Thanks to Ratalaika Games for the review code

Title: Defend Your Crypt
System: 3DS (eShop)
Price: $2.99
Release date: 07/21/2016

Story

In this strategy-defense hybrid, you take control of a deceased Pharaoh who must activate traps to kill all the thieves going after his treasure. That’s pretty much it when it comes to story!

Graphics

Outside of a really simple touch-screen menu, the game itself is a rather cramped view of the tomb, with the top-screen being the surface area, (or part 1 of the stage) and the touch screen being where the main game takes place. (Or part 2 of the stage, either way the touch screen is the only one you get to control) There’s even the option to turn off the blood, if you happen to not care for that aspect. When it comes to the sprites, the thieves look rather puny, fitting with the cramped feel of the game, though it’s still easy to distinguish between the different types if the situation presents itself.

Music and Sound

Outside of a few background tunes that follow the Ancient Egyptian theme of the game, there’s really nothing memorable or engaging to find in this soundtrack. Luckily in the options, you can just mute the music and listen to the sound effects or vice-versa, making it quick and easy to get into.

Gameplay

When you start up the first set of levels, things are rather simple. You choose which traps to unlock on the bottom screen, before timing the use of them just as the thieves come in contact, leading to their deaths. Simply prevent three thieves from stealing the treasure at the bottom of the stage and you win! At first the game only gives you one wave on just one screen, but later levels will offer multiple waves and demand you use both screens, leading to a lot of concentration practice in order to get the most enjoyment from this title. While some stages will let you unlock all the traps from the start, you may need to wait until you kill a few of the enemies in order to unlock the rest, making the order of your unlocks very crucial. Considering how later levels pave the way for more traps, tougher varieties of thieves and more waves, the game does provide a decent challenge while also giving you time to get used to the game’s mechanics.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Defend Your Crypt is a rather simple budget title with a fair amount of fun included for the price. Fans of strategy/defense types of games will find something to enjoy here, and the ability to speed up the pace of a level is especially helpful considering how long some of the stages can get to be. Outside of a few achievements that are easy to unlock the further you progress in the game, there’s not much in terms of replay value. Simple replays of each stage and being absolutely careful is all that’s needed to get the perfect ranking of three skulls, making the rankings not too difficult to get once you gain the hang of the multiple screens in the later stages. I give Defend Your Crypt a 7 out of 10, and recommend it for fans of the genre looking for something small to tide them over. It may not be the best of its kind, but it gets the job done fair enough.