Tower defence games are pretty similar to kart racers for me. I see one, and if I like it’s theming, I’ll jump at the chance to play. Only difference between the two is that I’m good at kart racers. Yeah… When it comes to strategy, I’m usually terrible, but there’s just something about tower defence games I like. So to see Candy Disaster in the Jingle Jam Games Collection had me instantly giving it a try.

When the game first begins, it gives a bit of a backdrop to the theming through a cutscene. “Recover the candy and don’t let anyone else claim it!” just about sums it up. Across this planet are stores of candy, and it is the job of genius scientist Jick to protect them with various traps from an alien race that wants that CANDY! And so begins the trapping of the set routes this enemy will take in order to defeat them before they grab the candy.

In typical tower defence fashion, there’s a set amount of money given at the start of each stage to place a few traps. With the beginning of the first wave, money is given for defeating each enemy which then allows the placement of more traps. If an enemy reaches the end, a life is lost. Or in this case, a candy is taken. Lose all lives and that’s a fail. A rating out of three stars is given on stage completion, with all three stars being awarded for losing no lives. A tall order for someone who is terrible at strategy.

Traps come in a variety of types. Those placed on the ground, those placed on walls, and those that replace walls. To start, there’s only a few traps available, but completing stages brings more things to play around with. Most of these traps have a cooldown period between activations, meaning relying on just a few isn’t going to be much help if there’s a lot of enemies. Or just a few with a lot of health.

Indeed, just as with any other tower defence game, the enemy forces are varied. Weak and slow, weak and fast, strong lumbering beasts, and many other variations of health and speed. Some will also have special abilities, such as paragliders being immune to ground traps. As such, it pays to have a few traps of each type on the field just in case. Creating a sequence of traps to maximise damage is encouraged, with ground and wall traps able to attack the same tile at the same time.

With a variety of traps, there’s an endless number of combinations to be made. Springboards can bounce enemies into water, or even back the way they came. Having a crossbow aimed at the incoming enemies can deal damage to them while they’re being assaulted by the saws and spikes. Upgrading traps can deal even more damage, along with decreasing cooldowns or increasing their speed.

At the end of a world comes the boss. And despite the other levels being outdoors – in the case of the first world on grasslands, the boss level takes place in a nightclub. With the boss being its owner. Here, the enemy numbers are ramped up, with the highest number of waves in that world. On certain waves, the boss will jump into the fray. While on the field, the boss can buff the health of all units, as well as drop shield tokens to offer a single hit of protection for any unit that picks one up.

After a certain amount of damage taken, the boss will retreat until the next time it appears. If the boss is defeated before all waves are finished, it counts as a victory. Which is just as well, since by the time the last few waves come along, it is absolute carnage on the field. Since I’m not moving on until I have three stars on a stage, it did take me quite some time to manage that. And this is on easy, mind. There’s no way I’m attempting challenge mode, even on the easiest of stages. And the difficulty gets even more difficult beyond that first boss.

As far as tower defence games go, Candy Disaster is a fun one. There’s a charm to its presentation. Seeing parts falling off the enemies as they lose health, to then explode in a scatter of parts upon being defeated just never gets old. The grassland environment of the first world makes way for desert and ice worlds, where the enemies change looks to match it. Even more things are added to be aware of with these worlds, such as moving walls, so experimentation is always key to grab that victory.

Candy Disaster makes a fine addition to my collection, along with over 70 other games thanks to the Jingle Jam Games Collection. By donating £35 or more to support charity, you’ll get access to this game and more. There’s not long left to do so, so the Jingle Jam ends 14/December 23:00 GMT. Give to charity, grab some great games, and perhaps become invested in a new favourite.

Images Taken From:
Candy Disaster | PC