In The Last Defender HD ($1.99) you are a mercenary who must defend the compound against enemy attack using a variety of weapons to get the job done. But remember, it’s only you against an entire army. With a lack of music and some glitchy controls, the game is only mildly entertaining, requiring some updates before it can win over the hardcore shooter fans.
The idea of a lone mercenary is exciting, and has been successfully done before. This game has the elements to make it great, but they are just not executed well. Even from the confusing menu screen, things don’t seem right. It will take you a while just to figure out how the menu options rotate around for selection. When you get into the game, you’ll find yourself in first-person view with a weapon in hand. The controls consist of a virtual thumb stick and separate buttons for firing, weapon selection and weapon sighting. The virtual stick works well, as it’s the only thing you need to look around the area. There is no actual movement around the map. You are at a fixed position in the middle of the map, while enemies attack from all sides.
The first annoying aspect of the game is the weapon-selection process. To change weapons, you must tap on the “Weapon Selection” button, and choose from a bunch of weapons in a box that pops up on the screen. Then, for each weapon, you have the option to choose between regular or enhanced. Enhanced weapons inflict more damage, but also cost much more money. The entire process of selecting a different weapon is too slow, and it gets in the way of the action.
The graphics are the next problem. The title of the game is The Last Defender HD. I don’t see anything “HD” about it. The graphics are mediocre, at best. The soldiers’ animations are choppy, the explosions are simple, and the game actually lags when there are too many enemies nearby and explosions occur.
Lastly, the game incorporates some in-app purchases that seem a bit shady. By using actual money, you can purchase additional coins to upgrade your equipment, and purchase more ammo. As you progress through the game, you’ll realize that you run out of money fast, and the in-app purchase becomes more tempting. However, with this game, I doubt you’ll be hooked enough to want to spend any more cash to continue to the next level.
This game just doesn’t have what it takes to make it a worthwhile purchase.
