This is Niche Spotlight. In this column, we regularly introduce new games to our fans, so please leave feedback and let us know if there’s a game you want us to cover!
Today’s Spotlight is The White Laboratory, an experimental physics-based tower defense game by Laboratory Systems and Gamera Game.
You must defend your position by constructing modular towers and units to fight oncoming waves of malfunctioning robots in a facility on a distant gas planet. The White Laboratory doesn’t control like your average tower defense game.
Instead of upgrading your towers by simply clicking a button, you can harvest blocks from destroyed enemies to build new towers or expand existing ones. You can check out a trailer above.
The towers, units, and projectiles are all driven by the game’s physics engine, and the modularity of the blocks allows you to create whatever absurd defenses you can imagine.
The White Laboratory is available on Windows PC via Steam for $9.99.
Here’s a rundown of the game:
The White Laboratory is a sandbox style physics-based tower defense and RTS game in which you modularly build and command robotic structures, operating across a facility in the atmosphere of a remote gas planet.
It is about time for our quadrennial operation check through various parts of the facility. In the series of missions, combine robotic modular geometry components into different structures to adapt to combat situations. Build ground defenses around, send propeller air probes, attract and transfer scrap resources, and anything else the physics allows. Clean up anything unwanted to complete the maintenance task.
Crazy physics-based gameplay
99% of the stuff is physically simulated, affecting how objects move and behave in action. Consider physical phenomenon when making strategic decisions. e.g The bullet bounces off non-targets. Obstacles or drones can physically affect opponent rushing in. Structural balancing…
Strategy focused, multipurpose robotic components for fast in-place live construction
Things are made of robotic components which can be served for multiple purposes. This allows for fast building of functional small structures in realtime with pause. There is also no upgrading of things such as ground defense towers, just modify them or build more onto them to adapt to new situation.
Open and reusable game mechanics
Objects will be reusable for other purpose/or have additional usage with more sandbox elements introduced.
Experiment, sandbox and survival modes
Experiment mode (aka. campaign) explores a wide range of gameplay with robotic component combinations, including expansionary defense, conquest and production etc. Sandbox supports building and testing of varies structural designs with large material supply and completing additional challenges.
Survival mode is fortress defense.
Clean metallic esthetics, floating high in atmosphere
The clean style matches the sci-fi background while giving clear visual on structural design. Also supports colorblindness.
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