Castle Defense is generally a subgenre of Tower Defense games, which as I mentioned in a previous article, was originally a subgenre of Real Time Strategy Games. Now, particularly with the rise of Apple gaming through the App Store and how Defense games are well suited with the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad, Castle Defense games have also evolved in being a considered a genre on its own. In the App Store, there are basically two types of Castle Defense games. One is oriented toward Real Time Strategy, while the other is more action-oriented. In this article, I will be discussing the first category and the best games to recommend in the App Store.

Allow me to provide you with a quick summary of the gameplay of Real Time Strategy Castle Defense games. In this genre, you and your opponent have a castle or a base to defend, and the challenge is to destroy your opponent’s castle first before it happens to you. In order to complete this objective, you and your opponent have various units ranging from soldiers, tanks, wizards (depending on the game) to deploy to defend your castle while also making a siege on your opponent’s castle. The best games in this genre are those that have a wide variety of units, a well-balanced difficulty, and provide heart-pounding back-and-forth action.

Best Real Time Strategy Castle Defense Games: CRYSTAL WAR

A nice touch with this game, among dozens of Castle Defense games in the App Store, is the integration of resource collecting commonly seen as a fundamental element in Real Time Strategy games. Instead of simply earning gold or points from defeated enemies which you can use to purchase and deploy more units, you have to deploy your own miners to go after crystals scattered throughout the field. This adds another strategy element in the game. Crystal War also boasts dozens of units from both the Human and Goblin race. These units range from your typical medieval fantasy characters (swordsman) to fan favourites (sniper) to even some unique and interesting ones (shieldman). You start off with the Human campaign and upon completion, you will also have access to the Goblin campaign. The best part of it is that the Goblin units are not the usual counterparts of the Human units. Some of them are quite unique, and you would have to try them all until you’ve come up with the best lineup that suits you. Overall, in both races, some units complement each other. And based on each person’s strategy, the effective lineups in Crystal War are vast.

Best Real Time Strategy Castle Defense Games: MEDIEVAL

While Medieval is a mix of both Real Time Strategy and Action Castle Defense, at its core, the strategy elements still prevail in this game. The action part is using your trusty crossbow situated atop your castle. This crossbow is very integral mostly at the beginning of each round, but later on, the game relies on strategy with regards to what units to deploy and the timing of each action, while your crossbow provides cover fire. Medieval is also among the hardest Real Time Strategy Castle Defense games. Even strategy veterans would be humbled and be forced to try out the easy mode at least on the first few tries. It also helps of course if you’re a very accurate bow and arrow player. Overall, with its crisp visuals, which are among the best in the App Store, realistic sound effects, this is a must have for strategy gamers.

Best Real Time Strategy Castle Defense Games: CASTLE CONFLICT

Castle Conflict is among the first released strategy castle defense games in the App Store. Like Crystal War, Castle Conflict is also among the very few Castle Defense games that integrates resource collecting in the strategy involved. Gameplay is fairly basic and can be associated with chess. The units in the game follow a strict hierarchy. You won’t be witnessing any actual battles. If you send out a unit more powerful than your opponent, then your unit would automatically trample it. Equal units of course cancel out and die simultaneously. It’ really a strategy game of quick reflexes and decision-making. Graphics aren’t the best, but that’s not what this game is popular for. What it lacks for visuals it makes up for an exhilarating head to head mode and interactive maps. Games are relatively short, and the learning curve isn’t as steep as most games in this genre.