Cheap for 500 Wii Points and good for short multi-player games.
The premise of the game is to fling enemies to their death with what looks like the clip that goes on a bagel bag with the A or B button. It's pretty shallow, but there are some new factors to add to the single player mode. For one thing, there are more numerous and dangerous enemies as the level go on. Also there is an upgrade system that lets you buy things like a Pit of Conversion, a Mage Tower, an Archery Tower, and more. The Pit of Conversion makes enemies able to be used in things like an Archery Tower by picking up enemies and dropping them in the pit. However, it takes a little bit of time to do so and you can only do one at a time. The more on a tower, the more power, accuracy, etc it has. The magic from the Mage Tower is controlled by the D-Pad. There is also a mode called Heroic Mode that sends a huge wave of enemies to you. Still, all of this is still pretty shallow.
The best part of the game is the multiplayer. It is great for quick plays with friends. It is extremely fun to play 4-player mode frantically. This is going to last longer than the single-player mode altogether. However it is not going to be good enough to call friends over just to play.
The graphics and sound aren't as great though. The graphics are sort of bland, but albeit still a little bit charming. The sound is not very good because there are mainly only sound effects and very little music.
Overall, Defend Your Castle is a fun WiiWare game and a perfect example of what the service can bring to Wii owners. Namely, seemingly shallow pick-up-and-play experiences with hidden depth. XGen Studios' project features only a handful of basic play mechanics -- primarily, the ability to grab villagers and toss them around -- but it's frantic, occasionally strategic, and fun, particularly as a multiplayer game. It's also a deal at only 500 Wii Points. The big problem is that you will inevitably tire of the single challenge, even with the bells and whistles surrounding it. And, of course, there's the fact that a similar experience can be had for free on your Internet browser.