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An amalgamation of nostalgia and modernized gameplay | Review - Dwerve
2K View2023-05-27
Dwerve is a tower defense adventure RPG featuring retro style pixel art graphics and some light puzzle solving elements.
đźź©Pros
+Compelling fantasy RPG adventure
+Strategic tower defense combat
+Controller Support
🟥Cons
-unresponsive controls, especially the movement
-checkpoint/save system bound to frustrate players
Dwerve is a captivating blend of retro art dungeon crawling RPG and tower defense combat, enveloped in a high fantasy narrative featuring Dwarves, Elves, and Trolls. Recently released for PC, with a mobile version on the horizon, I had the opportunity to test the demo version called Dwerve: Prologue.
While games like Sanctum and Orcs Must Die have explored similar gameplay mechanics, Dwerve distinguishes itself by infusing pixel art and a retro RPG style into the equation. The result is an amalgamation of nostalgia and modernized gameplay.
Dwerve features a nostalgic visual aesthetic that is reminiscent of the classic RPG games of the 80s and 90s like The Legend of Zelda. However, the gameplay itself takes a more modern approach, particularly with the inclusion of tower defense mechanics. Adhering to the tradition of Zelda-style aesthetics, Dwerve showcases tiny character sprites that perfectly complement the game's Dwarf populated world.
In Dwerve, players assume the role of the eponymous protagonist, a young tinkerer who has recently discovered the long-lost art of being a warsmith. These Dwarves utilize magical stones to power various contraptions such as turrets and traps to fight on their behalf. Just as the protagonist begins to delve into this ancient art, mythical trolls invade the land, ravaging villages but leaving no trace of their existence. With no evidence of these elusive trolls, Dwerve embarks on an adventure to uncover proof and protect his people.
The gameplay in Dwerve is straightforward yet involves the player strategically. Players traverse the land, engaging in battles against monsters and solving puzzles along the way, in some occasions navigating maze-like levels and activating levers to open gates. The map design exhibits cleverness in multiple aspects, notably in minimizing the need for excessive backtracking during quests. However, the standout feature that sets Dwerve apart from other retro RPG games lies in its combat system.
The combat is infused with tower defense combat system that is tantamount to the Dwerve’s survival. Using his magical stones, he can place structures from a current lineup of four, on any empty tile on the land, significantly increasing his defensive and offensive capabilities. These structures range from spin blade turrets, dealing devastating melee damage in an area of effect, to crossbow turrets, capable of delivering precise, long-range attacks.
As the game progresses, additional structures and turrets can be unlocked, further expanding players' tactical options. While these structures possess limited health or duration, they can be seamlessly recalled and rebuilt in an instant, as long as the player retrieves back the magical stones. As he progresses, the protagonist also acquires coins that can be used to purchase upgrades for his towers, such as increased damage or durability.
Dwerve can still fight on his own, throwing a boomerang to hit units while in a standstill, however it isn’t enough, using towers is an absolute requirement in order to survive. You need to outmaneuver your enemies into the map, putting traps and towers along the way.
To properly convey the feeling of a tower defense action, enemies will spawn in designated spawn “bases”, like a Beehive for bees, that will spawn enemies in waves. There you must survive the onslaught of these enemy waves by building turrets. Some bases continually change the types of enemies they spawn, demanding players to dynamically adjust their strategy and unit placement.
The gameplay is interesting, however it's not without its flaws. From the PC to mobile controls, the touchscreen controls have some form of unresponsiveness. I’ve experienced being unable to move multiple times already while in combat and frantically building turrets, leading to an unwarranted death multiple times. It doesn’t help that the checkpoint/save system is bound to frustrate players too, which doesn’t allow for manual saving and restarts the entire level if ever you decide, or accidentally leave the instance.
Conclusion:
Dwerve presents an enticing fusion of retro art, dungeon crawling RPG, and tower defense combat. Its high fantasy narrative, featuring Dwarves, Elves, and Trolls, sets the stage for an epic adventure. However, in the version I tested — at its current state — it would benefit greatly from additional refinements, such as an improved saving system and touch controls.
Comments
Retro dungeon crawling RPG and tower defense fused together | First Impressions - Dwerve
Dwerve is a captivating blend of retro art dungeon crawling RPG and tower defense combat, enveloped in a high fantasy narrative featuring Dwarves, Elves, and Trolls. Recently released for PC, with a mobile version on the horizon, I had the opportunity to test the demo version called Dwerve: Prologue.
The gameplay in Dwerve is straightforward yet involves the player strategically. Players traverse the land, engaging in battles against monsters and solving puzzles along the way, in some occasions navigating maze-like levels and activating levers to open gates. The map design exhibits cleverness in multiple aspects, notably in minimizing the need for excessive backtracking during quests. However, the standout feature that sets Dwerve apart from other retro RPG games lies in its combat system.
lyndonguitar6K2023-05-27
Hi, meet Dwerve — a Dwarf Tinkerer who Fights with Turrets & Traps!
Hi Warsmiths!
I'm Percy from Half Human Games, the small team behind Dwerve, an epic action-adventure with tower defense combat where you play as Dwerve, a dwarven tinkerer who fights with turrets and traps. With Dwerve, we mash up the tower defense and dungeon crawling genres to craft a novel strategic action experience.
Dwerve is inspired by SNES RPGs like A Link to the Past as well as modern games like Orcs Must Die and Dungeon Defenders which mix tower defense and action RPG elements. We wanted to create a whimsical fantasy adventure with an immersive world and compelling storytelling, just like the classic Zelda games — but with tactical turret-based combat!
Dwerve12K2023-06-04
Dwerve: A Captivating Blend of Tower Defense, RPG, and Puzzle
Embark on an extraordinary journey in Dwerve, an Android game that seamlessly combines tower defense, tactical RPG elements, strategy, and puzzles. Step into the shoes of a young dwarf tinkerer who dares to explore a long-lost kingdom and unlock the ancient technologies of the warsmiths: powerful turrets and traps. These inventions are the key to defending the dwarves against the nefarious Witch-Queen Vandra and her army of bloodthirsty trolls and monstrous creatures seeking to conquer the surface.
GwimGaming6K2023-06-20
View desktop siteTapTap looks better
on the app 
Hi! Thank you so much for giving our game a try and writing such a thorough review. We are glad you enjoyed the game overall and will do our best to improve the controls and save system ASAP :)
2023-06-20