PixelJunk Monsters Review - PS3

It's not too often that a game comes along which can captivate audiences across a broad range of ages, skill levels, and even genders. PixelJunk Monsters is one game that can do exactly that. What's better, it can even bring loved ones closer together. Read on to see how this is all possible.

PixelJunk Monsters is a downloadable game from the PlayStation network. It is based on the 'tower defense' genre of games, with examples such as Desktop Tower Defense, Onslaught, and Xeno Tactic. The basic premise is that you are little shaman-looking tribesman tasked with keeping your village of babies (referred to as 'flock' in the game) safe from troops of monsters who just happen to like said babies (the other, other white meat). The way you combat the waves of monsters is by replacing the trees in the forest with defensive towers. There are a variety of towers which have varying effectiveness versus the different types of monsters. For example, fast firing arrow towers are most effective against speedy little spiders but practically bounce right off big lumbering rock golems. For those, you are better off with cannons. Once you throw in the fact there are flying monsters as well which can only be hit by select types of towers you start to get a feel for the strategy involved in keeping all your little babies safe.


While the variety of towers available in the game is great one of my few complaints is that some of the towers are essentially useless, either because they are simply too weak or because they are too expensive to unlock. Oh yes, that's right. Not all of the towers are available to you when you start a level. In order to gain access to the more advanced towers you need to unlock them by spending gems which some of the nasty critters will drop when they die. But wait a second, there's another twist coming. Those same gems can also be spent to upgrade the towers you've already built to make them stronger. Ah ha... such a delicious dilemma. Pay to upgrade that anti-aircraft tower you just built to help kill the oncoming swarm of flying monsters or gamble that your meager defense will hold and save up to unlock laser towers which are even stronger against airborne nasties. One saving grace to help in your dilemma is you can also upgrade your towers by dancing on them. Yes, that's right, dancing. If you just stand still on a tower you have built your little shaman will shake what his mama gave him to somehow invoke the gods of fortification. Dance long enough and your tower will level up, but then again, if you're standing still on a tower you're not building more defenses, now are you? Hmmm... perhaps the dilemma's not lessened after all. Strategic dilemmas are so good, so very good.

An additional challenge is that once you begin to progress past the initial levels you will also start to see monsters with different types of shielding. These shields will render them almost impervious to certain types of towers, helping to keep you honest and not just selling out on one type of defense. While this is a great added element, and you can see when an upcoming wave has shielding, unfortunately there's no way to determine what type of shielding it is. This sometimes leads to a trial and error scenario where you have to wait until the monsters actually arrive on-screen to see if you have been caught with your pants down. Luckily, the game is so enjoyable and the challenges are so varied, trying again is just part of the enjoyment.

I have to say this game is really a perfect conversion of the tower defense style of game for a console. Instead of the hand-of-god mouse cursor plopping down towers you have an actual on-screen character to control. Also, the fact that towers can only be built onto existing tree locations eases console play while adding an additional wrinkle to the challenge (which some stages make a focal point). But hands-down, the best addition a console has brought is the game's inclusion of two player co-operative play. That's right, you can bring a friend along to join in the fun! While you both have full control over building towers and buying upgrades probably one of the best ways to work together is for one player to focus on upgrading the towers while the other handles building new ones. While co-op mode definitely makes the game easier, the overall challenge level of the game is such that it's still not a walk in the park by any means.


To top it all off, all of this gaming goodness is wrapped up in a very attractive package. It sports a unique and distinctive art style which is very cute without going overboard. The music is also original and soothing, helping to ease any frustration that may come from replaying particularly difficult levels. It's an excellent presentation that makes the game accessible just about everyone.

In Summary:
+ Co-op multiplayer!
+ On screen character and pre-set building locations works perfectly for a console.
+ Gameplay presents many strategic dilemmas.
+ Appealing art and musical style.
- Some towers are practically useless.
- No indication of what type of shielding upcoming waves have.

Overall, PixelJunk Monsters is highly recommended. For less than $10 you get a game which will give you, and hopefully a partner, hours of great entertainment. Just be prepared to lose a few hours of sleep as you find yourself trying "just one more time." Still not convinced? Download the free demo and give it a spin. I'm sure you'll be hooked.