GUARDIANS OF HOLME Review – Satisfying Tower Defense Gameplay with Diverse Routes of Choice

Guardians of Holme mixes satisfying tower defense gameplay with diverse campaign routes and surprise scenarios. Along with deckbuilding, the 1.0 version of the game developed by MossTech Studios adds a great amount of choice as different routes provide varied challenges. From a range of traps to relics that give your defense an edge, the game also includes various ways to add to the difficulty to reap the rewards. As hordes of foes arrive with each wave, players get the joy of setting up their traps and obstacles to counter each wave.  

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Guardians of Holme released the 1.0 version of the full game on December 14, 2023, bringing the title out of early access. The game developed by MossTech Studios was given an Early Access release on Steam on June 16, 2023. Published by Indienova, the game features a mix of Tower Defence gameplay while also including deckbuilding and roguelite elements, with players counteracting foes as they advance from a portal to destroy their target. Players can obtain different traps, relics, and even summon guards as they take the role of skilled artisans. 

Guardians Of Holme Engages Players in Defence Tactics, with Detailed Story Instances

The full game engages players with a range of gameplay elements as the tower defense game adds RPG and card game mechanics to enhance the experience. The game experience is perfect for new players who have never played a tower defense game before as it allows anyone to get to grips with the different playstyle involved.

The music and overall color scheme add to the RPG style, making the game feel abstract from a Table-Top Role-playing game. However, responsive combat is the primary feature of Guardians of Holme and has many delightful additions to keep the experience fresh and enriching. 

Scenarios that pit your wit against foes 

Placing your traps and getting ready for each wave is rather luxurious to begin as you get to know the path the foes will take before starting. Before starting each match, some fantastic options allow more advanced players to gain bigger rewards.

This is a great way to adapt to the varied skill of players as stronger opponents could be activated or more waves could be activated earlier for bigger gains. Some of these waves often feel too easy but once you attempt higher challenges, these waves could tip against you if you are unprepared against any of the added foes.  

Immersive Story added with different routes 

Rather than just enveloping a player in a wave of battles in different areas, the game adds a linear map to add variance to the experience. It is also a great way of making players plan their routes since they can only use certain locations to upgrade or purchase more cards.

The best aspect of the concept is the instances where players might find themselves in a scenario they must resolve, which could grant them a relic or another card. This is a great way to add to the variation but there is often a lot of text involved and feels like it interrupts the flow of the game when there are many lines to read. Plus, some routes could force you to remove cards, which adds to the thrill of choosing a path. 

Gain New Cards, Upgrades, and Challenges Involved 

The brilliant aspect of Guardians of Holme is that there are various ways you can obtain cards, rather than just purchasing them. This includes the different locations that can be found along a route or even obtained randomly from a treasure box. Although there have been some locations that seem straightforward to succeed in, one aspect that didn’t seem clear at first is the wood you accumulate can be used in the next battle.

This reward for each monster defeated added a bit of resource management to the game, adding to the array of gameplay elements already provided. The best part of the game is encountering the various characters that you discover as you progress, this can often take the fights to the next level. However, you can also hinder your progress if you forget to keep upgrading your traps and cards. 

General Vibe and Missing Details 

The interface bios for traps and learning about the foes also keep the game immersive with live icons displaying the subject in real-time, which is a nice touch to the experience. With the live icon in the combat of the game, it would have been better to include more characters and animations to the map and other elements. This includes the scenarios that bombard a player with text instead of more quirky visuals, which are often randomly generated without anything substantial apart from the reward. 

Last Wave Overview 

Guardians of Holme does a fantastic job of balancing all these gaming aspects into one linear storyline, with the card system providing an exciting twist to what players can use. The pixel art animations were captivating throughout the main feature as the tower defense combat was fun to plan against. However, it is a shame that greater visuals were included with the map or other areas of the game. Despite this, there was a brilliant amount of abundance in the traps and locations you can visit, along with some great characters featured the further you dive into the game.  

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For an entertaining tower defense experience that merges cards and RPG elements into one title, we give Guardians of Holme a total score of 6 out of 10. 

Guardians of Holme is available now via Steam, which includes the full 1.0 version of the game.  

About Guardians Of Holme

Release Date: December 14, 2023
Publisher: indienova
Developer: MossTech Studios
Platforms: Steam® (PC)
Genre: Tower Defense
Rating: TBA

What do you think of Guardians of Holme? Do you like the deckbuilding featured in the tower defense title? Which trap or item is your favorite to take out the wave of foes encountered? Let us know on social media and keep following The Illuminerdi for more gaming and reviews. 

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