A game, most similar to a tower defense game, but has a very different feel as you are basically fighting a fluid (the creep). This acts as real fluid and flows down hills, fills up valleys and slowly spreads out in large open areas and comes from a source. You have a base and you build power nodes (collectors) which increases your incoming power. This power travels along your node network to your weapons and constructing nodes to supply them, which takes time. There are only a few weapons, a laser, for quick local attacks, a mortar, for longer range area attacks, a drone, for deep sustained area attacks and a missile battery for defense against rocks coming from the air (which many missions don’t have). There are also a few buildings which increase your power, increase the speed your power travels, and storage (battery) that allows you to have more stored-up power. The goal is just to push the creep back far enough to reach the 3 or so locations that allow you to teleport away. A simple premise really, but very unique, and gets your brain working in a different way.

The positives are just the uniqueness and a kind of relaxing, slow march forward (usually) and figuring out where to focus your efforts. There is also, surprisingly, a lot of content, with a story campaign (like maybe 20 levels), a conquest mode (25 levels) and a more challenging special ops mode (10 levels). Most missions only take 15-20 minutes though, which is another positive, making it a good lunch break type of game. Just be prepared for those rare tough ones where it is a slog to move forward.

The negatives are just the kind of older, less polished interface and look, especially when compared to the sequels. Like there is no options menu to change volumes, keybinding, etc. This was kind of a big deal to me, as this game would have been ideal for playing some videos in the background, but with the sound being so loud, that just wasn’t an option (but you can shut it off completely if you want). I guess there isn’t really a lot of variety either, which some may view as a negative, but that straightforwardness can also be a strength depending on what you are looking for. Not saying the levels are repetitive really, as there are many cool ones, just that you know what to expect pretty quickly and your tools are pretty limited.

End result is, a recommend for those looking for a relaxing, but still mentally stimulating game that can easily be played in small doses. There have now been 4 of these games, but I have only played 2 of them (3 and 1). Even after playing #3, I still found this game fun and worthwhile to play even though it is simpler and I enjoyed the newer one more. I would expect the other newer ones are probably, also better games though, and this entry is mainly for those who really enjoy the formula or who just want to experience the full series.