Why A ‘Star Wars’ Tower Defense Game Would Be Good Again
Recently, my younger brother got this Bloon Tower Defense 5 (BTD5) on Steam during one of their Christmas sales. It is a game where there is some strange conflict between monkeys and balloons. I do not know the history of that feud. Why are balloons wanting to invade the monkeys’ home? The game does take me back to high school as sometimes between classes, other classmates and I would sometimes play these free-to-play computer games. A site would be passed around that was not blocked by the school. And they were fun to play. So I ended up purchasing it and playing it too. After a bit of playing, a thought crossed my mind..... why isn't there a Star Wars tower defense game?
Now before anyone says, "But Connor, there was a Star Wars tower defense game." I was unaware of Star Wars Galactic Defense before pitching this piece. I looked it up, and discovered that it lasted less than two years. Eighteen months to be exact. That was not very long at all. What happened? Was it any good? Was just a half-arsed? I do not know as I never got the chance to play it. On the other hand, should Star Wars attempt another tower defense game?
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I have been playing BTD5 for almost a week now, and it is a wee bit addictive. There is a daily challenge where you can gain free items, unlock new maps, upgrade towers and defenses, and more. It can be quite fun. Who doesn't like a good challenge? You would think only an hour has passed, but turns out you have been playing for over two hours.
I was disappointed that there is no longer a Star Wars tower defense game now. While playing BTD5, I think it would be great if there was a Star Wars version, only to find out that not only was there one, but it had been gone for five years now. The concept is perfect. We can have a map of Hoth, for example, with different towers/defenses as the Rebels defend their base from wave after wave of Imperial forces that just keep coming. It can work. Republic, Rebels, Resistance are the defenders, and the Separatists, the Empire, and the First Order are the attackers.
Hoth is a hell of an example. The scenario is already set up with the Rebel defense of Echo Base with different turrets like the DF.9, E-Webs, and the 1.4 FD P-Tower. Not to forget, we can start with infantry and snowspeeders. Then, you can add to it. Set up shield generators to slow down enemy vehicles. Send out X-Wing, and Y-wing fighters for air support, and use ion cannons to stop enemy vehicles in their tracks. They are all perfect materials for a tower defense game.
Map-wise, you would be spoiled with all choices: Yavin, Endor, Tatooine, Naboo, Coruscant, Kamino, Geonosis, Utapau, Mustafar, Jakku, D'Qar, Crait, and more. That is not even all the planets from the Skywalker Saga. There are also plenty of planets and locations to use as maps from the anthology films, the live action Disney+ shows, and the animated series. It is a gold mine.
There is potential here. Lucasfilm Games should take another crack at it. Take what Ninja Kiwi did with their Bloons Tower Defense games and give it that Star Wars treatment. It is a basic game premise. Take what had been done with Galactic Defense and improve upon it.
I posed the question over on the Star Wars fan page I run, asking if anyone had played the game. There were several comments, many saying that they had, that it was fun, but also that they missed the game and that a new one would be most welcome. So there is still an appeal to fans for a little game like this again.
It is worth another shot all these years later. If done right, like the Bloons Tower Defense games, it could have longevity. It could last a lot longer than eighteen months.
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