Info about Colony Siege:

Official game description:
Colony Siege combines the best of RTS and tower defense, including base building, mazing, and unit physics. Use shockwaves and spring traps to propel enemies into cliffs, lava, and other hazards. Build mechs, tanks, and other mobile units. Decimate massed enemies with air, missile, and orbital strikes. Expansive, non-linear campaign supports single player and 2 player online co-op.
Defend Your Colony
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Whether fighting the Xenos or the Riven, no colony building is safe from attack. While protecting the colony Citadel is your primary objective, the enemy will not discriminate when it comes to attacking your colony.  
Defend against the relentless biomechanical xeno swarm as well as the corrupted Riven that were once human. Both enemy factions behave differently and require different tactics.
Use Towers, Traps, Strikes, Mobile Units, and Special Abilities
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Defend with powerful towers that automatically form walls when placed near each other. Use unique traps to slow, impale, burn, or bombard the enemy.  
Build and command mobile ground units. Strike the enemy with satellite-powered attacks, long-range missiles, commander abilities, and fighter sorties.
Design Mazes Before and During Battle
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Defensive towers and barriers automatically generate a laser fence when constructed close together, allowing your mobile units passage while restricting enemy movement.
Embark on an Epic Campaign
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Experience dozens of intense missions from a starmap with branching paths. Press your advantage or repeat previous missions for extra cash.
Fight Alone or with a Friend
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The entire campaign is cooperative from the very first mission to the last. Consolidate forces with a friend or combine different tactics.
Persistant Progression System
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Earn money from completing mission primary and bonus objectives, and spend it on persistent upgrades, new weapons, and different towers, traps, units, and strikes. Unlock powerful perks to buffer your weaknesses or bolster your advantages.
Battle in a Wide Variety of Environments
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Expect a constant change of scenery as you travel to different planets, moons, space stations, and enormous mobile space platforms.

Release date: Sep 7, 2020

Categories: Tower Defense, Real-time Strategy, Base Building, Mazing, Cooperative Multiplayer, Single-player Campaign, Unit Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $9.99 - $14.99
  - Reasoning: The clearest price anchor is the translated complaint that the current 2,050 yen list price is too high for a tower defense game. Several other reviews either recommend waiting for a sale or only endorse the game at a discount, with one reviewer specifically noting a 50%-off purchase as worthwhile. A few reviewers accept full price, but the overall sentiment points to a fair base-game value below the current full price, clustered around the common discounted price and a moderate indie tower-defense range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 22.0h
  - Story completion: 12.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The 12-hour quote directly supports storyCompletion as the time to finish the story-mode missions. The 22-hour quote directly supports gameCompletion as full completion on Hard with all achievements, and the 20-hour and 19-hour reports corroborate that full-completion range. sessionLength is null because no review gives a typical per-session play duration. endgame is null because optional survival/endless modes are mentioned only as part of a total completion time, with no separate post-campaign hour estimate.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is slow to start due to limited credits/towers and mandatory tech/progression gates, but it clicks after unlocks and added complexity make co-op play more fun.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: After unlocking towers and capabilities
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Early levels have little credits and few towers to build; Mandatory progression; Forced tower/strategy choices make it stop being fun; Expected tech progression is not apparent until a mission requires missing tech; Expensive buildings and repetitive level solutions
  - Unlock drivers: Unlocking towers and capabilities; Added complexity and challenge as levels progress; Upgrading the ship and arsenal; Specializing with a co-op partner; Co-op campaign progression and benefits; Learning mechanics through level progression
  - Conditions: Playing co-op with a friend; Choosing specializations in towers or units/command; Reaching required tech and tower unlocks; Progressing past early slow levels; Map diversity with different wave entry points; Per-mission perks and co-op perk choices; Difficulty scaling and challenge
- Player Archetypes:
  - Co-op Campaign Role Specialist (buy)
    - Motivation: Shared campaign progression and cooperative role specialization with a friend.
    - Playstyle: Coordinate with a partner, split tower and unit/ship responsibilities, and unlock upgrades together.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Tower Defense Purist Veteran (buy)
    - Motivation: A fresh, challenging tower-defense experience that satisfies long-standing genre expectations.
    - Playstyle: Focus on tower placement, traps, upgrades, and wave strategy while ignoring or minimizing vehicle and RTS elements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: TD veteran
    - Reference games: Defense Grid; Sol Survivor; X-Morph Defense
  - RTS-Lite Hybrid Tinkerer (buy)
    - Motivation: Hybrid strategy gameplay that combines tower defense with lite-RTS unit command and customization.
    - Playstyle: Build and upgrade towers, command units, customize the ship and arsenal, and experiment with mixed tactical systems.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Supreme Commander; Mindustry; Factorio
  - Value-Conscious Critic (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Finding a polished, varied TD/RTS hybrid that justifies its price.
    - Playstyle: Critically assess systems, variety, RTS execution, and value before deciding whether to buy or wait for a discount.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Large tower and upgrade variety (weight 0.54): The game offers many towers, traps, units, and upgrades with multiple ways to complete levels. This variety is frequently cited as a major strength.
- Unique RTS and TD blend (weight 0.49): The combination of tower defense with RTS elements and base building is widely seen as fresh and engaging. It helps the game stand out from ordinary tower defense titles.
- Graphics and audio praised (weight 0.48): Reviewers consistently highlight good graphics, animations, music, and sound effects. The visual style is often described as simple but pleasant and polished.
- Strong tower defense satisfaction (weight 0.46): Many reviewers describe the game as a highly satisfying and well-executed tower defense experience. It is especially recommended for fans of a genre with relatively few strong titles.
- Varied missions and objectives (weight 0.42): The campaign includes many missions with different approaches and optional modes like endless and survival. Mission design and replayability are commonly praised.
- Fun and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.39): A large number of reviewers describe the game as fun, funny, and surprisingly entertaining. Overall enjoyment is a recurring theme across many clusters.
- Polished and well balanced (weight 0.38): Many reviewers describe the game as polished, well balanced, and smooth in performance. Difficulty and progression are generally considered well tuned.
- Strategic depth and choices (weight 0.36): Reviewers highlight meaningful strategic choices involving towers, traps, units, air support, and maze building. The gameplay rewards planning and adaptability.
- Excellent co-op experience (weight 0.33): Co-op is repeatedly praised as fun and well designed, including online play and role specialization between players. The campaign and cooperative modes add significant value.
- Solid genre hybrid execution (weight 0.21): The mix of tower defense, RTS, strategy, and base building is executed well and feels rewarding. Reviewers see it as a successful and distinctive hybrid.
- Command ship and vehicles (weight 0.21): The command ship adds mobility and can be upgraded with weapons, armor, speed, and abilities. Players can also build vehicles such as tanks and mechs.
- Maze building with barriers (weight 0.21): Towers can link or use energy barriers to create paths and mazes that redirect enemies. This mechanic is praised as a strategic and satisfying feature.
- Good enemy variety (weight 0.17): Enemies are varied and include special types such as shielded or splitting enemies. This variety contributes to the game's challenge and tactical depth.
- Korean localization well done (weight 0.11): The Korean localization is described as well done and free of difficulties during gameplay. This contributes positively to the overall experience for Korean players.

Common complaints:
- Unbalanced tower and unit effectiveness (weight 0.64): Units cost as much as towers but are less effective for defense, and many towers are useless or overly similar. The meta often devolves into using a few dominant towers like shotgun and laser, reducing strategic variety.
- Repetitive and unchallenging gameplay (weight 0.49): Missions often require the same strategy, making the game repetitive, and difficulty is inconsistent or too easy. Endless mode is not truly endless and lacks challenge.
- Boss units overpowered (weight 0.45): Boss units are extremely tanky and deal massive damage, easily breaking through defenses and reaching the base. They often require specific strategies or buildings to counter, and can make maze building pointless.
- Poor controls and building mechanics (weight 0.43): Placing towers and barriers is fiddly, with poor controls and grid visibility. Building mode has issues like erratic exit and time limits, causing stress.
- Economic imbalance and resource constraints (weight 0.4): Resources are often insufficient, with money becoming useless quickly or not enough for necessary purchases. Upgrades and buildings are too expensive, and unit caps limit strategic options.
- Lack of polish and content (weight 0.39): The game feels crude and lacks polish, with few missions and limited variety. Development appears abandoned, and there is little community activity.
- Perk system lacks depth (weight 0.35): The perk system forces players to choose only one perk, with most being useless except for a few. This limits customization and experimentation, as the best perk is often given upfront, making later perks feel underwhelming.
- Pathfinding and enemy AI problems (weight 0.33): Enemy pathing is buggy and erratic, with units getting stuck or ignoring defenses. Flying enemies cannot be funneled and attack unpredictably.
- Lack of enemy variety (weight 0.32): Enemies are visually and mechanically bland, with only a few types such as normal, shielded, and flying. This reduces the need to use different towers and makes gameplay repetitive.
- Poor RTS and tower defense integration (weight 0.32): Neither the tower defense nor RTS aspects feel fully fleshed out, resulting in a lackluster experience. The RTS elements often feel superfluous or cumbersome, and the game lacks depth in either genre.
- Final mission disappointment (weight 0.26): The final mission often strips away learned strategies and is anticlimactic, with a slow escort or odd design. It feels like a letdown after previous levels.
- Maze building is restrictive and expensive (weight 0.26): Mazing is limited by hardcoded building platforms and tiny obstacles, making it difficult to create complex paths. It is also too expensive and not always effective.
- Bad story and voice acting (weight 0.24): The story is short, bland, and poorly written, with awful voice acting. This detracts from the overall experience and makes the game feel unpolished.
- Grinding and progression issues (weight 0.24): Players need to grind early levels to afford necessary upgrades, and mandatory progression forces specific purchases to succeed. This artificially lengthens the game and reduces fun.
- Limited tower and ability differentiation (weight 0.23): Many towers and abilities feel similar, with unclear differences in effectiveness. Upgrades are indistinguishable, and some weapons are ineffective.
- Forced optimal strategies (weight 0.22): Many levels have a single optimal solution that requires foreknowledge, reducing tactical freedom. The game often forces specific towers or strategies.
- Unclear tower and enemy stats (weight 0.19): Tower parameters like damage and range are not clearly displayed, and enemy information is lacking. This makes it hard to make informed strategic decisions.
- Trap ineffectiveness (weight 0.15): Traps are often not worth their cost, with low effectiveness and long reset times. They frequently miss enemies and are inferior to towers.

Gameplay feedback:
- Tower Defense Meets RTS (weight 0.82): The game is widely described as a hybrid of tower defense and real-time strategy. Players highlight its mix of TD mechanics with RTS-style base building and unit control.
- Base Building and Progression (weight 0.54): Building and upgrading base structures unlock new towers, traps, and abilities. Progression is gated by steady unlocking as players advance.
- Extensive Tower and Trap Variety (weight 0.53): Many reviewers note a large selection of towers, traps, and other defensive structures. This variety is seen as a core strength of the game.
- Command Ship and Unit Control (weight 0.53): Players control a command ship that can build towers, repair structures, and produce units. This adds an RTS-like layer to the tower defense gameplay.
- Endless and Survival Modes (weight 0.52): Optional survival and endless modes are available for most stages. These modes extend replayability and offer additional challenges.
- Co-op Mode Supported (weight 0.48): The game includes cooperative multiplayer, often via an invite system. Players appreciate the ability to team up for the campaign and challenges.
- Perks and Bonus Objectives (weight 0.36): Missions include bonus objectives that award perks, and a perk system allows selecting upgrades. These add strategic depth and replay value.
- Free Tower Placement and Mazing (weight 0.34): Towers can be placed freely rather than at fixed points, and energy barriers allow creating mazes. This gives players flexibility in shaping the battlefield.
- Wave Defense Against Enemies (weight 0.32): The core loop involves building towers to survive waves of enemies and protect the main building. If the base falls, the mission is lost.
- Multiple Difficulty Settings (weight 0.3): The game offers several difficulty levels, including easy, normal, and hard. Some players note that the differences between them are not always distinct.
- Flying Enemies Ignore Defenses (weight 0.19): Flying enemies can bypass ground defenses and choose their own targets. This adds a layer of challenge that requires specific countermeasures.
- Air and Missile Strikes (weight 0.11): Players can call in targetable airstrikes and missile launches. These abilities provide additional tactical options during combat.

Performance notes:
- Stable Performance on Old Hardware (weight 0.25): The game runs well on older laptops and mid-range CPUs, with users reporting smooth framerates and fast load times. Even a 4th gen i5 achieved 75-80 fps, indicating strong optimization for older systems.
- No Bugs or Crashes (weight 0.17): Multiple players completed entire playthroughs without encountering any bugs, errors, or crashes. This suggests a high level of polish and stability in the game's code.
- Crashes in Windowed Mode (weight 0.16): Some users experience frequent crashes specifically when running the game in windowed mode, and in severe cases, the game shuts down the entire PC. Fullscreen mode, however, remains stable.
- Lag with Many Enemies (weight 0.12): Performance drops occur when numerous enemies appear on screen, with framerates dipping below 60 fps during intense final waves. However, these issues are generally minor and infrequent.
- Efficient Particle System (weight 0.07): The particle effects are detailed yet optimized enough to avoid overburdening the system. This contributes to the overall smooth performance even on lower-end hardware.

Recommendations:
- Best value on sale (weight 0.56): A large share of recommendation-style clusters say the game is especially worth buying at a discount or during a sale, while some still consider full price acceptable. This makes pricing sensitivity one of the most repeated purchase-related themes.
- Strong pick for TD fans (weight 0.49): Many reviewers recommend the game specifically to tower defense enthusiasts and say it is a must-have for the genre. The strongest cluster highlights broad approval from players who enjoy tower defense games, including co-op variants.
- Recommendation depends on taste (weight 0.23): A number of clusters express conditional or mixed recommendations, saying it is worth playing only for certain fans or during sales. Others are uncertain whether to recommend it at all, indicating that enjoyment depends heavily on player preferences.
- Comparisons to other TD games (weight 0.23): Reviewers frequently compare it with Defense Grid, Kingdom Rush, Sol Survivor, X-Morph Defense, and Gemcraft. These comparisons are used both to recommend the game and to suggest alternatives for players with different expectations.
- Not recommended for some players (weight 0.23): Several clusters give negative or non-recommendation verdicts, including advice to avoid the game, not worth it, or hard to recommend without fundamental changes. These comments suggest the game has clear detractors despite positive reception elsewhere.
- Good for strategy hybrid fans (weight 0.2): Several clusters recommend it to players who enjoy light RTS elements, strategy games, or unit-and-tower hybrids. Even some reviewers who normally dislike hybrids say this one is strong enough to be worth trying.
- Worth it for genre fans (weight 0.2): Several clusters state that fans of tower defense or related genres will likely find the game worthwhile, sometimes regardless of price. This reinforces that the core audience is the most likely to be satisfied.
- Tower defense expectations matter (weight 0.16): Reviewers repeatedly warn that this should not be approached as a standard tower defense game and that it differs from titles such as X-Morph: Defense despite surface similarities. The gameplay identity is important for setting the right expectations.
- Content suitable for ages 12+ (weight 0.15): Reviewers discuss the game as suitable for ages 12 and up, with caution that younger players should be mature enough for emotional story themes and violence. This cluster frames age suitability as a meaningful advisory point.
- Short but satisfying experience (weight 0.07): Some reviewers describe the game as good but short, with one noting that players seeking a brief tower defense experience likely will not be disappointed. This suggests the game can satisfy its target audience even if it does not offer long-term depth.
- Potential limited by tactical depth (weight 0.06): One detailed critique says the game could be great if the developers added meaningful tactical choices. This points to a desire for deeper strategy rather than just surface-level tower defense mechanics.
- DLC demand is positive signal (weight 0.06): One reviewer says they would buy DLC with more levels immediately. This reflects strong satisfaction and a desire for additional content, though it is based on a single cluster.
- Maze TD veterans need challenge (weight 0.06): An experienced maze tower defense player suggests choosing hard on all maps and restarting instead of replaying on normal and then hard. This is a niche but specific tip aimed at veteran players seeking a proper challenge.

Other player notes:
- Frequent Defense Grid Comparisons (weight 0.46): Many reviewers compare the game to Defense Grid, Grey Goo, Sol Survivor, and other tower defense titles. Some view it as inferior, while others see it as a worthy hybrid. These comparisons frequently reference Defense Grid as the benchmark.
- Hybrid Genre with Strategic Options (weight 0.35): The game blends tower defense with elements from Supreme Commander, StarCraft, and XCOM: Apocalypse, offering many strategic options. It satisfies hybrid genre fans by having genres support each other.
- Miscellaneous Comparisons (weight 0.3): Various other comparisons include Mindustry, Dungeon Warfare, Kingdom Rush, WC3 custom maps, and X-Morph: Defense. These highlight the game's place within the tower defense genre.
- Campaign Length Around 20 Hours (weight 0.27): Multiple reviewers report completing the campaign and achievements in roughly 19-22 hours on hard difficulty. One mentions 12 hours per mission in story mode, which seems atypical. The general consensus is a solid length for the price.
- Co-op is a Rare Feature (weight 0.2): The inclusion of cooperative multiplayer is highlighted as uncommon among tower defense games. Reviewers note it can be played with friends, though some did not test it. This feature adds value and appeal.
- Underrated Gem Worth Attention (weight 0.2): Some reviewers feel the game is underrated and deserves more attention, praising its strategic depth and hybrid nature. It is seen as a passion project with potential to be a top tower defense game with more polish.
- Localization Well Implemented (weight 0.19): Korean, Russian, and Japanese localizations are noted as well done, with human translation and no discrepancies. English voice acting is also praised. This makes the game accessible to a wider audience.
- Path Building Strategic Depth (weight 0.16): Building in the base changes enemy paths, and maps are designed to force enemies into single paths. This adds a layer of strategy and is a key gameplay element praised by reviewers.
- Developer Support and Activity (weight 0.16): Developers are friendly, care about their work, and are actively balancing the game. However, some note a lack of developer or community activity for over two years, which could be a concern.
- Map and Mission Count (weight 0.15): The game features 23 maps and a decent number of missions, with about halfway through after 8 hours. More missions would be welcomed by some reviewers.
- Tower and Unit Caps Low (weight 0.11): The ground unit cap of around 15 and limited tower/unit capacity are noted but deemed sufficient for non-endless modes. This restricts large-scale battles but keeps gameplay focused.
- Easy Platinum Trophy (weight 0.06): The platinum trophy is relatively easy to obtain, which may appeal to trophy hunters. This is a minor point but noted by some.
- Trailer and Reality Mismatch (weight 0.06): One reviewer notes that the trailer does not match the actual game, which could lead to disappointment. This is a minor but specific criticism.
- Keybind and UI Suggestions (weight 0.06): A suggestion to change the shift and Y keybinds as they are used a lot. This is a minor usability improvement.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.24): Players are disappointed by shallow tower variety, limited building options, and a perk system that fails to add meaningful strategy. The game is too short and easy, with erratic difficulty, bland presentation, and a letdown final mission that strips away learned strategies.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.17): Players enjoy the many tower options, upgrades, and strategic freedom to build and defend in varied ways. The co-op tower defense and RTS blend, along with smooth performance and rewarding progression, keeps the gameplay fun and engaging.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.16): Players feel satisfied by the solid tower defense challenge, good tower variety, and steady unlocks after each mission. The co-op synergy, maze-building, and RTS elements provide a well-rounded experience that feels worth the price.
- Frustration (weight 0.15): Frustration stems from unintuitive path control, unit caps, and fiddly tower placement that hinders maze building. Unclear enemy information, cumbersome controls, buggy pathing, and bosses that ignore mazes make the game exceptionally hard to enjoy.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Players appreciate the strong graphics, animations, and the polished blend of tower defense and RTS elements. The steady unlocking, varied level design, and story-driven personality add to the overall experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.06): Enthusiasm comes from original mechanics, well-designed difficulty, and deep strategic options. The game is praised as one of the best new tower defense titles, with co-op and RTS elements that feel fresh and engaging.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Players are annoyed by flying enemies that force micromanagement and tower placement bugs that require extra towers. Lag during large battles, simplistic weapon descriptions, and erratic build mode add to the irritation.
- Fun (weight 0.04): Players have a lot of fun playing co-op with friends and using traps in hilarious ways. The cooperative mode and enjoyable gameplay keep the experience entertaining despite any depth issues.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement builds from the command ship growing stronger and the massive enemy waves in later levels. Hard mode offers a real challenge, and the progression system quickly grants new toys to play with.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom arises from repetitive levels that feel the same each time, along with a bad story and voice acting that leads to skipping cutscenes. Missions drag on without variety, making the game tedious.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion comes from design decisions that make no sense for either RTS or tower defense, such as accumulating credits that cannot be spent. The intense combat and crowded battlefield add to the bewilderment.
- Interest (weight 0.02): Players are interested by the original free tower placement and force field mechanics. Following the main story also keeps them engaged and curious about what happens next.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): The game provides amusement through its funny moments and hilarious add-ons like cripple Jesus. It is simply a really funny game to play.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.02): Dissatisfaction stems from endless mode not being truly endless but instead story missions with bonus rounds. The player character feels uncool, weak, and slow, with imprecise controls that detract from the experience.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement is driven by progressively difficult levels and customization options that keep players invested. Each mission completion makes the player want to continue further.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players anticipate the promising multiplayer mode and would love to see the game expanded with a sequel. The potential for future content keeps them excited.
- Disheartenment (weight 0.01): Disheartenment occurs when enemies beeline towards the base and wreck buildings, making defenses feel futile. This relentless behavior undermines the player's efforts and creates a sense of hopelessness.
- Fondness (weight 0.01): Players feel a fondness for this lovely little RTS defense game, appreciating the variety of tools it offers. It holds a special place in their hearts despite any shortcomings.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise comes from the game being a very good surprise despite being an unheralded budget title. Even a TD veteran found it new and engaging, exceeding expectations.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is triggered by the final boss requiring trial and error and being much stronger than expected. The difficulty spike feels unfair and frustrating, leading to intense irritation.}