Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin review

Way back in 2012, Defender’s Quest: Valley of the Forgotten capably combined the tower defense and role-playing genres. The result was an engaging title, that replaced nondescript turrets with characters who leveled-up, carried equipment, and learned new skills. Dialog between a cast of characters provided a stimulus lacking from many of the game’s uncomplicated peers.

Undoubtedly, Defender’s Quest had some rough edges that ranged from a clumsy user interface to amateurish visuals. However, the amount of strategic autonomy helped to overcome these imperfections. Thirteen years on, Level Up Labs’ Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin offers another hybridization. The art is improved, and each defensive unit is unique, but the sequel doesn’t measure up to its predecessor.

This Juice Ain’t For Drinking

Although the first game kept the exposition taut and leaned on fantasy tropes, the overdue sequel has loftier larger ambitions. Typically, Xalavier Nelson, Jr. provides some compelling pulp as evidenced by the grindhouse dread of El Paso, Elsewhere, or the revenge fantasy found in I Am Your Beast.

Mists of Ruin’s premise envisions a poisonous fog known as the Mirk staining the once-opulent Shining Lands. But here, the dialog employs a lingo that’s heavy on the slang (Juice for currency, onions are just onions?) but not all that significant. The first game offered glimpses of redemption, longing, and suffering. But Ruin squanders its opportunity to become a simmering eco-thriller with fluff that delivers bits of friction between the members of your crew. Sure, there’s some late-game friendship, but you won’t find any of the new game+ stories that elevated the original.

Struggling to Sustain Interest Across Waves

The storytelling might be forgivable if Mists of Ruin action was compelling, but stopping the enemy onslaught is mostly just serviceable. Once again, waves of increasingly resilient and numerous enemies scamper through labyrinthine networks toward your ship. Squashing these opponents entails placing your characters at preset locations and temporarily upgrading their abilities when you have enough Juice. And when the sporadic foe inevitably slips past your defenders, you can also spend a bit of your energy to deal direct damage, too.

Like most respectable tower defense games, the tension gradually escalates until the final wave of attackers appears. Here, the level of challenge varies on which of the three challenge levels you’re undertaking and whether you’re striving for an unscathed mothership. But where some genre entries provide a wealth of autonomy, Mists of Ruin offers limited amounts of freedom. Sure, you can invest and re-spec secondary skill for your characters, but the main ones unlock in a fixed fashion. There are a few remarkable mechanics like a character who can teleport between places on the map and a heavy-hitter that fills up four grid-spaces. But often I wanted Ruin to deliver more deviations from formula, especially after its extended hiatus.

More Cohesion Across the Controls, Please

Despite a protracted period since the last game, Defender’s Quest II’s interface hasn’t improved. Sure, it’s fine if you’re playing with a mouse and keyboard. But if you want to save Shining Lands with a portable PC like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck or just prefer a controller, Mists of Ruin isn’t as intuitive as efforts like DG2: Defense Grid 2 or the Kingdom Rush ports. You’ll eventually acclimate to button presses to open menus, but there’s a lack of cohesiveness across the control scheme.

Given how much I enjoyed Defender’s Quest: Valley of the Forgotten, I was excited to jump back into Level Up Labs’ fusion of tower defense and role-playing genres. And while there are some obligatory improvements, many alterations feel like either lateral decisions or even a step backward. Mirroring the tensions found in many TD games, I wouldn’t count out Mists of Ruin. It’s certainly possible that a few critical patches could save things. But as it stands, this isn’t the kind of sophomore effort that you’d expect.

Defender’s Quest II: Mists of Ruin was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.