Sanctum (2011)

 PC
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 232 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 129 out of 232
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 232
  3. Negative: 51 out of 232

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  1. JimCorbett
    Feb 18, 2013
    7
    Pretty fun TD game. I love shooters and TD games so this fits right in. The combat feels smooth and the graphics are decent enough. The level variety is also pretty good and none of the levels feel like they are just a repetition of a previous level. The only downside is that you have to buy the complete pack with all the DLCs if you want a complete game experience. Fortunately, thatPretty fun TD game. I love shooters and TD games so this fits right in. The combat feels smooth and the graphics are decent enough. The level variety is also pretty good and none of the levels feel like they are just a repetition of a previous level. The only downside is that you have to buy the complete pack with all the DLCs if you want a complete game experience. Fortunately, that doesn't cost much more than the base game.… Expand
  2. suneater
    Jan 3, 2013
    6
    First person Tower Defense with a focus on co-op. Without a friend to play this with it gets very repetitive and slow. The devs have added a lot of post-launch content in the form of new weapons and maps (both paid and free) and regular updates for bug fixes and seasonal events. Worth picking up with a friend but solo it won't last you very long unless you're a die-hard Tower Defense fan.
  3. Klewer
    Nov 3, 2013
    6
    An enjoyable tower defence/fps style game that while has some great game play and features can become a little repetitive.

    Personally not quite my thing but those who are a fan of the genre and the tactics that will come with this will get plenty of value out of it and the unique fps aspect is also enjoyable.
  4. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    7
    Fun Game to play! A good Sci-Fi tower defense game, but DLC... never mind :/ It is a good game, but I would suggest between this and its sister sequel Sanctum 2, there is no real difference in gameplay. Just prettier graphics
  5. Othrandur
    Dec 15, 2011
    7
    The field of tower-defense-meets-shooter is beginning to get crowded, with games like "Dungeon Defenders" and "Orcs Must Die" to face off against. Sanctum holds its own in large part because of its style, but the game play isn't as dynamic as those other two games. In Sanctum, the character, Skye, is clearly there in a support role and the towers do most of the work. The weapons are justThe field of tower-defense-meets-shooter is beginning to get crowded, with games like "Dungeon Defenders" and "Orcs Must Die" to face off against. Sanctum holds its own in large part because of its style, but the game play isn't as dynamic as those other two games. In Sanctum, the character, Skye, is clearly there in a support role and the towers do most of the work. The weapons are just too weak to take out swarms single-handed. The relatively small amount of character/weapon customization adds to the feeling that Skye s a servant of the big machine and not the main protagonist. This isn't necessarily bad; it's just the choice the developers made as to where to draw the line between tower defense and shooter. Some games draw that line more toward the side of shooters. Sanctum is definitely a tower defense first and a shooter second. But this combination does work well. It's nice to be able to go lend a hand when you find a hole in your defenses, but it's more stressful to have to go to the tower to upgrade it instead of doing it from a bird's eye perspective. The DLCs are really not the big deal that some people have made them out to be. They're cheap on an average day but when they go on sale, as they often do, you can get the lot of all DLCs for less than a cup of coffee at Starbuck's. If you like the tower defense genre, you're doing yourself a disservice by not having this game in your collection. At the very least, put it on your wish list and grab it the next time it goes on sale.… Expand
  6. Arkan01d
    Jul 17, 2012
    7
    Sanctum is a FPS / Tower Defense game that has you create mazes to thwart enemies from reaching your reactor. Even though it's a fun game to play it just misses the bullseye. Planning in Sanctum is crucial as you must build the longest path with the most twists and turns to win. Before the 1st round starts and after every subsequent round there is a pause that gives you time to rearrangeSanctum is a FPS / Tower Defense game that has you create mazes to thwart enemies from reaching your reactor. Even though it's a fun game to play it just misses the bullseye. Planning in Sanctum is crucial as you must build the longest path with the most twists and turns to win. Before the 1st round starts and after every subsequent round there is a pause that gives you time to rearrange and add to the maze. You the player decide when the next wave of enemies starts. The fact that there is no time limit on how long you can plan before waves made the game feel easier than it had to be. However, until most tower defense games that give a top down you have to walk everywhere you want to place torrents and blocks which is, I'm sure why they have no time limits. The game is built off the Unreal Engine and it shows a little too much for me. You can tell it from the color pallet, to the way the player moves, and how the guns handle. Not that any of this is a bad thing, but to me it felt like I was playing a mod more so than a stand-alone game. However, this is also kind of a good thing since, if you've ever played Unreal, you already know how control and shooting is going to work. Sound is the last part of this game that did it in for me. I never realized how much sound really meant for a game like this. You would expect a horde of aliens charging in a straight line down a path would at least sound terrifying. However it does not. The sense of dread or hopelessness is not there. Instead they quietly jog towards reactor making small groans and grunts when they die. Even your guns sound muted. It just takes you out of the experience and you feel like your watching an assembly line, not playing a game.

    In total Sanctum is a descent game, not a great one. If you really want to try a tower defense that has you running around killing hordes than Orcs Must Die is your game. If you loved Orcs Must Die and are interested in this game you will probably find yourself feeling empty either half-way or once you beat it. It's just that challenging or immersive to hold your attention for long.    … Expand
  7. Ragegoat
    May 11, 2012
    6
    Sanctum combines the classic tower defense game with FPS co-op. The players will build a maze on a map and construct guns of various types with various abilities. When the players are ready the spawns start - waves of different monsters will be incoming and the players will have to rely on their weapons and the deployed turrets to kill them and stop them from getting through the maze. WhenSanctum combines the classic tower defense game with FPS co-op. The players will build a maze on a map and construct guns of various types with various abilities. When the players are ready the spawns start - waves of different monsters will be incoming and the players will have to rely on their weapons and the deployed turrets to kill them and stop them from getting through the maze. When monsters die the players make money, which can be used to upgrade guns or existing turrets or build new ones.

    The game is quite well executed (very few bugs) and the design is thought through and relies heavily on the normal tower defense games. The weapons are neat-looking, works as you expect them to work - you have three of them, a sniper, an assault rifle with grenades and a freezing gun that'll slow monsters. There is a certain variation of maps, but I never felt much of a change when switching between them - as you build the maze yourself, the maps will mostly just provide obstacles for the maze you would like to build. The game, however, got somewhat dull for me rather quickly. The incoming monsters don't offer much variation - the spawn order is random, so sometimes the only thing that can really threaten you is a spawn composed of 3 groups of the same type: as you have been dealing with varied threats you have made maze for varied incoming, so when a full spawn of flyers (that can only be shot by certain types of turrets) for instance show up, your turrets for shooting at the ground will be useless. Therefore the best investment is a high level gun, which turns the game more into a shooter than a builder. Also - maybe it's just my personal shortcomings, but I have a hard time getting beyond a fair percentage of the monsters looking like genitals.

    In Sanctum I never get the "tower defense" experience of leaning back and watching your awesome killing zone at work as I constantly had to rush around killing the monsters that slipped through your maze. Turrets can NOT handle stuff on their own and will gladly fire away at the front of a monster that can only be wounded from behind or pumping hundreds of rounds of lead into the belly of someone who only takes damage from head shots. It's up to you to stop the enemies that will need accurate shots, and after a number of games I was sorely tired of trying to get "head" shots on the wobbly beings with balls on top of their necks. Did I mention that most of the monsters look like genitals?

    Anyhow, Sanctum is a very well executed game that will be immensely funny at first but get rather boring in the long run. If you have some friends who're keen on co-op playing it will be a good purchase though.    … Expand
  8. funboyfun23
    Oct 14, 2013
    6
    Sanctum is a first-person shooter, tower defence game. Even though when I first picked up the game I enjoyed but playing more, and more of it I founded myself getting, more and more bored. This game has very low replay value after more then a few games. It get 's repetitive and only do I have fun when playing with friends. Playing by yourself or playing with one other friend still makesSanctum is a first-person shooter, tower defence game. Even though when I first picked up the game I enjoyed but playing more, and more of it I founded myself getting, more and more bored. This game has very low replay value after more then a few games. It get 's repetitive and only do I have fun when playing with friends. Playing by yourself or playing with one other friend still makes the game difficult to play and we tended to lose a lot. Even though this game is unique in it's own way I still find it boring.

    This game isn't worth full price but I would defiantly pick it up if it's on a big sale. Wasted potential in my opinon. I haven't gotten the chance to play Sanctum 2 but it looks better then the original game and better. If you are going to choose between Sanctum and Sanctum 2 I will choose the sequel.    … Expand
  9. spinspock
    Dec 20, 2011
    7
    I've only played the game for a few hours with a buddy but what I've played is fairly enjoyable. It has a few issues and the formula gets old fairly quick but it's a nice break from other games of similar style.
  10. ATG141
    Jul 8, 2011
    5
    Sanctum is like a game engineered for me to like it. Ive always liked tower defense and fps so a marriage of the two would likely win a ticket straight to my heart. Sadly despite the original premise and interesting visual style the game quickly becomes boring with little deviation in terms of strategy with the common phrase being: "build what you need". This can easily be fun with aSanctum is like a game engineered for me to like it. Ive always liked tower defense and fps so a marriage of the two would likely win a ticket straight to my heart. Sadly despite the original premise and interesting visual style the game quickly becomes boring with little deviation in terms of strategy with the common phrase being: "build what you need". This can easily be fun with a couple friends but if you don't know anybody who plays the game then your decision is going to be based entirely on your liking for the premise.… Expand
  11. dkhartigan
    May 16, 2013
    5
    Towers are restricted to only 10 per map, even when playing coop. Resources aren't shared between players, so only one person can build per round.

    Be warned; this game is a mediocre FPS with a bit of TD, not the other way around.
  12. HarpDarpReviews
    May 17, 2012
    7
    Great game, had fun, still have fun with it. BUT, it doesn't have that daily reason to go on. But when you do play, you play for hours. Replay value is kinda meh, the should do free updates imo to get more people interested in the game, however they choose to do DRM which is a huge downer for them.
  13. simonboi
    Mar 12, 2014
    7
    A TD FPS hybrid? It doesn't sound like much. A wave defender TD game but with a controllable character with a gun? Naw. I sighed when I heard about it. But it's not a half bad game. The guns (though few) are all really fun and all have pros and cons, so you're going to want to adjust your loadout. Some monsters have weak points, so the sniper is great at exploiting them. The assault rifleA TD FPS hybrid? It doesn't sound like much. A wave defender TD game but with a controllable character with a gun? Naw. I sighed when I heard about it. But it's not a half bad game. The guns (though few) are all really fun and all have pros and cons, so you're going to want to adjust your loadout. Some monsters have weak points, so the sniper is great at exploiting them. The assault rifle picks the flyers out of the sky, and the tesla gun just shocks everything. The towers themselves are well balanced as well. Some only target flying monsters, and you might not wanna use up your space on them, but when a swarm of flyers come you're going to wish you prepared a tower or two to rip through them. Some target weak points, some just kill. Some target air and land, but don't really do anything remarkable to each.
    Downsides: Graphics are generally good, but I found some dated texture work, which isn't really THAT bad, but still. Too few guns, Too Few towers, Only a few strategies for each map, overall it earned a 7.    … Expand
  14. Jokr
    May 10, 2011
    7
    Tower Defense meets First person shooter. What sounds maybe a bit weird works perfectly fine together. Tower Defense games usually let you build your towers and then you either watch or use few spells while mostly... watching. In Sanctum you build your defenses and then.... here it goes, actively defend yourself as well. With options to upgrade your own weaponry or the turrets or any sortTower Defense meets First person shooter. What sounds maybe a bit weird works perfectly fine together. Tower Defense games usually let you build your towers and then you either watch or use few spells while mostly... watching. In Sanctum you build your defenses and then.... here it goes, actively defend yourself as well. With options to upgrade your own weaponry or the turrets or any sort of mix in between it offers wide variations of game play. So far there are only 3 maps and only a few modes, what is the only downside of this else really good buy for the price. Once Coffee Stain Studios come up with more content this game easily can climb up into the 8-9 ratings. Talking about the developers, they interact with the community on the steam forums and give insight in their work and feedback on feedback what makes me believe that the game eventually will absolutely reach a state where it arguably deserves at least 8 points from any player who likes tower defense games and gives the game some time. Until then 7/10 points is a fair rating.… Expand
  15. michal100
    Jan 16, 2013
    7
    Simple and quite addicting tower-defence game. It goes on sale often so you can get the full package with all DLC-s for 5$ with very little trouble. Also they added new maps and integrated DLC weapons/towers into base game so the reviews about lack of content are outdated - I haven't even completed everything from first map pack yet and haven't touched anything from the second one.
    I've    Simple and quite addicting tower-defence game. It goes on sale often so you can get the full package with all DLC-s for 5$ with very little trouble. Also they added new maps and integrated DLC weapons/towers into base game so the reviews about lack of content are outdated - I haven't even completed everything from first map pack yet and haven't touched anything from the second one.
    I've spent over 30h with the game and I am still coming back from time to time. Co-op isn't a must, I've played some multiplayer but the best fun I am having is in single-player.    … Expand
  16. joshuabet
    Dec 28, 2013
    7
    I found this game highly entertaining to play within my group of friends and the gaming stttyle was easy to play with and i found that the game could be very entertaining with single player also. However, the game was very repetitive after a certain amount of time.
  17. snacktacular
    Jul 8, 2011
    9
    Game-wise, its one of the best 3 dollar purchases I ever made ( via steam summer sale). Addictive, good graphics with intriguing art style and beautiful levels, well developed towers and enemies. The fps-tower defense combination feels very comfortable/natural. Its also pleasantly challenging. I find myself going back and trying new build orders, maze designs, and tower compositions.Game-wise, its one of the best 3 dollar purchases I ever made ( via steam summer sale). Addictive, good graphics with intriguing art style and beautiful levels, well developed towers and enemies. The fps-tower defense combination feels very comfortable/natural. Its also pleasantly challenging. I find myself going back and trying new build orders, maze designs, and tower compositions. Despite its general lack of content, it does not lack replay value. Score one for Indy developers!… Collapse

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Gamer.nl
    Apr 21, 2012
    75
    Sanctum is one of the most innovative tower defense games to date. The player discovers new play styles time and time again through a varied mix of first person shooting and placing towers. The cooperative mode makes the multiplayer last for a long time to boot.
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  2. Absolute Games
    Oct 17, 2011
    57
    I hope that future patches and expansions will fix the game, since right now Sanctum brings only headaches instead of joy.
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  3. GamingXP
    Sep 9, 2011
    70
    Really just a quick game for LAN parties as there's no long-term motivation. But wait and see what the future holds: Coffee Saint Studios has announced there'll be numerous improvements to esure the game won't win the title of most beautiful indie game on the market not just for the graphics.
    Read full review
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