Savage Moon recently hit the PSN on this side of the pond after quite a long wait. The game can be thought of as a cross between PixelJunk Monsters and Starship Troopers. You play as a strategic commander deciding where to deploy towers to best defend your mining base from waves of Insectocytes. Traditionally there isn’t a lot of story to tower defense titles and Savage Moon is no exception. With humans having long depleted the natural resources of their own planet, they were forced to find alternate sources for resources that they were in need of. The humans new source for minerals came to be living asteroids called Imoon. However, harvesting these minerals was not all that easy, as the Imoon itself seemed to send Insectocytes to destroy the humans’ mining bases. Initially you can only build Machine Gun Towers at the beginning of levels.
You are also limited to the number of towers you can build at any one time by how many Drop-pods you have. However killing enemies will reward you with credits that can be used to build additional towers or research new ones and finishing a wave will often reward you with additional Drop-pods. There are a wide range of towers that can be built, but most will not be unlocked until you progress to the second and third Imoons. You can also upgrade placed towers with your hard earned credits after doing additional research, and boy do they pack a punch when they hit level 5. Towers range from the aforementioned Machine Gun Tower and Anti-Air Tower to Repair and Amp Towers. They are all quite useful, however there are a few you will rarely use. 
In addition to the usual building of towers, there are also Commander Skills that can assist you. These skills will increase either money earned, tower attack or tower defense. However, using these skills will also decrease the other two. Activating these skills wisely can turn the tide of a wave. If you just generally like to bring death down on the many types of Insectocyte, Vengeance mode is for you. You’ll face endless waves of increasingly powerful enemies until they finally manage to destroy your mining base. You can even upload your score to see how you compare to others online. As much fun as Savage Moon is, it lacks longevity. Each level takes roughly 10-20 minutes, however there are only 12 levels and they’ll all be over before you know it. Fortunately Vengeance mode can really extend play by hours.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
Fairly accessible strategy title. Length is short, but Vengeance Mode helps. Great production values, and a good introduction into the genre.
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