AutoAttack Games only secured funding for Legion TD2 a few months ago, but they aren’t wasting any time in showing off what they’ve been working on. Backers just got their first hands-on with Legion TD2 in the form of an exclusive Steam Pre-Alpha Demo.
Back in March, AutoAttack raised $66,487 of their initial $50,000 Kickstarter goal to turn their, fan favorite, Warcraft Mod into it’s own standalone release. I missed out on all the hubbub of the original, so this was my first experience with Legion TD2.
Since this is a Pre-Alpha build, there are issues and many features haven’t been implemented yet. Outside of an occasional game crash, the demo offers a fully playable single-player experience. There are no options or tutorials to guide new players through the process, again Pre-Alpha, but luckily Legion TD2 proved to be highly intuitive.
In no time at all I was deploying colorful fighters to protect my lane from hordes of enemies. I even (eventually) figured out where the mercenaries I kept hiring in the town were ending up. Once I caught on to the basics it was easy to see how the Legion TD mod had built such an enthusiastic following. The game is easy to pick-up, but offers an additional level of strategic planning to keep it challenging for more experienced players. Based on my limited time with Legion TD2, it certainly has the same potential. Currently, however, the AI is dumber than a box of rocks.
I faced off against a computer controlled opponent since online play isn’t available yet. Despite being a total tower defense newb I managed to hold my own through several waves of enemies. At some point my opponent’s king was defeated.
Rather than being greeted with any sort of fanfare I got an onscreen message telling me that the king had died and how to exit the game. It was a bit anticlimactic, especially since I wasn’t sure if I’d won or lost at that point.
Really, it’s hard to criticize a Pre-Alpha demo. It is the most streamlined version of Legion TD2’s gameplay, but it does show promise. With the exception of minor bug reports, everyone on the forums seems pleased with the game’s progress. Most of the bugs have already been acknowledged and have fixes in the works for the upcoming closed beta.
Currently the plan is for the closed beta to begin December of 2016. It will serve as a 6 month testing ground for backers who contributed at least $20 during the campaign. They will get to try out the game prior to the open beta release in June 2017.
AutoAttack has said they are limiting the number of people in the closed beta. Anyone wanting to secure a spot is invited to buy access through Steam for $20 while the keys last.
Closed beta participants also have the chance to secure additional prizes through a raffle. Backers will automatically receive the maximum number of entries for their support. Prizes include additional demo keys for friends and a chance at a permanently unlocked game account.
