Iron Brigade

Double Fine took a chance to dive into the downloadable game market last year and I must say I am glad they did. Trenched was always a curious game for me when I first heard about it. It was not totally obvious what the game was from the amounts of coverage I had personally seen. Once I truly looked at the game itself I realized how much I wanted to dig in.

I have been a tower defense fan for a while. Games like Desktop Tower Defense, Plants vs. Zombies, and Star Defense were all experiences that hit that nerve but did not completely scratch the itch. Tower defense at a high level always turns into exploiting game mechanics to overtake swarms of enemies. This can be fun in short bursts, but without any real direct interaction, it does not hold my interest.

Trenched, lightly blends the ability to place turrets and support devices with third-person mech combat with very successful results. It then sprinkles loot lust and co-op play on top of that foundation for a very unique experience. This formula adds strategy to make you consider your customization options, while also giving you the ability to mix and match guns and paint on your mech and soldier.

The enemies make for a good mix of air and land based “tubes” which all have a rock paper scissors-style weakness that your arsenal can take advantage of. There are a number of mini boss characters that boost the high points of each battle. There are also boss characters that pose a challenge your first time through, but beg for multiple replays in order to attack them with the best loot you can get.

There is also a decent variety in the shape and design of each map you play on. There are varying angles the enemies flock from and there are times when you are defending multiple points over the course of the game. Each map feels different enough that there is a unique feel to each mission.

I played the game with one other friend primarily and Trenched has been a discussion point for us since we started playing the game weeks ago. We constantly find ourselves swapping hats and standing around saluting each other. There is always the wow factor of seeing the other person’s trench when they make a new change too. In addition to that, the leaderboards also have the nice feature of being able to check out the top players configuration.

All in all, this game is a must have. My only real complaint is that I want more of it. I want the progression to keep going and I would love to see what Double Fine does with the franchise next. This is a great reason to own an Xbox this summer and although short, I see myself revisiting this game quite a bit as I am trying to pull as many people as I can into Trenched.