The castle defense genre along with its sister, the tower defense genre was one of the first big run-away hits on the iOS, thanks to the popularity of games like Knights on-rush. Heroes and Castles is cut from the same cloth, but like a lot of popular PC defense titles released in the last couple years, it has understood that gameplay can be a lot more exciting if the player is getting down and dirty alongside all its units and towers. That is the crux of the gameplay here as you pick a hero, spend your gold on units and buildings, keep your walls repaired... all the while running around smacking enemies in the face.

Your hero is controlled from a third person perspective. An analogue stick has you running around while sliding your finger elsewhere will control the camera. All your attack options (starting out with just a general attack) will take up the left side of the screen, and with a melee class like the Paladin, there is a satisfying thunk swinging your mace into a crowd of skeletons, knocking them over. The arc of your weapon and the hit-boxes of your enemy are rather exact though, and you have to make sure you're positioned right once the attack animation starts. It's very easy to miss an attack and then not being able to react towards an incoming attack.

The rest of the game plays like classic overview castle defense. You have gold to buy units and buildings. Building larger gold mines will increase this intake, but once you get started laying into the enemy, cash flow shouldn't be too much of a concern. In between levels you gain crystals to spend on upgrading your purchasables, and when your hero levels up, he has skill points to spend on new abilities and increasing stats. Of course crystals can be bought via in-app purchase, but it never feels like a necessity. One thing that should be mentioned however is that after the first couple levels, it becomes imperative on how you spend your money. It can be very easy to be overrun, and if you aren't prepared for the incoming onslaught, restarting may be your best option.

Heroes and Castles does do a good job of making the incoming waves of enemies more exciting by allowing you to partake in the battle on a personal level. Yes the controls are a little clunky, and the difficulty curve ramps up quickly, but strategy and action fans alike should find something to enjoy in this title.