I'm working on a review for FourSaken Media's "Minecraft" meets tower defense game, "Block Fortress" for this weekend but wanted to share some tips and tricks that I've found useful.
The $1.99 game came out last week and is currently number seven on the top paid charts for iOS. The game's mixture of setting up defenses for your base, called the Barracks, coupled with being a first-person shooter set in a "Minecraft" like world is endlessly replayable and features an enormous amount of gear, weapons and tools that can not only be upgraded but modified as well. The number of things you can do can be overwhelming at first but after a few games you get the hang of it.
The developer of the game took to the Toucharcade forums recently and listed their tips. Here are their best ones:
Location is everything.
Choosing the right location to initially place your Barracks, the core of your fortress, is imperative. Make sure you fly around and explore the entire map to find the most suitable spot for the Barracks. Minerals are key to being able to build up your defenses, so aim for a spot with at least 2 or 3 mineral deposits nearby.
One word: Mining.
Mined resources are crucial to building your base and scaling it effectively against the increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Start off with one mine, but try to build another every round for the first 3-4 rounds to ensure you'll have enough resources to build the fortress you envision without compromise.
Focus your defenses early on.
The beginning waves of enemies only attack from one direction. The indicator in the upper left of the screen shows you what direction the next wave will be attacking from, so be sure to build up your defenses geared towards that direction. As you progress and more difficult waves begin to approach, your base should be well fortified on every side.
Think three-dimensionally.
Turrets can be placed on any side of a block, with varying benefits. A turret on top of a block gives you great range and line of sight, but it's limited in how far down it's able to fire. Enemies that get right up next to a top-placed turret will be outside of its firing range. Use turrets on the sides of blocks to make sure you have your downward angles sufficiently covered.
Crafting and modding your equipment.
The Crafting mode in the main menu is where you can really get lost in the depth of Block Fortress. Almost all equipment and turrets have modifications you can make to them, with a wide variety of options to tailor everything to suit your own personal needs or certain areas that you're struggling with. It's probably best to get comfortable with the stock equipment during the beginnings of the game, but once you dive into the Crafting it opens up nearly limitless possibilities for customizing your strategies.
If that's not enough to get you interested here's a trailer.
