Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Grounded 2
  • The Fantastic Four: First Steps
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 Starter Pack
Recommended reading
Moonlighter 2 featuring in FGS Live from LA
Roguelike Games Moonlighter 2: The Endless Dungeon is Hades meets Zelda: Wind Waker and is coming this summer
Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
FPS Games Dark and Darker update plunges the game into negative Steam reviews, director blames his "inconsistent decisions and shallow responses to feedback" and says "we're not particularly good at developing games" by chasing "successful formulas"
Moonlighter 2
Roguelike Games Moonlighter 2 is one of the biggest roguelikes at Steam Next fest, but I might prefer its shop management sim gameplay to be an arcane adventurer
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's big Maelle nerf is even worse than we thought, as it turns out one of her best weapons was never meant to be so powerful in the first place
Dune Awakening
MMO Games Dune: Awakening will finally reward your personal contributions in Landsraad thanks to a "game changer" update
Manor Lords
City Builder Games Manor Lords' new update is "overhauling a lot of systems at once," and it should be worth the 6-month wait as "we'll be able to shift to smaller, more frequent updates going forward"
Dune: Awakening
Survival Games Dune: Awakening can't have it all, as MMO players praise the "incredibly fast" turnaround time on its latest update while some question its PvE changes: "What's the point of all this?"
  1. Games
  2. Strategy

Dungeon Defenders 2 loses its MOBA and focuses on tower defense

Features
By Hollander Cooper published 8 October 2013

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Defending Dungeons all the time

Defending Dungeons all the time

Originally, Dungeon Defenders 2 was going to be a League of Legends-style MOBA. Makes sense, right? MOBAs are all the rage nowadays, and people love Dungeon Defenders--let's spread some of that delicious chocolate onto this chocolate peanut butter sandwich! But after months of development and a full-fledged beta test, the developers decided to gut the MOBA aspects from the sequel and focus on making a game truer to the original. Now, it's back to the same tower defense / hack-and-slash formula fans loved, with changes that should make for a much bigger, better experience. Oh, and free-er--it's going to be free-to-play. That's important, too.

Every area of the gameplay's been touched, from the tower placing (which is easier than ever) to the combat (which is combo-based, instead of feeling like Dynasty Warriors). We played as the Squire, who felt like a true action star as he slashed at enemies and bashed them with his shield. Just as before, each class has its own combat abilities as well as different towers, which can be mixed and matched with others to create wonderful, monster-obliterating synergies.

Placing towers that pop enemies into the air so they can be hit by air towers, for instance, helped us defend our base from both orcs and harpies. We also found that ice meshed well with cannon, smashing frozen enemies in a brutal display of magical might. It was damn fun, and we were heartbroken that we couldn't take home with us after playing it. It's going to be a little while until it's released--which is fine, considering it was only rebooted a few months ago. We'll be sure to keep you posted as this awesome hybrid cooperative tower defense hack-and-slash nears its spring 2014 release.

Check out the following slides for additional images and more information.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
The levels look much larger than they were in the original.

The levels look much larger than they were in the original.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Some areas only open up once your team has failed to protect an objective.

Some areas only open up once your team has failed to protect an objective.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Each class has its own special moves, as well as its own towers.

Each class has its own special moves, as well as its own towers.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Things got chaotic as more enemies attacked--but they also got more fun.

Things got chaotic as more enemies attacked--but they also got more fun.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
The mage can toss enemies into the air, setting them up perfectly for anti-air towers.

The mage can toss enemies into the air, setting them up perfectly for anti-air towers.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
The visuals are clean, and the game has a very nice style.

The visuals are clean, and the game has a very nice style.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Hollander Cooper
Hollander Cooper
Social Links Navigation

Hollander Cooper was the Lead Features Editor of GamesRadar+ between 2011 and 2014. After that lengthy stint managing GR's editorial calendar he moved behind the curtain and into the video game industry itself, working as social media manager for EA and as a communications lead at Riot Games. Hollander is currently stationed at Apple as an organic social lead for the App Store and Apple Arcade. 

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Moonlighter 2 featuring in FGS Live from LA
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Dungeon is Hades meets Zelda: Wind Waker and is coming this summer
Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
Dark and Darker update plunges the game into negative Steam reviews, director blames his "inconsistent decisions and shallow responses to feedback" and says "we're not particularly good at developing games" by chasing "successful formulas"
Moonlighter 2
Moonlighter 2 is one of the biggest roguelikes at Steam Next fest, but I might prefer its shop management sim gameplay to be an arcane adventurer
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's big Maelle nerf is even worse than we thought, as it turns out one of her best weapons was never meant to be so powerful in the first place
Dune Awakening
Dune: Awakening will finally reward your personal contributions in Landsraad thanks to a "game changer" update
Manor Lords
Manor Lords' new update is "overhauling a lot of systems at once," and it should be worth the 6-month wait as "we'll be able to shift to smaller, more frequent updates going forward"
Latest in Strategy
John Wick Hex screenshot shows John Wick holding someone by the throat.
John Wick's video game prequel proved the strategy genre is the best way to adapt the series, but you only have a couple more days to grab it as it's suddenly being delisted this week
A screenshot of Total War: Warhammer 3 showing grave guard soldiers jumping out of a siege tower beneath a grey sky
After 2,537 hours of playing Total War: Warhammer, I'm almost ready to say goodbye to Creative Assembly's best strategy series
Heroes 3 screenshot
The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
Heroes of Might and Magic
Strategy game expert behind Manor Lords partners with Ubisoft for Heroes of Might and Magic prequel with 600,000 Steam wishlists
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
After 2 underrated tactical RPGs on Switch, Mario + Rabbids developer Ubisoft Milan's pitch for another game was apparently turned down, which may explain why it's now working on Rayman
Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Switch 2 broke Pikmin 3 Deluxe with visual glitches and crashes, but Nintendo has swiftly patched it up so you can enjoy the Wii U banger once more
Latest in Features
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic Four are in Avengers: Doomsday, and I think I know what that means for First Steps
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
I took 140 hours to finish Assassin's Creed Shadows, but post-launch updates are making it harder than ever to feel satisfied by RPGs
Ghost of Yotei gameplay showing Atsu sitting on her horse between bright pink cherry blossoms, looking at a distant fortification built against a mountain
I asked Ghost of Yotei's creative directors all of my burning questions, and I don't want to get your hopes up but Sucker Punch's sequel sounds like feudal Red Dead Redemption 2
Steam Deck review
I'm too broke to buy Donkey Kong Bananza, so if you're sharing my FOMO here are the best Steam Deck games I'm playing instead
Skate reboot screenshots
I played 4 hours of the new Skate and caught up with developer Full Circle, who believes "this is the best Skate has ever felt or played"
Cyberpunk 2077 screenshot of female V who has blue hair and wears pink trousers and black jacket and sits on the back of a motorcycle before neon skyscrapers
I've put over 900 hours into CD Projekt Red's RPG, and these are the best Cyberpunk 2077 gigs I always love replaying
  1. DK and Pauline look surprised in Donkey Kong Bananza
    1
    Donkey Kong Bananza Review: "Destruction isn't just a flashy gimmick for the Minecraft generation, it's one of the best inventions Nintendo has had in years"
  2. 2
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  3. 3
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  4. 4
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  5. 5
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...