Prime World: Defenders (Video Game Preview)

Developer Nival has a history of creating some of the most fun fantasy epics in recent gaming generations with such titles as the Heroes of Might and Magic and Etherlords series coming to mind. The developer is currently working on a new franchise titled Prime World that will bring a whole new fantasy RPG storyline into existence based on the war between two rivaling nations over control of a new source of energy known as Prime. To gear fans up for the release of Prime World Nival has introduced a new PC title called Prime World: Defenders that takes place during the same period of its soon to be successor. Unlike Prime World, Prime World: Defenders is a tower defense game with unique features unlike any other in the often outplayed new genre depending on which gamer you're asking. Though the game isn't completely revolutionary, you can be sure Prime World: Defenders is different from most other tower defense games with the introduction of collectible card game aspects and a full fledged storyline.

Prime World: Defenders follows the story of exiled treasure hunters who constantly find themselves in the thick of battle in the search of more fame and fortune. The search takes them to an ancient kingdom where Prime is plentiful, but dangerous hordes of monsters want the powerful energy source for their own reasons. With 23 missions included in Prime World: Defenders, with additional randomly generated challenges, there is a lot of content packed into the game that will keep players playing for hours on end. The narrative is told through actual spoken dialogue, and the storyline is actually pretty interesting for a tower defense title which typically don't feature storylines at all. It's still uncertain how all of this will be incorporated into the larger storyline of Prime World, but Prime World: Defenders definitely left us with an itch to find out when the next title is released later this year.

If you've played any tower defense game in recent years, then you should be able to pick up and easily understand the basics of Prime World: Defenders. Missions come in a variety of types ranging from the typical protect your base at the end of a path to stopping the hordes from stealing your prime and making it to the exit on the other side of the stage, but the purpose is always to take out the hordes before they are allowed to escape off screen. You will do this by using up a pool of Prime to build towers from your collection of cards. You will gain additional Prime from destroying monsters and enemy constructs and will then be allowed to upgrade existing towers or build new ones. Prime World: Defenders differentiates itself in many ways including the addition of magic spells that can be activated for a variety of effects including slowing and burning enemies and artifacts that will give your towers various boosts and the like.

Gaining additional cards is simple and the most rewarding aspect of Prime World: Defenders. The collectible card aspect means saving up the two types of in-game currency to purchase card packs that have varying costs and chance for rare card finds. Once you've spent your money on new cards, you will start a new mission and choose a set of cards to use in the upcoming mission, and these will be the only building you will be allowed to create. Creating the best set of cards can be a grind, so if you're not a fan of collectible card games or the more time consuming RPG mechanics, this might not be the game for you. Cards can also be sold or upgraded through fusion to make better cards and get rid of cards that have become no longer useful. Careful card management is a big aspect of gameplay in Prime World: Defenders, and Nival seems to have perfected it for their new release.

Prime World: Defenders is currently in beta form and can be accessed by pre-purchasing the game on Steam. A current sale puts the game at $11.99 or 20% off its normal price of $14.99. The full game is scheduled for release on May 21, 2013, and as a preorder bonus, you will immediately gain access to three powerful cards upon completion of the game's tutorial section. Other cool features for the game include access to Daily Prizes for logging on and playing the game each day and massive boss battles against the deadliest creatures in the land. Check out Prime World: Defenders today on Steam.

Prime World: Defenders is now available for preorder on Steam for $11.99 and is scheduled to release exclusively for PC on May 21, 2013. Prime World: Defenders is not yet rated. For more information on the game, check out the official Prime World: Defenders website.

Game Features:

Single Player

23 Mission, Non-Linear Campaign

Purchase Additional Booster Packs with In-Game Currency

Unlock Daily Prizes

Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Nival
Available exclusively for PC
Release Date: May 21, 2013