Where to get it

2012 · Indie · Role-playing

Defender's Quest

PlayStation console exclusive

Defender’s Quest is a tower defense and RPG hybrid that features classic tower defense gameplay intermingled with RPG mechanics. Recruit your troops and pick the ones that best fit your needs as you’ll have a wide variety to choose from: berserkers, archers, healers, mages, and many more. Upgrade their skills, items, and abilities and watch your party grow in power.

Released: 30 October 2012
Platforms: Linux PlayStation Vita Windows macOS
Genres: Indie Role-playing Strategy Tower defense
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Fantasy Historical
Engine: Flixel
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB T
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 9.5hmain story11hwith extras41hcompletionist

About

Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten is a tower defense and role-playing video game developed by American studio Level Up Labs. Originally a flash game distributed on web gaming portals like Kongregate and Newgrounds, it later released for Microsoft Windows via Steam in October 2012. In 2016, an HD remaster, Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten: DX Edition, was released for free to all existing owners. This version was ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PlayStation Vita.

The game received positive reviews from critics, primarily praising its gameplay. A sequel to the game, Defender's Quest 2: Mists of Ruin, was released January 30, 2025.

›Story

Things were going well for Azra, the sheltered Royal Librarian. There were books to sort, dust, and put away, important royal documents to transcribe. All this was swept away by the deadly plague that devastated the Kingdom of Ash. The plague killed quickly, so quickly that no one has the time to bury the dead, instead they are thrown, without ceremony, into the Pit.

Azra, infected with the plague, is cast into the Pit. Soon, she finds herself in the Half-Way World, the place between life and death and learns of her true power--that of being able to bring anyone into the Half-Way World with her. Now, she must traverse the Pit in the hopes of finding the cause of the plague and must fight to not only save herself but the Kingdom as well.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Story

Players take the role of Azra, the Royal Librarian in the Ash Kingdom, which is being devastated by a plague that creates undead monsters. After almost dying, she finds out that she has the power of bringing people to the spiritual world, which is the key to being able to fight the hordes of undying monsters, which are unbeatable in the physical world. During her adventure, Azra will get the help of several companions and discover the source of the plague and how she and her party can stop it and save the world.

Development

The game was originally conceived as a short, three to six month project, but the developers decided to expand it after a few months due to it becoming clear that it would have a larger scope.

Reception

The original game received a score of 85/100 from Jordan Devore of Destructoid. While criticizing the art, he praised the game's mechanics and soundtrack, and stated it was "incredibly fun to play". It was rated 4.5/5 by Zach Wellhouse of RPGamer, who praised the story as entertaining and the gameplay as "addictive", but criticizing upgrades as "boring" and the fact that Azra's Journal was only available in New Game+.

The game's DX Edition received an aggregate score of 82/100 on Metacritic. Alex Fuller of RPGamer rated it 4/5, again praising the combat and story, while criticizing the upgrade system and "awkward" controls.