Packed Lair

Packed Lair takes an innovative spin on the ever-growing genre, but fails to execute it properly. The gameplay loop is satisfying when its building synergies click into place. Where the game falls short is the lack of replayability and run diversity options that hurts the longevity of the game. The good news is that this is a team that’s already shown a consistent willingness to listen and iterate, and a debut this promising, even with its current rough edges, is well worth checking out for genre fans, especially at this price point.

Packed Lair is an entertaining base defence game with clever puzzle elements, but the repetition builds faster than your army does.