Archipelago

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Archipelago is a roguelike tower defense (TD) game that doesn’t do anything remarkable with the genre, but it still manages to be fun for its limited runtime.
Gameplay
As expected, Archipelago has a lot in common with most other TD games, simply due to the nature of the genre. That being said, it effectively works in a couple of twists that aren’t wholly unique but are fresh enough to liven up the game.
The central distinction is that you play on randomized maps with variable tower costs rather than playing through a predetermined set of levels. One might feature a perfect choke point for you to mass your defenses around, while another has multiple winding paths that lend themselves more towards a multilayered approach. Furthermore, the random tower costs mean that you’ll always need to change up your strategy. It helps fight back against the idea of an optimal strategy, which often dumbs down the tactical side of TD games once it has been discovered. I rarely used the same defenses multiple times because I would typically learn that archers are dirt cheap this time, knights are overpriced, etc. This is a crucial element of a roguelike TD, and I think it was pulled off quite well. Furthermore, you will receive items as you play that boost specific units. Most are relatively minor, but they can combine in interesting ways to give your towers strong yet situational power boosts.
To complement its roguelike mechanics, Archipelago also features a standard economy system that encourages you to gamble with your safety. You can spend your money on either defenses for security or gold mines to increase your income. It’s a tricky balance to maintain, but it doesn’t change every round, so it offers some stability and predictability that you can base your overall strategy around.
I also really enjoyed the technology progression while it lasted. It’ll only be a handful of hours before you’ve unlocked everything, but it consistently added new, exciting ways to defend your island. Some might complain about the lack of replayability once you complete the tech tree, but I feel that the content is sufficient for a $5 game, especially given how enjoyable it is.
Presentation
The graphics aren’t outstanding or an impressive technical feat, but I would still consider them above average for a small indie game. The art style does a lot of the heavy lifting thanks to its consistency and how well it fits into the gameplay. As for the soundtrack, I liked it at first, but it can be tiring to hear the same song over and over. Nevertheless, I liked the soundtrack in general and regard it as a positive across the board.
Verdict
Archipelago has a modest amount of content, and it’s clearly a low-budget indie title. Despite that, it’s a lot of fun to progress through the tech tree, and it has enough variety to stand out from other indie TD games with similar budgets. I’d recommend it to fans of the genre with the understanding that it’s a good, not great, game.
6/10
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No performance issues running on: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 3070

It's okay. It's quite short, not that challenging, and lacks replay value. However, the time I did get out of it was enjoyable. Could maybe be a bit cheaper.

I really wish the game had some sort of reset function to start the progress from scratch, there is no save files etc, but besides that its a great game for the asking price, id even go as so far to say its a cute little slightly unique gem in a vast sea of mediocre tower defense games.
You will probably only play for 3 hours or so depending on your ability with these types of games, mostly because you gain xp which you use to progress the story; far too fast, leaving you unable to really experience all of the varations of maps which comes from the generator(the maps rarely feel generated)in the game, otherwise it actually has some replay value, though the lack of any harder difficulty modes makes it too boring for those who have already figured the game out.
Id say if your a fan of tower defense games and just want a quick fix, this game will probably satisfy you, it lacks lenght of story for sure but the game itself has a great foundation which makes me hope to see more from this dev.

Ugly, difficult, and annoying little game . . .Still somewhat addictive!
I came close to uninstall it about 10 times in the first 8 minutes, but somehow managed to play it for 3 hours already (!)
Full disclosure: I have yet to win my first battle! :/
10/10 Absolute Love/Hate relationship !

Fun, but not a lot of content. You can unlock a few extra units, but their cost is too high to matter. You effectively win far before you can afford many of them, making their purpose unknown.
The first 2-3 waves are slow, then once you are situated the difficulty doesnt really ramp up. This leave you with far more resources then you need to win the levels. Last half of the level I dont even notice what enemies are comming and it doesnt matter.
Menus stay open often blocking your view of the screen.

Fun but the difficulty is too hard at times and I can't get the Warships too show up yet unlocked. Potential.

fun unique tower defense that could use some extra polish with its tutorials and ui. engaging gameplay once you get the hang of it though!