Developed by Befun Studio and published by Spiral Up Games, the reverse tower defense RPG Affogato was featured in the latest demo at Steam Next Fest.
Reverse tower defense games in an anime style are not common, but after trying it out, we found that the game's art design, plot development and level design are all excellent, making it a very promising indie game.
In the game, you will play a witch named 'Affogato'. She runs a coffee shop in an unfamiliar city and meets various customers, listens to their stories, and enters their inner world. Then, you will crack the devil's plots while experiencing ordinary yet magical urban daily life.
The coffee-making simulation in Affogato
The game basically consists of two parts: the coffee shop management and the combat. To create a more authentic coffee-making simulation, the development team purchased a coffee machine, and the steps in the game are quite rigorous. The developer Baichimao (白吃毛) said to the media that players could make coffee successfully if they follow their steps.
Affogato is a reverse tower defense game similar to the zombie mode in Plants vs. Zombies. Players cannot summon unlimited numbers of allied units like in tower defense games but instead use the witch cards to summon characters.
Effective route planning is crucial in combat as players utilize their wisdom to defeat the level boss. By consuming Penta, they can strategically place the cards and manipulate the arrows on the path, maneuvering their way to the destination.
Level design and combat in Affogato
At the same time, players can also upgrade their witch cards to make the subsequent battles smoother.
In addition, the game has designed visually impactful boss battles within the framework of reverse tower defense, including three phases with a very reasonable difficulty curve.
The challenging boss battle in Affogato
In other aspects, the game's music is highly in tune with the game plot and transitions according to different scenarios, enhancing the fun of the experience.
Players will also frequently communicate with NPCs using their phones. They need to plan their daily schedule and allocate time effectively to build stronger relationships with customers, alternating between improving their coffee-making skills and learning combat techniques.