M-2D cribs: Wicked Lair aims to bring back side-view tower defense

Good luck trying to feng shui this place.

Whatever happened to the 2D side-view tower defense game? Defender Chronicles was an early App Store hit in 2009, and the release of the sequel in 2012 (one of the first games we reviewed here) was one of the first times that there was a real sense of anticipation around an iOS game.

But instead of becoming a durable App Store franchise, Defender Chronicles fizzled out. Indonesian developers Menara Games have only put out one title since DC2: the notorious Ridiculous Fishing clone Ninja Fishing. And aside from the occasional Castle Doombad or Shellrazer, side-view tower defense games vanished too, pretty much.

Wicked Lair is a forthcoming game that looks like a side-view tower defense with some interesting ideas. You’re an evil dungeon keeper (is there another kind?) with a dungeon on the outskirts of a town, sending monstrosities to terrorise the locals while you repel the adventurers dispatched to coerce you to leave. Real estate is a tough game, man.

Wicked Lair is coming to Android and iOS in November and developer Stefan Pratter is keeping an active dev journal while he works. Watch a trailer below.