What does "tower defence" mean? The game idea for people with no gaming experience

Many people have never played a video game. That’s completely fine. When grandchildren or friends talk about “tower defence”, it still sounds strange. Yet the idea is very old and very simple. You know it from every history book.

In this article we explain the idea without jargon. Then we show it using a specific game: Sozo – Tower Defense for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets.

The idea in one picture: a castle with watchtowers

Picture a medieval castle. A single path leads to the castle gate. Enemies come along that path. Watchtowers stand to the left and right of it. From there, archers shoot at the attackers.

As the lord of the castle, you don’t fight yourself. You only decide:

• Where a new watchtower should stand.
• Which kind of tower it should be.
• When you strengthen a tower.

That is exactly what tower defence is. “Tower” means tower. “Defence” means defence. It’s a planning game. It’s more like a puzzle or a game of draughts than a fast action game.

The five basic terms

Almost every tower defence game uses these five things. Once you know them, you understand the idea.

1. The path. This is the route the enemies walk along. They never leave it. So you always know where they’ll come from.
2. The goal. At the end of the path is something you protect. With the castle, it’s the gate. If an enemy reaches the goal, you lose lives (a kind of points account for health).
3. The waves. Enemies don’t all come at once. They come in groups, called waves. Each wave is usually a little stronger than the last.
4. The gold. For every enemy you defeat, you get game money. You use it to pay for new towers. It isn’t real money.
5. The towers. They shoot at nearby enemies by themselves. The range (how far a tower can shoot) is limited. That’s why the location matters so much.

Why different towers?

Imagine two kinds of attacker turn up. Some wear heavy armour. Others come in large groups. An archer only ever hits one enemy. Against a group, a catapult that hits many at once helps more.

It’s the same in the game. Each tower is good at something different. The skill lies in the mix.

How the idea looks in Sozo

Sozo brings this castle idea into your living room. You wear a headset (glasses that show images right in front of your eyes). You see your real room, and the game places figures into it. This is called mixed reality.

Here’s how the five basic terms turn up in Sozo, according to the studio’s game instructions:

Basic term	In Sozo
The path	A glowing ribbon on your real floor. It winds around your furniture.
The goal	The Core Crystal. It stands on your floor.
The enemies	Small monsters. They come out of a glowing rift in your real wall.
The waves	5 waves in the first level, later up to 15.
The gold	You get it for defeated monsters and for every wave you complete.
The towers	8 kinds, for example Ballista (a large crossbow), cannon and frost tower.

The building spots are small hexagons on the floor beside the path. You point at a hexagon and choose a tower. It builds itself straight away.

What you do yourself, step by step

This is how a level in Sozo goes:

1. Look at the path. Where does it bend? At bends, enemies walk past a tower for a long time. Those are good spots.
2. Build your first tower. Until it’s standing, nothing starts. So you have as much time as you like to think.
3. Wait for the countdown. The game counts 3, 2, 1. Then the first wave arrives.
4. Watch. Your towers shoot by themselves.
5. Build more. When you have enough gold, build more towers or upgrade one you already have.
6. Knock away flying monsters. Sozo has a special feature: flying enemies attack your towers. You can knock these away with your hand or the controller.

Good to know

• You don’t have to be fast. According to the studio, Sozo has a half-speed setting. The button for it is called x1. It’s in a small menu on your wrist.
• There’s no time pressure before the start. The clock only runs once the first tower is standing.
• One tower alone won’t last long. The game rewards mixes. If a single damage type does more than half the damage, enemies become more resistant to it from the fourth level. In the game this is called “the rift adapts”.
• Hints help. Before each level, the game suggests up to three suitable tower types under COUNTERS.
• It’s your pace. The “Casual” difficulty gives enemies fewer lives. That’s a good start.
• Safety: you play standing up and move around the room. Clear loose objects off the floor. Take regular breaks.

What it costs

Tower defence as a game idea exists in many games, including free ones on your phone. The price for Sozo isn’t known yet. The release date isn’t set either. Either way, you need a Meta Quest 3 or 3S.

If something doesn’t work

• Do you keep losing? Choose “Casual” and half speed. Build towers on the inside of bends.
• Don’t understand a term? Look in our glossary.
• Stuck on a level? After 6 defeats in a row, Sozo offers to let you skip the level. You won’t get any stars, but you’ll move on.