wise It helps that interacting with your character is simple - just move with the d-pad or analog stick, press X to confirm and O to cancel. Walking up to a tree will highlight it, and hitting X will bring up a small circular menu where you can select which tower to build on that tree. Once the tower is complete, it will automatically attack passing monsters that are within range. Standing on your tower will cause your character to dance slowly, earning upgrades for your tower which improve its power, range, and other important attributes.

PixelJunk Monsters is the definition of a game “which takes five minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master.” Its level designs are spectacular, challenging and vibrant, while its easy going controller layout allows you to jump straight in to the action and try to wade through the twenty or so levels on offer.

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