Elemental War 2 Review

Do you ever get cravings for particular types of games, only to realise that nothing good has been released in that genre for quite a while? Like maybe you want a new RTS, but you’ve played all the best ones to death, and there’s nothing to scratch that very particular itch. Well, lately I’ve been feeling that way with tower defence.

Enter Elemental War 2. On the surface, it seemed like the exact type of TD I was looking for with a fantasy theme, extraordinary creatures, an interesting array of towers, and a top-down view, but unfortunately it came off lacking. There are the bones of what could be an excellent game but not much thought has been put into making it an enjoyable experience.

Starting off with the tutorial — or rather the lack of one — the only guidance given is the usual annoyance of throwing a bunch of text at the player when they start up their first game in the hopes that they retain it for when it’s applicable. Maybe I’m on my own here but I don’t want to feel like I’m studying for a test and have to take notes just to remember the very basics of how to play. Luckily, the gameplay is quite intuitive once you get the hang of it, allowing you to experiment and figure out the different tower abilities as you go. The later stage of a level becomes difficult though, as there is a tipping point where you go from dominating everything to suddenly being steamrolled if you haven’t been careful with the progression of your towers.

Your towers start with a basic attack, and upgrading allows you to select an element, which opens up the pathway for further progression. What makes the upgrading of your towers unique is the mixing of elements. Putting two different towers within range of each other allows you to combine their elements to access more powerful abilities, like my personal favourite, the flamethrower. Elements are unlocked by summoning and killing bosses of their respective type, which is one of the few things that help draw you into the battle a bit more. Playing with the elemental combos is pretty much the only interesting gameplay there is, unfortunately.

The most comical part of Elemental War 2 is likely the many and various creatures/enemies that you get to destroy. The large variety is both a positive and a negative because while having so many might give the player more to learn and explore, it makes for an inconsistent theme. One minute you’re taking down minotaurs and hydras when out comes a few raptors and it seems a bit strange, but I draw the line at the dynamite robot boss walking down the road of a medieval village. There’s no balance in the setting and everything is just hurled out at random, which can be fun but it amplifies the seeming lack of thought put into the experience.

Pacing is just non-existent. There is no beginner level to give you a small introduction; new creatures just keep spilling out to the point you stop paying attention. There isn’t much in the way of meaningful progression. What you get in the first level of the game just seems to be its entirety. It would be nice if there were perhaps different modes or just generally any kind of variation in gameplay.

Guided scenarios would be a great way to introduce the player to all the various creatures and what their resistances and weaknesses are — it would also be a useful way to guide the player through the types of towers. So many fun and interesting combinations are available, but I feel no draw to explore them.

On the topic of atmosphere, there’s nothing to really write home about. The graphics are good and land on the side of realistic rather than stylised but they’re just okay. The in-game sounds and music are similar. They fit the game and do what they need to do without going beyond that.

There are a few minor bugs but nothing game-breaking or difficult to work around. Overall Elemental War 2 feels more like a platform for experimentation rather than a game. It can be fun for those that enjoy that but it’s certainly not something I see myself returning to. My search for a good tower defence continues.