Grizzly Games have just released their demo for their new minimalist strategy game Thronefall, a fun and simple tower defence game.
For those who love simple strategy games that don’t add too much complexity, Thronefall is the perfect game for you. We got a quick look at the demo that was recently released at Steam Next Fest, and the first impressions are great.
“What sets Thronefall apart is its accessible nature.”
Thronefall is an engaging tower defence game that involves you building your kingdom, earning money and defending it from enemies. At the start of the game, you will be on your own, with just enough coins to start building your castle centre. It’s up to you to strike a delicate balance with your resources, deciding whether to construct houses or mills to enhance your income or prioritise fortifications to fend off hostile forces.
What sets Thronefall apart is its accessible nature. With a small learning curve, players are thrown into the action right away without needing to learn convoluted mechanics that plague many modern games.
You rely purely on directional controls to navigate around the lands, and just the one button to complete most actions. Your single action button is used to build items and attack. A second button is present for rounding up your soldiers to be positioned, although, this is still extremely easy to navigate and use.
This straightforward gameplay approach is complimented by visually pleasing and user-friendly graphics. I really enjoyed the different worlds presented in the demo, as well as the structure of the lands that serve as the foundation for both constructing and protecting your kingdom.
One aspect that particularly stood out to me was how the terrain itself influenced strategic defence decisions. For instance, there was a memorable scenario where the enemy had to scale a steep incline to reach the centre. By strategically deploying towers and soldiers at various points, I found it easy to defend and keep the kingdom centre safe.
“As someone who pushes the boundaries in games, I liked focusing spend on growth resources rather than defence.”
A significant aspect of strategy in Thronefall revolves around resource management. Fundamentally, if you spend too much coin on your defence, you will not have the resources to grow in the future. So you need to balance what you spend and, ultimately, assess whether you have the defence to fight the next horde successfully. I loved the simplicity of this strategic structure and enjoyed constantly evaluating whether my defences were sufficient.
Naturally, the objective is to allocate resources wisely by ensuring you have the necessary funds for defence while investing the remainder in houses and mills to generate future income. It is essential to exhaust all available funds before the next wave of enemies, as any unspent coins could have gone utilised for future resource expansion. As someone who pushes the boundaries in games, I liked focusing spend on growth resources rather than defence. Fortunately, this approach paid off, as I had ample resources to fortify myself during the later stages of each level.
Thronefall is a must-play indie game for those who love strategy or tower defence titles.
In terms of combat, you have control over when to engage in a fight. Additionally, you have insights into the types and patterns of enemies that will arrive in the next wave. Your task is to strategically position your troops to repel the horde of enemies while protecting your resources and staying safe.
Enemies in Thronefall may approach from multiple directions and possess varying characteristics, which means you must plan and structure your towers and soldiers for success. Once adequately prepared, you enter “Night” mode, when the enemies will commence their assault.
The combat controls in Thronefall are designed with simplicity in mind. Your towers and soldiers will automatically engage with the enemies according to their placement and positioning. As the player, you have control over your king’s movements, granting you the freedom to choose where to fight the enemy. Once engaged, your character will also automatically launch attacks against the enemy hordes.
Furthermore, your character possesses a time-based special attack ability, which can inflict significant damage. If your character is defeated in battle, a countdown will commence before you can rejoin the battle. However, if your castle centre is destroyed by the enemy, it’s game over.
Overall, Thronefall looks like a promising new game. With simple strategy, beautiful graphics and incredibly fun battles, it’s a must-play indie game for those who love strategy or tower defence titles.
Thronefall will release in Q3 2023 and will be available on PC via Steam. You can check out the demo here.