Alchemic Jousts Demo

Each genre has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to video games, since it’s difficult to ask for complexity in match-three games or beginner-friendly mechanics in hardcore real-time strategy games. However, developers can sometimes extract the essentials from a genre and provide the players with a simplified version that's just as fun and engaging.

Alchemic Jousts is an arcade strategy game that features basic underlying mechanics and a complexity level that keeps increasing the more you play. In short, the game is a 2D tower defense flick with rock, paper, scissors rules, but more possibilities are added as you progress, which excludes boredom from the equation. Granted, it can still get repetitive after a while, especially since having more options does not necessarily mean that all of them are equally useful.

To begin with, the matches are played in a classic 2D environment with one tower on one side of the screen and one on the other. Each side sends elemental units forth to destroy the enemy base, but these units must fight each other first. Since there are only four underlying elements to choose from, these battles are simple at first, but they get a lot more interesting later on.

After you receive your first upgrades, the game allows you to combine elements into something else, and then you can also combine those as well. Toward the end of the game you have over a hundred possibilities at your disposal, and it’s up to you which ones fit your play style. As for the actual gameplay, the only thing you have to do is keep pressing the appropriate keys in order to spawn the units, although they are all on a timer, so patience is required as well.

You can even play the game in split-screen with one of your friends, given the fact that it supports two gamepads at once. Online multiplayer matches are possible too, so there’s no shortage of content once you finish the single player campaign. As for the graphics, don’t expect anything too ludicrous, but the 2D artwork is very smooth and colorful, just as it should be, given the nature of the genre.

Alchemic Jousts might get a tad repetitive every now and again, but the plethora of unit choices should be enough to keep you coming back for more after a short break. The multiplayer component is very fun and enjoyable, at least if you can find opponents.