Galactic Alliance Review

It's hard to get noticed in the tower defense genre, as a select handful of games tend to rule the roost. It's not enough to be just another game about setting up defenses and holding back the horde, so Galactic Alliance tries a different track. How about a co-op multiplayer tower defense game, IN SPACE? Sound pretty cool, well it is; and while Galactic Defense likely won't overtake Plants vs. Zombies in the near future, it's still a fun app to enjoy with friends or when you just want to try out something quirky.

The basic gameplay is pretty familiar, set up defenses to prevent enemies from overrunning your base. The only difference is this time the enemies are aliens and your towers are gnarly satellites. The defenses come in multiple varieties, with base level contraptions sending out rapid fire bolts while more expensive models belch missiles or even a continuous laser beam. Every type of satellite is also upgradeable multiple times over, so as the enemies get tougher so can you. It's standard issue, but setting up the perfect perimeter is still as rewarding as it has always been.

The real feather in the cap of Galactic Defense is the four-player, simultaneous co-op, which allows friends and family to gather 'round and help save the world. While you're all working together to try and hold back the alien waves, there's also a bit of competition as the game tracks individual scores and an overall leaderboard. In a more practical sense, only satellites which are actively attacking enemies will earn any money, so if you want to be able to buy new equipment or upgrade down the line you have to jockey for prime space blasting the invaders. It all leads to some good-natured competition, which is quite fun. Also, the multiplayer is set up to allow others to drop in at any time, so there's no need to restart or wait until the next round if someone wanders into the room and wants to play.

Though Galactic Alliance offers some clever and entertaining multiplayer, the rest of the experience is a bit ho-hum. In addition to the standard issue gameplay the visuals are nothing to write home about, and the difficulty ramps up so quickly it can be tough for even a full team of four to keep up. In spite of all that this is still an enjoyable title for tower defense fans with a lust for multiplayer. Just don't be the guy who makes the "pew pew" noises while you play, or else you may end up the one who sees stars.