Lead an undead horde in 'Countless Army' — a reverse tower defense game now on Xbox

Tower defense is a staple video game genre that entices every age group. You have a building, and it must be protected.

Set up defenses to stop an onslaught of foes from toppling your towers and enjoy the sweet reward of victory. But what if the tables were turned? What if you were the leader of that oncoming horde this time? What if you could raise your own army of undead minions and send them to do your bidding so that you can conquer a kingdom?

That’s the premise of Countless Army, developed and published by the three-person team at Dos Estrellas. The game begins with the premise of a lovely kingdom, long at peace, enjoying its days. But there’s no fun in that! The Lich has awakened, and you must conquer the 6 kingdoms and bring torment to the humans.

A REVERSE tower defense roguelike? This is Countless Army! | Xbox Preview - YouTube

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Each of the six kingdoms have their own unique biomes and challenges. Countless Army starts off in the simple plains, where green grass is dotted with archers protecting their buildings. The player’s undead army consists of some weakling skeletons, but there are also some skeleton dogs whose bony little bodies can sprint, giving you a leg up over those arrow-weilding humans hiding behind barricades.

Each attack begins with a planning stage, where the player chooses which of their minions will be sent into battle. Once you’re ready to go, Countless Army shifts to the pre-wave. This is the point where the player can choose which minions to send down which path. All roads lead to the exit, which a certain number of your minions must make it to in order to win and continue your quest of kingdom domination.

Some pathways lead to buildings, which the minions will automatically take over should enough of them be able to enter it. Buildings are typically well guarded, and its a strategic risk to send minions after them as there can be archers, traps, and other hazards that prevent takeover. Should you succeed in toppling the kingdom’s buildings for your own gain, you are presented with the option to loot them for additional minions or gems that can be exchanged for skins after the battle.

There is a limit to how many troops can be sent down a path per wave, so planning your attack is vital. Some of your minions will have higher health, while others — like the previously mentioned sprinting dogs — have different abilities that can benefit your takeover efforts.

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Countless Army features 12 different minion types that can be unlocked, each offering two different professions and a plethora of unlockable skins so you can customize your minion army to suit your own whims.

One particular skeleton horde, while weak, can be buffed to create bone piles upon death that help protect the hordes that come after. It can be beneficial, then, for you to plan to send them out first to meet an early demise so that their remains can provide protected paths for the stronger units that follow behind them.

Those unique troop abilities can be modified between matches using skill currencies earned from toppling towers and securing victories during battles. The individual stats of troop classes like summoning time, speed, and life can be increased before the next fight — creating an ever stronger legion of the dead for you to terrorize the humans.

New spells that can increase provide temporary boosts for the minions like shields and healing abilities. There are 50 different unlocks on the skill tree, as well as a secondary tree featuring six unlockable spells.

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Your minions will need to take down all six kingdoms if you want to see victory for the Lich, and you’ll encounter a unique blend of biomes with changing climates on your adventure. From mist in the plains to the barren desert and a stormy coast, Countless Army challenges you with 46 maps in total. Success in one kingdom does not guarantee that you’ll keep control of that territory, however. You may need to occasionally revisit conquered kingdoms to squash rebel uprisings that threaten your reign.

Countless Army is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, with Smart Delivery support. Unfortunately, Countless Army is not a Play Anywhere title nor is it on Xbox Game Pass, but you can add this unique take on tower defense to your library for just $10.

Tower takedown

Countless Army: $9.99 at xbox.com

Tower defense? No — tower takeover! Countless Army lets you control a legion of undead minions as you torment the helpless humans across six unique kingdoms. Avoid their defense, topple their towers, and claim the kingdom in the name of the Lich. But don't get too comfortable, lest the rebels rise back up from the ashes to challenge your reign.

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