Tiny Heroes

At the last count, there were around 1.2 trillion (figures are approximate) tower defence games available on the App Store, so it’s difficult to stifle a yawn when yet another one pops onto our review list. However, for every dozen or so releases that go onto the pile marked ‘Meh’, there’s one that does things a little differently and grabs your attention.

Tiny Heroes places you in the role not of the heroes of the title, but as the keeper of a treasure-filled dungeon that those self-same heroes are trying to ransack. There are three parts to each dungeon: the outside world from where the heroes start their journey; the maze-like corridors where all the action takes place; and the vault where all the treasure is stored. It’s your job to place traps, weapons and creatures of various types throughout the corridors in order to stop the heroes getting away with the loot – or better still, prevent them getting to the vault in the first place.

What makes it interesting is the fact that the dungeon layout and range of defences makes for quite a strategic challenge as you carefully place buzzsaws in narrow corridors, create dead ends with piles of debris, set up rows of spike traps and hastily plant bombs as a last resort. There are also various hero types to keep things interesting, such as wizards who destroy your mana crystals (vital for building new defences) and thieves who disarm your traps. Sure, it’s yet another tower defence game, but a surprisingly fresh and delightful one.