Slingshot Defender Review

Friday, November 11, 2011

Slingshot Defender Review

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Slingshot Defender Review

By Dan Lee on November 11th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: SMASHING
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

Defend your castle using massive boulders!

Developer: VAVA Interactive
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

One would think that someone rich/crazy enough to own a castle in a monster infested area might spend a little cash installing a decent security system. Not so with Slingshot Defender, as it's up to the player to beat back an approaching horde of various trouble-makers with nothing but a single slingshot. Luckily, or unluckily if you're a monster, this slingshot can fling rather large boulders.

Slingshot Defender is played from a top down perspective. At the bottom of the screen is a wall, which signifies the player's castle, and a slingshot. Tapping on the slingshot and pulling it back brings up a target reticule ahead, which can be adjusted when the player moves their finger around the screen.

When a monster enters the target reticule, all the player has to do is take their finger off the screen, releasing the boulder which will hopefully impact as planned. Occasionally the boulder will be replaced by a bomb, which has a large splash radius, as well as inflicting more damage on the target.

Every now and then a barrel will roll past, and it's well worth chucking a boulder at it. If the player manages to smash one they will be rewarded with a power-up. These can range from freezing enemies for a limited time, to sending a wave of fire into the field, which eradicates everything.

These power-ups are very useful, as although stage one starts off fairly sedate, the player will soon realise that this is just a warm-up. All enemies have their own set of stats based on speed, armour and damage. For example, a Grim Reaper has extremely low armour, but is very fast and will do substantial damage to the castle wall if the player lets one slip by.

After a few levels Slingshot Defender becomes pretty tactical, as the player must decide what enemy to focus on first, based on their damage ratings. Too many hits and the heart meter at the bottom of the screen will deplete, and it's game over.

Whilst the game isn't massively varied, it has that "one more go" factor that drags the player back in to push on and try and get further. Game Center support also adds longevity, and although there are only twelve achievements to unlock they will take a bit of time.

Slingshot Defender is the perfect example of bite-sized portable gaming. The player can pick it up at any time and play for as little or as long as they like without impacting their enjoyment.