Collavier is mostly known for bringing drawing applications to the Nintendo 3DS and they work all pretty well. I was taken by surprise when they announced that they were working on a tower defense title. The market for the genre is certainly there, but there are already a ton of options to choose from. This makes competing for attention not a simplest of tasks, but it is applaudable to give it a try. While the game does these elements justice, in the end I just didn't think that Monster Combine TD was anything stellar.

It all begins with the story, which is an oddity in itself. You are trying to protect a magical school and meet characters along the way who can help with this journey. The story had some clever moments and this is particularly shown in the opening. Monster Combine TD talks directly to the player in a quirky way, which brings an unique flavour to this experience. You even get some dialogue options, which can lead to some silly results. It doesn't make the whole thing feel so static, even if the dialogue is a bit tutorial heavy.

The game can best compared to something like Plants vs. Zombies. You are on the left of the field, where you summon units and destroy the enemies that come at you from the right side. You can't summon monsters as easily though, as you required to operate a special desk of cards. This desk contains monsters, upgrade abilities and items to keep you in the game. The whole concept is refreshing, but it requires really a ton of luck. The cards will pop up in a random order and you are pretty much dependent on that one lucky draw. What doesn't help is that enemies immediately start crawling your way, so you have no time to really prepare yourself for battle. I ended up restarting the game multiple times just to get it right.

To make it a bit interesting and harder, Monster Combine TD has made even more crucial changes to the whole concept. Your monsters can move across your playing field and this can give a strategic edge in battle. The only problem is that the creatures move at an alarmingly slow rate, which means that you have to plan way ahead in advance. It is worth it though, as they are various terrains like hot springs. These can restore your health somewhat and bring you back in the game in a major way. In the beginning, you will struggle the most with your deck of cards. New ones only start to pop up after a while and this makes the whole ride a difficult one to shallow. At a certain point, you will have access to new abilities that can grant you quicker access or will let you use a field destroying attack even quicker. They are useful abilities, but by the time they popped up, I just wished they had came a lot sooner in the adventure.

Monster Combine TD has a lot of cool mechanics going for it, but what it lacks is balance. If the opening moments were a lot more forgiving, it would have gotten a solid recommendation out of me. The luck of the draw and slow moving monsters are what killed it and that is a shame. The story was quirky and the overall presentation was pleasant, though the music could repeat itself a bit too much. If you don't mind endlessly turning your Nintendo 3DS on and off, you might find something to like. For everybody else however, there are a lot better options for you out there.