Sanctum 2 is the next installment of the most challenging tower defense/FPS hybrid game I have ever played.

Sanctum 2 is a sequel to a incredibly well-known first person tower defense game known as Sanctum. Both games have been developed and published by a popular company named Coffee Stain Studios. You represent the last defenders that can save the planet from hordes of deadly aliens. You can attempt this as single player or in co-op multiplayer.

This is a first person shooter game where the player also has the power to make a maze filled with defense towers that help him protect the oxygen-producing Cores from an increasing number of aliens that are out to destroy them. There are a variety of distinctive weapons, towers and enemies in Sanctum 2, each one of them having distinct strengths and weaknesses. Also each character has his / her own specific primary weapon. One has shotgun, one has sniper rifle, one has rocket launcher, one assault rifle and the newest character has a special crossbow. Now each weapon has its own style of play. The shotgun character is good towards larger enemies that come running at him. Rocket launcher is sweet versus swarms of enemies since his damage applies to an area. Sniper and Crossbow characters are most effective versus game bosses, since they deal largest amount of damage in a single hit. And assault rifle is okay versus just about anything.

Each character can also have a secondary weapon. There are many different secondary weapons so the player can match precisely what they need to complement their primary weapon. There are additionally diverse perks in this game which help out with bonuses to your character. You might choose a perk that turns slow but strong weapons into very fast, even more potent weapons. Or maybe a perk that slows down every alien you shoot. There are dozens to choose from and that makes for a varied game play experience. Of course, don’t forget there are a lot of towers that assist you in fighting off the alien horde. Gun towers, laser towers, drone towers, etc. and each can be upgraded between invasion waves depending on your resources. Each tower is usually good for one specific thing, and it is up to player to discover what’s the optimum method to make the towers fit in with their play style and what’s most effective versus what enemies. Of the various kinds of enemies that are trying to take over the planet, some are small, numerous and quick, while others are powerful, slow and difficult to kill. Find the right mix of weapons, towers and perks to take them out before the core is destroyed!

Sanctum 2 vs Sanctum 1 main differences:

Emphasis is now placed more on the players to damage the aliens instead of with dozens of towers. In fact, the number of towers allowed is capped at 15, no matter the number of players on your team. Also, aliens will now target you specifically if you’re too close – totally different from the first game when they generally ignored you. However this also allows you to interrupt their progress and slow them down if you’re quick and agile.

Feats of Strength! These are basically five options that make the game harder. The enemies attack faster, regenerate health, have more hit points, etc. Defeating a map with all five selected is definitely an achievement.

There is now a leveling system that unlocks more weapons, towers and perks to the player as he progresses. These additional options allow the player to replay earlier maps with different strategies and feats of strength.

Perks! Choose up to 3 to modify your character or the game.

They took away the teleporters That was among the neat things from first game, letting you warp from one part of your maze to the other to deal with any breakthroughs. No longer. This will affect your game play and your tower defense.

Death: Yes, one can die now, and guess what? If you die, you have to WAIT for a respawn, even if you fall off the map by accident. If you’re using a certain Feat of Strength you’ll have to WAIT until the end of the wave. Ouch. Don’t die.

While many of the enemies are carried over from the first game and look just about the same, there are some new alien types thrown in, especially in the DLC content. This gives an additional challenge to Sanctum veterans.

Can’t improve weapons directly: This has been removed as well. You choose a gun, that gun stays the same, no upgrading it stronger or quicker, or faster reload… However you can choose perks instead that basically do the same thing and more.

The final word

Sanctum 2 is an indie game that really shines. If you like shooters and/or tower defense games, this brings both together in a very challenging way. The artwork is fantastic and the music is amazing. I highly recommend you support this independent studio.