Why You Can Trust CNET Fieldrunners 2 for Android review: Bigger and better tower defense than the original
With new maps and weapons, Fieldrunners 2 gives players even more tower-defense fun than its predecessor.
Fieldrunners 2, the sequel to one of the earliest and more popular open-field tower defense games, has finally come to Android, and it is even better than the original.
Fieldrunners 2 for Android
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Set in a modern era with high-tech yet comical warfare, Fieldrunners 2 pits you against wave after wave of soldiers, jeeps, and other military units. To fend off these waves, you need to use turrets to create a maze of destruction. Just as in the original Fieldrunners, setting up your turrets in a mazelike formation is extremely important because you want to keep the enemies within firing range for as long as possible. With that in mind, you'll want to force your enemies to double back and walk in S-shaped paths if you want to inflict maximum damage.
Additionally, the sequel has added some fixed-path gameplay with trenches you'll need to build around. The strategy for these sorts of levels is completely different, which adds even more fun to the already rich game. Since you are no longer the one determining the path, the best thing to do in these levels is make sure you diversify and spread your units effectively.
If you tap on one of your units, you can see its firing range, which can help you arrange your battlefield most effectively. What you can't do, though, is see the firing ranges of multiple units at once. Perhaps in a future release, developers will add this feature, so you can easily fill in any gaps in your battlefield coverage.
From top to bottom, Fieldrunners 2 feels like a completely rebuilt game. More than just new maps and updated art, this sequel offers 20 well-designed levels that take the war to urban landscapes, grassy fields, and sandy deserts.
The best part about Fieldrunners 2 is its huge assortment of turrets, or towers. There are 20 in all, and each deals out a unique type of damage. The staple machine guns, glue guns (to slow down soldiers), and missile turrets are all there from the first game. But now there are quite a few new weapons, including a tower that flings bee hives and another that attacks a row of enemies across the entire screen. If you're good enough, you might even unlock the tower that can turn enemies into barnyard animals. In addition to the new towers, the game includes new abilities you can call in like a missile strike or landmines for when things get really tough.
Along with the virtually unlimited ways to create mazes and change your strategy for the game, Fieldrunners 2 now comes with more game types for even more replay value. There's Survival, where the waves never end and you simply build and upgrade until the fighting gets too intense; Time Trial, for taking out enemies in the least amount of time; and Puzzle levels that give you other strategic challenges by only giving you certain towers and ways to play. All of these level types are spread throughout the campaign map, which means you have to master a lot of different skills in order to beat the game. What's missing is a training mode of some kind, where you can try your hand at all of these different game types to practice for the campaign.
Just like its predecessor, Fieldrunners 2 is one of the best-designed tower defense games I've seen. It has polished animation, smooth controls, and well-crafted gameplay. And the unlockable items and achievements make the game especially addicting. If you've gotten your fill of the original game, then the bigger and better Fieldrunners 2 is just the followup you need.