Cursed Treasure 1.5

Apparently, being evil is a full-time job, and protecting your ill-gotten treasure is part of the retirement plan. After ten years of relative peace, the forces of good have returned to steal the last three gems belonging to the Overlord, and naturally, they have brought an army of ninjas, angels, and rather unpleasant lizard riders along for the occasion. In this fantasy tower defense strategy game, you are firmly on the side of darkness, which makes a refreshing change from all those heroic adventures where everyone is apparently expected to save the kingdom. Your mission is to defend your precious gems through a series of increasingly challenging enemy waves by building defensive towers, upgrading your forces, casting powerful spells, and making clever use of the landscape. Getting started is straightforward: select one of the available tower types from the panel and place it on an empty tile along the road. Different structures belong on different terrain, with dens built on grass, crypts placed on snow, and temples constructed on rocky ground. You'll also discover that elevated positions are particularly useful, since any tower can be built on high ground, giving you another tactical option when planning your defenses. Keep an eye out for special vapor-covered tiles, too, as building on these provides extra mana for your magical abilities. And you'll definitely want that mana, because sometimes a well-timed spell is considerably more effective than watching another tower struggle heroically with an incoming army. You can cut down trees to open up the battlefield, summon a fiery meteor to rain destruction on your enemies, or boost your towers' firing speed when a particularly nasty wave comes knocking. Each level brings ten waves of attackers, so you'll need to think carefully about tower placement, upgrades, resource management, and when to unleash your magic. The goal isn't simply to eliminate every enemy, but to make sure at least one gem survives until the end of the mission. Lose all your precious treasures and the supposedly righteous heroes get exactly what they came for. Use your mouse or tap the screen to build towers and cast spells, selecting your chosen ability from the side panel before clicking or tapping its target location. The interface also lets you keep track of your available resources, mana, incoming waves, and defensive structures, while the pause menu offers options to resume, restart, or surrender if things have gone spectacularly wrong. Fans of classic tower defense games like Kingdom Rush and Plants vs. Zombies will recognize the satisfying combination of careful planning, strategic upgrades, and increasingly ridiculous enemy invasions, although the delightfully villainous perspective gives this adventure its own personality. There's also a little historical irony behind all this gemstone business: ancient Egyptians treasured gemstones such as turquoise and carnelian not just for their beauty, but also for their believed protective and magical properties. Clearly, the Overlord understands the importance of a well-protected collection. So sharpen those strategic instincts, put those suspiciously noble heroes in their place, and remember that being a successful villain requires excellent security arrangements.