Protolife is a strange beast, not really like other tower defense strategy games and little over a year after the release it's coming to Linux.
I've been testing it for quite some time, after chatting to the developer since last year. To see it finally coming is excellent. The developer, Volcanic Giraffe, just recently released a big update to the game including a level editor and Steam Workshop support.
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Additionally, the Linux version can now be played by anyone!
It's not advertised on the Steam page yet, as the developer said it's had a "lack of testing". So if you're interested, now is the time. There's no beta to opt into, just download and play and report back in the Steam forum how it went.
Feature Highlight:
- Unique approach to building process: Every tower is constructed from patterns of simple blocks. Build your defense grid piece by piece the way you like it, upgrade, combine, optimize space and resources to survive against the overwhelming odds.
- An enemy unlike usual RTS adversaries: Growing, living entity designed to exploit every small weakness in your defense. The more space it takes from you, the more powerful it becomes.
- Freedom of strategy and flexible defense perimeter: Go for quick low-tier tower rush or bunk with well-defended artillery posts, then collect your blocks and rebuild the defenses on the spot — just mind the free space and resources left.
- Direct control over the builder: Or two? Dynamically switch between several battlefronts and dominate over the enemy.
- Over 30 levels with variative gameplay and win objectives.
- Random missions generator with an adjustable difficulty level and special rewards.
- Custom towers editor where you can construct your own powerful weapon.
- Remappable keyboard or gamepad controls. Please note that the game was not designed for mouse control.
Find it on Steam.
Hat tip to NuSuey.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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7 comments
Haven't played it, but the concept does seem a lot like Creeper World, so not super unique. ;-)
0 Likes
It's a nice game, i have it and played it a little via Proton a few months ago.
With this Linux build, via Linux, i launch the game, it runs (yeaaaah), but
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809440/discussions/1/1635292137569851723/
- without gamepad or joystick or anything = impossible to move with mouse or keyboard, nothing happens, even in main menu. Impossible to quit the game, no Alt+F4 or anything, as the keyboard is like dead.
- with gamepad Xbox One USB : can play, no issue, but keyboard still not responsive at all
- starting without gamepad, then plug the gamepad, makes the gamepad active. Then i can play, no issue, but still keyboard dead.
Never had similar issue with any games before.
With this Linux build, via Linux, i launch the game, it runs (yeaaaah), but
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809440/discussions/1/1635292137569851723/
- without gamepad or joystick or anything = impossible to move with mouse or keyboard, nothing happens, even in main menu. Impossible to quit the game, no Alt+F4 or anything, as the keyboard is like dead.
- with gamepad Xbox One USB : can play, no issue, but keyboard still not responsive at all
- starting without gamepad, then plug the gamepad, makes the gamepad active. Then i can play, no issue, but still keyboard dead.
Never had similar issue with any games before.
0 Likes
It's a nice game, i have it and played it a little via Proton a few months ago.I've replied there but will do here too:
With this Linux build, via Linux, i launch the game, it runs (yeaaaah), but
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809440/discussions/1/1635292137569851723/
- without gamepad or joystick or anything = impossible to move with mouse or keyboard, nothing happens, even in main menu. Impossible to quit the game, no Alt+F4 or anything, as the keyboard is like dead.
- with gamepad Xbox One USB : can play, no issue, but keyboard still not responsive at all
- starting without gamepad, then plug the gamepad, makes the gamepad active. Then i can play, no issue, but still keyboard dead.
Never had similar issue with any games before.
Could be something your end, testing on Manjaro Linux and keyboard input works as expected.
0 Likes
Haven't played it, but the concept does seem a lot like Creeper World, so not super unique. ;-)
Here you build your turrets by placing little cubes in specific shapes, i really like it. Beware it can sometimes be very difficult, unless i'm bad, or both.
0 Likes
Keeping an eye on this but the reviews say that the trailer is misleading (regarding map size). There seems to be no planetary scale as suggested by the trailer or even map sizes close to it.
Also I read in some comments/reviews that this was written in JS and incredibly slow even on powerful machines. Can someone here that owns the game confirm or refute this?
Also I read in some comments/reviews that this was written in JS and incredibly slow even on powerful machines. Can someone here that owns the game confirm or refute this?
0 Likes
Keeping an eye on this but the reviews say that the trailer is misleading (regarding map size). There seems to be no planetary scale as suggested by the trailer or even map sizes close to it.Well if you're talking about the trailer in the article, I don't personally think it gives any indication that it would have a planetary scale. Just because it zooms out, doesn't mean anything really. The actual gameplay in the trailer gives you a good idea of the sizes.
Also I read in some comments/reviews that this was written in JS and incredibly slow even on powerful machines. Can someone here that owns the game confirm or refute this?
As for performance, no issues my end.
0 Likes
Just bought it, it works perfectly on NixOS via steam-run (even if i was not able to launch it via the steam client but command line worked fine). The game is fun. It feels indeed a bit like the creeper worlds (that i love so much!) but the gameplay is actually very different. Assembling pieces is fun and enemies destroying blocks create patterns in unexpected ways (the gameplay is maybe much more subtle than at first sight).
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