Once Upon A Siege blends tower defense strategy with immersive VR action, placing you directly in the role of a defender in a sci-fi feudal setting. As part of the Galactic Feudalist League, you fend off sieges on a planetary outpost, managing resources and upgrades while battling waves of enemy units. This single-player experience draws inspiration from classics like Rampart, adapting them into a hands-on VR format where every decision impacts your survival.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around defending your base during intense sieges. You start by manning a cannon to target incoming threats, such as siege towers loaded with raiders, ram towers, dropships, gunships, cannons, and missile-throwing golems. If enemies breach your walls and storm the keep, you switch to a personal weapon for close-quarters combat.
Resource management adds depth, requiring you to monitor energy levels and connect upgrades with power cables. Every addition, like explosive rounds or special defensive tech, consumes power, forcing tough choices on what to activate. Between waves, a quick rebuild system lets you repair walls and patch breaches, while upgrades like smoke shields or forcefields provide temporary protection.
Upgrades are purchased in a space station shop, allowing focus on personal abilities, cannon improvements, or tower enhancements. The wall building system enables efficient reconstruction, and defense tower management ties into overall strategy, ensuring you balance offense, defense, and sustainability to endure until the siege timer expires.
Game Modes
Once Upon A Siege features a single-player campaign spread across 10 levels, where you face off against two distinct NPC armies. Each level pits your skills against a variety of siege units in quasi-medieval battles set in a galactic context.
While the game is in Early Access, developers have outlined plans for additional modes, including co-op play, competitive AI challenges, and human vs human leagues. These would expand the experience beyond solo sieges, but currently, the focus remains on individual endurance tests.
Upgrades and Mechanics
A wide array of upgrades keeps gameplay engaging, from personal boosts that enhance your combat prowess to specialized tech like forcefields that buy time during rebuilds. The energy system demands careful planning, as overloading can leave you vulnerable.
Mechanics emphasize quick thinking, with tools for neutralizing specific threats, like disabling dropships to cut off reinforcements. This combination of strategic oversight and direct action sets it apart in the casual action genre.
Is It Worth Playing?
For enthusiasts of tower defense games looking for a fresh VR twist, Once Upon A Siege offers a unique perspective by putting you in the defender's shoes. The hands-on management and rebuild elements provide satisfying strategy, especially if you enjoy resource juggling in high-pressure scenarios.
However, as an Early Access title released in late 2022 with no updates in over three years, it remains in a beta state at version 0.96. Core features are functional, but planned expansions like extra levels and more siege units are pending. With no user reviews available, it's hard to gauge broader reception, so it suits patient players interested in niche VR experiences rather than those seeking polished, ongoing support.
