Marfusha is a short and cute indie game from Japanese developer hinyari9.
You control the titular protagonist, Marfusha, who has been drafted into the army to defend her country’s borders in a fictional war-ravaged dystopian world. This is a high speed tower defense shooter where you have to shoot down all the enemy machines before they breach the gates.
After each successful defense day you get paid a salary with which you can then buy tickets. With these cards you can recruit colleagues to fight by your side, buy new weapons, upgrade your weapon or keep a dog in your room.
You can choose one card from a random pool of three each day… if you can afford it. After all, war is expensive. Your salary goes through a series of tax deductions before it reaches your hands, and the taxes just keep getting higher as the days go by. You must spend wisely and adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of war if you are to survive to the end.
This is a fairly short game; a run only takes an hour or so. However, it features multiple endings that change depending on who you recruit and how well you defend your objective.
You can also play challenge mode, an endless survival mode where you can unlock different characters to defend the gate for as long as possible while competing against other players from all over the world to get your name in the high score leaderboard .
Playing through the story will also unlock Gallery Mode, where you can check out the game’s stunning visuals (and some bonus illustrations too!) drawn by developer and illustrator hinyari9.
The world and history of Marfusha only reveal themselves fully over multiple playthroughs, and you won’t be able to put it down until you learn everything there is to know.
Incidentally, the Xbox release for this game includes a brand new animated opening movie with the specially written theme song “I’ll be there” by singer-songwriter Kokia who has written music for various video games such as: stories of innocence.
Can you survive and defend your country to the end?
Marfusha
Marfusha
PLAYISM
$11.99
Play as Marfusha, a gatekeeper in a dystopian world rendered in 2.5D pixel art, and protect the city gates from destruction by invading enemies. You’re rewarded every day for surviving, but you’ll have to pay tax after tax until you barely have enough money to get by. You must use this meager income to buy upgrades, equipment, and hire employees. Enemies are getting stronger by the day and you never know when they might eventually overwhelm you. Every morning you can buy a card from three choices. There are over 70 maps including weapons, staff, upgrades and random events. Choose carefully what you spend with what little money you have, and empower Marfusha and her staff while making sure you have the necessary gear to deal with enemy attacks. Over time, the taxes will only get higher, but more gear options will become available and you will meet new allies. Fight alongside your peers and build your trust, and you’ll unlock stories with each of them. Endure and survive the endless invasion and find out what lies at the end of these girls’ grueling struggle. Test your limits with the difficult challenge mode! – Play as characters you meet in the main mode – Use exciting new maps exclusively in Challenge mode! – Check out special events by finding the right combinations of characters. – Compete against other players around the world to see who can survive the longest. Note: The console version includes the artbook.
