You cannot compare Savage Moon to any other tower defense games currently available on other platforms. It delivers a unique combat system and a large selection of different types of enemy waves. If you’re a tower defense fan, you’ll find Savage Moon very entertaining. Build turrets, kill incoming enemies, upgrade your guns and kill some more!

There’s a lot more to the game than meets the eye, and it does boast a lot of strategic depth and planning. Your enemies are the Insetctocytes, The Insetctocytes are aliens out to destroy your moon base (hey, they were here first…). You start each new level with a certain amount of credit which allows you to buy and place a limited number of turrets to face the first wave. When a turret is placed it comes down from the sky and unfolds before your eyes. The turrets will attack anything that enters their “circle of death” (which is visible before placing it). At the beginning of a level you only have machine guns, but after a few waves you will have enough credit to research new weapons, towers, and upgrades.

The controls are very basic and the camera is great, browsing the battlefield using the analogs is easy and intuitive. When the pointer becomes green over a spot you’re able to build there. If it’s not green pressing X will bring up a menu – allowing you to press UP / DOWN, scrolling through the different option menus. Menus are listed in a diagonal form with upgrades on top of buildings and a perk system that allows you to focus on up to two advantages – armor boost, extra credits, attack power, bringing down the third (or other two if you choose just one perk) you didn’t choose, on top of the upgrades.

Credits are earned for killing enemies. The bar at the top of the screen shows the next wave of enemies, allowing you to plan your next step. From the moment you start the level you’re always thinking ahead – where the Insetctocytes spawning points are, which route they’ll take this time and what towers will be best in stopping the next wave of aliens. You have to work fast and make quick decisions, placing the turrets at the right place and upgrading them at the right time.

The environment blends right in with the deserted-planet-mining-experiment theme, but it has a very plain look. The graphics are not the best you will see, but it’s certainly the best looking tower defense game out there. The turrets look especially good while upgrading and the Insetctocytes are very intimidating.

Strengths:
Savage Moon has a lot of depth to it, considering the amount of tower defense games out on the market. The gameplay is addictive and easy to learn, the sound is great, the music suits the theme and the enemies deaths are just what you want to hear. Savage Moon also comes with trophy support.

Weaknesses:
Savage Moon gets too hard too fast. By the third moon it could get very hectic and you’ll probably finish the stage just barely surviving. The visuals are not the best – they are good but not great.

Overall:
Savage Moon is not for everyone, but if you’re a tower defense fan or you want to try this genre – this is the one to get. It has its value with 12 levels and online leaderboards. There’s no multiplayer, but I don’t see the need for it. It’s got a lot of depth, and is a must download on PSN.

Score – 88