Gotta Protectors is a unique blend of action, tower defense, and real-time strategy elements wrapped in a charming retro aesthetic. The series, developed by Ancient, a company with a rich history in gaming, has garnered a dedicated following for its engaging gameplay and quirky humor. With the release of Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness on the Nintendo Switch, now is the perfect time to dive into this underappreciated gem.
Introduction
Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness builds upon the foundations of its predecessors, Protect Me Knight (Xbox 360) and Gotta Protectors (Nintendo 3DS), offering a refined and expanded experience. The core premise remains the same: protect Princess Lola from hordes of monsters. However, Cart of Darkness introduces new mechanics, characters, and a compelling narrative twist. The evil Glitch Heart threatens Princess Lola, demanding marriage, setting the stage for the Gotta Protectors to once again save the day. This time, the castle has transformed into a tank on tracks, embarking on a journey to destroy the opposing castle and, more importantly, preserve the world of video games within Magicadia.
Core Gameplay Mechanics
Cart of Darkness retains the series' signature blend of action and strategy. Players select a party of three characters from a roster of eight, each with unique abilities and strengths. The objective is to defend Princess Lola as her castle-tank moves along a track, fending off waves of enemies and strategically upgrading defenses.
Team Composition
Choosing the right team composition is crucial for success. Each character brings something different to the table. For example:
- Fighter: Excels at Power and Life, has the Carry ability, a powerful Axe Toss, and a Potion to heal.
- Amazon: A balanced character with a useful Kick attack.
- Ninja: Fast-paced Shuriken attack and the Carry ability.
- Archer: Rapid Bow attack for unleashing a world of hurt on opponents.
Balancing these strengths and weaknesses is essential for tackling the game's challenges.
Read also: Are Keto Gummies right for you?
Defending Princess Lola
Protecting Princess Lola is paramount. Enemies will constantly attempt to swarm the castle and harm her. Players must utilize their characters' abilities, build barricades, and strategically place turrets to keep the monsters at bay.
Upgrading Characters and Structures
Gold coins, earned by defeating enemies and finding chests, are vital for upgrading characters and structures. These upgrades include:
- Boosting character stats
- Increasing skill effectiveness
- Strengthening barricades and turrets
- Leveling up Princess Lola to increase her hit points and unlock supportive abilities
Mastering the Amazon Class
The Amazon is a versatile and balanced character, making her an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced players. Here are some tips for mastering the Amazon class:
- Balanced Stats: The Amazon's well-rounded stats allow her to adapt to various combat situations.
- Useful Kick: The Kick attack is a powerful tool for dealing significant damage to enemies.
- Strategic Skill Usage: Experiment with different skill combinations to find a playstyle that suits you.
- Skillset: Not as strong as Fighter, but balanced, nullify enemy attack with temporary barricades.
Level Design and Challenges
Cart of Darkness features over 100 levels, each with unique layouts and challenges. New elements are introduced gradually, allowing players to learn the basics and adjust their strategies accordingly. These elements include:
- Holes in the track that require diving into with the L button to prop up the castle
- Colored keys to collect for opening matching doors
- Increasingly powerful enemies that demand strategic planning and execution
Collectibles and Customization
The game features over 900 Magicadia game cartridges hidden throughout the levels. These cartridges, each an homage to a real NES game, can be equipped to provide stat boosts. Finding and equipping these cartridges adds another layer of depth and customization to the gameplay experience.
Read also: The Truth About Weight Loss Patches
Progression and Upgrades
Cart of Darkness employs a unique progression system that combines temporary and permanent upgrades.
Temporary Upgrades
After each map, players can spend gold to purchase temporary upgrades that last for the duration of the mission. These upgrades can provide a significant advantage, but the gold spent is not recoverable.
Permanent Upgrades
Gold can also be used to purchase permanent upgrades in town, including new skillsets for each Protector and upgrades to the castle. These upgrades provide long-term benefits and are essential for tackling the game's tougher challenges.
Finding Hidden Cartridges
Finding the hidden power-up game cartridges is a key aspect of Cart of Darkness. These cartridges grant extra powers when equipped, but they only reach their full potential after gaining several levels in battle. Finding them often requires solving bizarre, arbitrary goals on each map.
Multiplayer Mayhem
Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness shines in multiplayer, supporting both online and local play. Playing with friends allows players to split duties and focus on their specialties, creating a more coordinated and effective team.
Read also: The Truth About Speedy Keto ACV Gummies
Teamwork and Coordination
With a full complement of friends, players can divide responsibilities such as crowd control, boss damage, and barricade construction. This division of labor allows for a more efficient and enjoyable gameplay experience.
Solo Play Strategies
While Cart of Darkness is best enjoyed with friends, solo play is still viable. The game offers adjustable difficulty levels, allowing players to tailor the challenge to their skill level. Additionally, players can swap between three characters with different loadouts, adapting to the situation as needed.
Retro Aesthetic and Soundtrack
Gotta Protectors embraces a retro aesthetic, drawing inspiration from Famicom/NES games. The detailed 2D pixel art and chiptune soundtrack create a nostalgic and immersive experience.
Yuzo Koshiro's Musical Genius
The soundtrack, composed by Yuzo Koshiro, is a highlight of the game. Koshiro has created new retro-style tracks that capture the spirit of classic video game music. The game also features multiple sound chip options, allowing players to experience the music through the Famicom, Famicom Disk System, VRC6, PC-88, Mega Drive, Super Famicom, Game Boy, and Wonderswan sound chips.
Localization and Humor
The game's charm is further enhanced by its top-notch localization, which is laugh-out-loud funny and adapts the script to Western nostalgia. The incidental text and interstitial screens are particularly well-written and humorous.
Potential Drawbacks
Despite its many strengths, Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness is not without its flaws.
Grind
The game can be grindy, requiring players to replay missions to earn enough gold to upgrade their characters and castle. Missions can also be lengthy, adding to the grind.
Overwhelming Difficulty
Some levels can be overwhelming for solo players, particularly without optimized character builds and strategies.
Online Community
The online community for the game is relatively small, making it difficult to find players for online multiplayer.
DLC Content
Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness features four DLC packs, each adding additional levels, remixed soundtracks, and new abilities for two of the eight characters. The DLC is generally considered to be worth the investment, offering a significant amount of additional content for a reasonable price.
tags: #gotta #protectors #amazon #gameplay #tips