Sanctum 2 Review: First-Person Tower Defense Done Right

Released in 2013, Sanctum 2 is a first-person tower defence game developed by Coffee Stain Studios, the same developer that created and published the hit Goat Simulator.

Gameplay is focused around strategically placing barriers around a map to direct and slow down waves of aliens that are attempting to reach and destroy the Cores that produce oxygen for you to survive on the planet.

Each wave of aliens grows in strength and variety as the difficulty increases, with the game beginning to test your teamwork in addition to strategy; teamwork is just as important given players must focus on particular threats and can take a large amount of effort to kill. Sometimes, the turrets and walls you erect are quickly destroyed, making your precision evermore important.

In total there are 15 different maps, some with similar settings in regards to research facilities and more natural, open settings. The maps provide different ways in which players can set up their defences, either choosing to focus on particular choke points around the maps or simply the weaknesses and little lanes that the aliens could sneak through.

Regarding the aliens themselves, they're a significant improvement to the first instalment, with the aliens focusing their attacks on the players and not just the walls and turrets; some aliens can even focus their attacks on you and chase you down. It's a well-needed touch that the developer added given the lacking features in Sanctum 1.