Standing Tall
What would happen if you combined the 1998 film Small Soldiers and Clash Royale? That’s exactly the zany question that Nano Legends answers. Created by Nimble Neuron, Nano Legends is a free “3D Tower-Rush Champion Brawl RTS game,” as they describe it. The game plays similarly to Clash Royale but with enough changes to make it its own unique experience.
Tiny Titans
The game begins with a young boy wandering into an antique store. Looking around at the items, he’s surprised when he gets knocked over by a tiny being. The creature, known as Kaya, is battling another Nano Legend. These battles happen all the time and are a way for the Legends to vie for power. Sensing an opportunity, the little warriors recruit the young boy to their side, and your conquest of the antique store begins. Despite what the cutscene implies, your avatar is fully customizable, and it’s your job to help these tinies bring peace to the shop for good.
Nano Legends operates like a tower defense/attack game. There’s one large tower and two smaller ones on both sides of the board. You quite literally place the tinies that you want on the board. Where they’re placed on your side is up to you, though it’s wise to send the tougher troops upfront with the weaker ones in the back. There are several different minions that can be placed, from foot soldiers to archers and even magic users. The variety is staggering with about forty-seven troops to choose from. And that’s just for the minions. The real draw of Nano Legends are the actual Legends themselves.
These powerful champions can single-handedly turn the tide of battle. With the right placement, you’ll usually win the game. As of right now, there are fifteen Legends to choose from. Each has one unique ability and two passives. Some are ranged, some are up close and personal and some support the troops. There’s a lot of experimentation involved in the game, but finding the best Legend with the right troops and watching them dominate is as fun as it sounds.
Little Big Shop
Nano Legends does a great job standing out in the mobile crowd with its uniquely cartoonish art style. The whole concept of tiny little soldiers waging all-out war while you help from above is a lot more charming than it might sound. Story-wise you might be drawn in, but the campaign does a fine enough job getting you familiar with the Legends and prepared for the real fun. Duals in the game run smoothly. They’re tough, especially if you’re just getting started and don’t know what all the Legends do. But after a while of playing, it really is a great experience to see all your troops rush another player’s tower, winning you the game.
My only real complaint with the game right now is the lack of any other game modes. There’s an option for guilds but Nimble Neuron hasn’t finished it, promising that it’s coming soon. There’s also missions that let you test out and get used to other Legends but that’s about it. Still, if the worse thing I can say about a game is that there’s not enough of it, that’s more of a compliment than anything.
Legendary
Nano Legends is an enjoyable take on the tower defense genre that I’d encourage anyone to try out. Its charming art style paired with a massive amount of team combinations make a game that’s not only enjoyable to look at, but fun to play. Other than the lack of additional game modes that Nimble Neuron is already working on, Nano Legends is well worth the free price of admission.
Is it Hardcore?
Absolutely.
Turns out there’s a lot of fun to be found in throwing tiny soldiers at one another, making Nano Legends a game worthy of your time.
