The Daily Click

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Author:	Hill Gigas
Added:	17/11/2007
Overall:
Average:	9/10

Oh my, Im not sure how this game got past me when it was released. I just never noticed it. Well I'll say this- I've seen prettier games, I've seen games with more story and more character development, but I've never become so obsessed so quickly with a klik game. I played for several hours last night, and was thinking about it as I went to sleep. I'm anxious to play it again today to implement the new strategies I thought of.

When you get started you get a decent set of instructions, enough to get you started. I also really liked the menu for the game.

On to gameplay. In The Lost Castle, your mission is to protect a little castle in the middle of the screen from waves of enemies approaching from 4 different roads. You have money, spend it wisely on defenses, then click a button to see if you survive the next wave. The game has a great turn-based sense of strategy, and also immediatley you'll start developing strategies of your own, especially after you see the patterns of the enemy waves. Excellent work. The difficulty is a bit extreme at the beginning however. (Maybe the player should have been given at least an extra 200 credits to get started?) The only reason Gameplay doesn't get a perfect score is because of minor balance issues. For instance, building a pub increases strength. The first one you build will increase an arrow towers strength from 3 to 5, almost doubling it. Thats a very worthwhile investment. However, at later levels, building another pub will increase a units strength from 9 to 11, still just a 2 point increase, and much less significant. In other words, your "upgrade" units don't increase in value as quickly as the difficulty increases, which can feel a bit unfair at times. If there is a sequel (which I hope there will be), maybe the first pub could be +2, the second +3, the third +4, etc.

Graphics are great. Everything appears to be pre-rendered 3d. Just think of Super Mario RPG on SNES, only grittier. If the game had played full-screen, it would have been a 10. Great work on a good look and feel to this game.

Sounds are great. You hear every boom and clash of battle, as well as great ambient sounds for "peacetime". There isn't any music, at least I never heard any, but that never took away from the gameplay. The silence at many times helped plot my next move.

Lastability? Probably more than any klik game I've ever played. I'll definitly be playing it again today. It's highly addictive and very fun, especially for anyone who enjoys strategy games. So for the patient, thoughtful gamer, this is an easy 10.

Overall, I highly recommend this game to any fan of strategy games or turn-based combat. It will take some patience for sure, but each time you play you'll have a new idea for the next. A few aspects of the game seem a bit unbalanced, but for the most part it's a very well constructed game. Highly recommended for most gamers!