I like Lock’s Quest.
It’s a tower defense type of game, mixed with Rampart, and PixelJunk Monsters, with some combat thrown in. The combat is simplistic, and really isn’t the focus of the game, but it’s handy. In “tower defense” games, it’s frustrating when that one enemy slips past your defenses and you end up having to do the entire level over again. Granted, that’s part of the game, learning the waves and building appropriately, but it’s still frustrating.
In PixelJunk Monsters, you had to watch as an enemy flyer gets through and takes out your last villager.
By comparison, in Lock’s Quest, if there’s a Clockwork Soldier hammering away on the Source Well you’re supposed to protect, you can run over there and hit him with a wrench.
Yeah.
Much more satisfying, much less frustrating.
The game consists of a build phase and a battle phase. During the build phase, the game definitely feels like rampart, where you select parts and fit them together to make walls. You can place turrets and traps during this phase, which is timed. Then the battle phase begins and you guide Lock through the battlements you made, repairing walls and turrets as necessary, and taking the wrench to various Clockwork enemies, as necessary.
I find that I was doing more repairing than fighting, although I do select certain types of Clockworks to fight, as some are more damaging to turrets than others.
DS owners, and people who like any sort of “Tower Defense” game should definitely look into Lock’s Quest.