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If you haven't tried out one of our favorite games, Immortal Defense, it's now easier than ever to get into this excellent tower defense title. You no longer have to visit the developer's website to buy it, as it's now available on Impulse. While the game is mostly finished in terms of updates, the availability on Impulse is convenient for those that want to keep all of their games in one place. It is currently retailing for $10, and the developer is looking to release on Steam next.

For those that haven't tried out Immortal Defense yet, here's a brief synopsis: you play as a disembodied immortal who must protect his home planet from the onslaught of a hostile alien race. While this is not particularly amazing on its own, its the writing and unique design that makes it compelling. Towers are vastly different from those seen in other games, and the writing is so ridiculously complex and psychological that it easily surpasses modern AAA titles in terms of quality.

Welcome to Freeware Friday, a weekly column showcasing excellent games that you can play free of charge!

Much like Freeware Friday alumni 10 Second War, Drone is marginally based upon the tower defense formula. You can build towers which kill enemies, giving you money to buy more towers until you survive all the waves. However, where 10 Second War decided to merge in puzzle-oriented gameplay, Drone throws arena shooting mechanics in with tower defense to bring a distinctly action twist to a tired old genre. The result is one of the more addicting games we've come across on Freeware Friday, especially given that it'll take a good amount of time (3+ hours) to complete. It's always great when a freeware game is the quality and length of a mainstream title.

The tower defense genre (as we have said many times) is a crowded one. Add another entry to the list of tower defense games. However, this one is different. Revenge of the Titans is an RTS/TD hybrid where the enemies attack you in an entirely free-form way. Something of a cross between Harvest and traditional TD games, it has interesting features such as indirect upgrading, resource gathering, and mazing. For example, you can place batteries next to a tower to increase its damage, or a scanner to increase its range. The trailer shows off some of these features as well as the high quality of production. Definitely keep an eye on this one!

[Via IndieGames]

Most tower defense games have you defending your base by placing towers along a route that enemies will travel through. Others have you create the route yourself by placing towers on a free grid. The solitary tower that defends an entire base is very different from these two standard formulas, and it is this gameplay that comprises Wizard Defense. It has an unoriginal name, but it is an addictive entry into the tower defense genre of strategy games.

Wizard Defense revolves around you, a wizard, defending your village from hordes of monsters. In gameplay terms, this translates to you researching spells dropped by enemies you defeat. There's up to nine spells, each with several upgradeable components. There's nothing new and flashy here, but good art and a solid, addictive gameplay system help elevate it above its peers. You can give it a try over on Kongregate.

Tower defense games. Chances are you have played one, two, or a dozen, especially if you frequent browser game portals like Newgrounds or Kongregate. Most of them revolve around the simple concept of enemies going for a goal along a set path, and you have to kill them. Some even make use of mazing, which forces enemies to take different paths that you determine. But what if the enemy placement is random? And want if your towers actually attracted enemies before killing them? Well, you'd have No Home For Gnomes.

The gameplay behind No Home For Gnomes is so simple, yet completely untried elsewhere, that it truly impresses. Gnomes will approach your house from any angle, up to 180 degrees in front of the house. You must stop them by placing flowers, which gnomes can't resist! These flowers pull in the gnomes, and after a short while, damage them. If the flower damaged them enough, they die. If not, the gnome continues, the flower depleted for a short while. It's such an easy system to get used to, but trust us: it's hard to master. The game is short (you can beat it in 5-10 minutes) but really oozes quality of design and art. It's easily one of the best concepts to emerge from TOJam 4.

Nothing like a good TD to take your mind off of your work. Elite Forces: Conquest is a flash-based TD that was released just recently on Kongregate. Taking control of a soldier, you must place towers along the path in order to eliminate oncoming enemies. Standard fare. However, you can also move around the soldier, who then attacks any enemies that are close enough. Some towers even give your hero bonuses. It's a fun addition to the Tower Defense genre, and the crisp graphics and refined gameplay make this one a keeper. Make sure to check out both campaign and skirmish mode.

We here at Big Download love tower defense games. No games match their combination of strategy and skill in quite the same way that they do. Another browser TD game has been released on ArmorGames, and like Desktop Tower Defense, it has drawn us into its folds. Gemcraft has you taking down mobs of enemies with your gem-enhanced towers.

You use different abilities to defeat oncoming waves of enemies, doing things such as laying moats, dropping gems like bombs onto the enemy, creating and combining gems, or building towers to place your gems in. Each level gets harder than the last, and you can boost your skills and add to your amulet inventory to ease the difficulty curve. It's a great entry into the tower defense genre, and definitely worth a look.

[Via IndieGames]