Anyone still playing the WiiWare version of XGen Studios’ Defend Your Castle?
Most likely not.
The game is ironically meditative in the constant destruction required on the player’s part. You constantly are tossing foes up into the air, allowing them to plummet to their doom; and within this gimmick lies the bounce.
That’s right, the bounce. The tossing mechanic involves rhythmically “bouncing” the controller up and down (while holding onto it, of course). It’s a bit soothing, really. When things get more chaotic, they also get more Zen.
Three friends and I huddled in my apartment today, “bouncing” with the bright, tender sun patiently waiting outside. It was nice. I suggested the game because, well, I’d only played it once. And that’s the thing about the game: it’s meant for one or two looonnng stretches. Otherwise the tedium would surely get to you.
Not that this is bad; there’s a thrill in playing that’s reminiscent of old-timey arcade romps like Galaga and Space Invaders. Yes, it’s another endless game that demands you play until you get the high score with your eyes, hands, and brain straining after the first hour stretch. I love all of it.
But there’s a difference here. Those other games (as well as the browser-based iteration of Defend Your Castle) did not include a rhythmic bouncing of a Wiimote. The time we all spent playing the game today totaled in at 2 hours and 37 minutes. That’s insane. We rotated playing, yet our hands still felt pained, cramped, and ridden with carpel tunnel. Ouchie.
But the game is a blast! It really is. And get this version of it, too; the homespun look (buttons for faces, tongue edit: depressors for battering rams) is an original delight. Just have ice ready for the pain. In the meantime (erm, you are on a computer, right?), click here and enjoy the prequel, Pillage the Village. It’s actually more complex, allowing for more upgrades and strategy. And! You get to drop houses on people. I bet you haven’t done that in a while.
They’re tongue “depressors”. No one’s trying to suppress anyone else’s tongue.
So you’d only played this game once before? I feel very flattered, like I gained some sort of inclusion into the secret life of Austintatious and Noellicious, seeing as how I watched the two of you play that very game for upwards of an hour. I remember thinking it looked like busywork, myself, but I declined all opportunities to partake therein so I suppose I don’t really know what I’m talking about. Also, I’ve been drinking.
I suppose tongues aren’t too often suppressed. Maybe when they’re cut off, or, I don’t know, in use.
I’m happy you feel flattered. And guess what? I’m NOT drinking. A problem soon to be fixed.