[[quoteright:328: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/immortal_defense_pic.jpg]]

->''"Is there anything you'd give up everything to defend?"''

''Immortal Defense'' is a TowerDefense game, with you cast as the immortal. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Alright, that was easy, now for the trickier bits...]]

[[TheGoodKingdom The peaceful planet Dukis]] is under attack by the voracious [[TheEmpire Bavakh empire]], who use the extraspatial dimension known as [[SubspaceOrHyperspace hyperspace]] to [[FasterThanLightTravel quickly move their massive invasion fleets from one part of space to another]]. In desperation, the government of Dukis uses [[AppliedPhlebotinum experimental technology]] to transform a brave volunteer known only as [[NoNameGiven Pathspace Test Subject K]] into a path defender, a ghostlike being who inhabits the dimension ''above'' hyperspace, known as pathspace. From pathspace, hyperspace appears as [[SpaceFillingPath a single line or path]] along which the Bavakh starships travel; objects in pathspace can interact with those in hyperspace, but not vice versa, meaning that path defenders can [[NighInvulnerability slaughter waves of incoming invaders with absolute impunity]]. The game follows K as he grows in experience and renown under the tutelage of a more experienced Path Defender named Pul Wat Aa, gradually becoming the brightest star in Dukis's sky and a beacon of hope to its beleaguered inhabitants... at least, until things start getting worse.

In 2015 the game was re-released on Steam, complete with an achievement system, a level editor, and a teaser for the dev's next game ''Saturated Dreamers''.

This game is surprisingly deep for its genre, and explores such themes as loneliness, betrayal, insanity, and, well, we'll just let the examples below speak for it. '''Warning: expect blatant, untagged spoilers''', because there's really no way to summarize the plot of the game without them. Seriously, if you want to get the full enjoyment out of it, [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/298360/Immortal_Defense/ go play it,]] ''then'' come back here. We'll wait.

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!!This game includes examples of:

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The entire game, particularly the later levels. Especially noticeable at the end of levels, when everything starts to distort and leave rainbow-colored trails everywhere.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Your character does this at the ''start'' of the game.
* BigDamnHeroes: Of all the places to find this trope...in the final level of the normal game, you have access to all your points save one. And just when you are about to be overwhelmed by impossible odds, the Strategist point cries, 'The sleeping dragon...is here!' and you can place it to get the upper hand again. [[spoiler:Unless you somehow manage to beat them anyway with the use of Circuit Points and your cursor doing what's essentially ScratchDamage until it goes down.]]
* BonusLevelOfHell: Hellspace. There's only one type of "creep" on this map, Gutei's Finger... and they happen to be a [[BossInMookClothing huge pain in the ass.]] Thankfully, you get a bit of help from a MysteriousProtector, but that still doesn't help any since you only get one life in all of the stages there...
* BossRush: The final level throws ''every'' enemy troop in the game at you in waves, eventually working its way up to bosses. They function like normal troops however, mixing this with DegradedBoss.
* BraggingRightsReward: The Gutei's Finger medal (unrelated to the ships of the same name) allows you to have unlimited medal bonuses activated. The thing is, you unlock it by getting 100% on every single level, on the highest difficulty, so by the time you have it there's nothing to do with it.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:''You'', to Corybantes. "God... Great Star, I loved you so much!"]]
* ChargedAttack: Right-click to start, then right-click to release. The attack can also draw in projectiles from other points.
* DeadAllAlong: It's eventually revealed that the process of creating a path defender effectively kills their physical body, leaving them an immortal, disembodied spirit.
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the TowerDefense genre.
* DegradedBoss: Some of the final levels use previous bosses as ordinary troops, spawned en masse. [[spoiler:This is probably a representation of Subject K's insanity and wallowing in his memories.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Not even the death of his physical body stops your character from defending his homeworld. Subverted later, when it becomes apparent that this is not at all a unique trait.
* DualBoss: The Noyates 19.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: Of a sort. As MagikarpPower mentions below, many points gain special abilities once they reach their final level, which is prohibitively expensive.
* EmpathicWeapon: The "points" used by path defenders to attack their opponents are actually aspects of their personality given physical form.
* FaceHeelTurn: Pul Wat Aa. [[MoralEventHorizon And how.]]
** Arguably you, when you start blowing up innocent science fleets and convoys because you think they're looking at your homeworld funny.
* ForbiddenZone: The player character actually ends up becoming the cause of a Forbidden Zone because of his tendency to destroy any ship that approaches his old home. [[spoiler:The New Barakh Empire, led by Emperor Corybantes XXV, decides to—after observing the boundaries of Dukis's sector—infiltrate it in attempts to destroy you]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Aa begins using [[PowerBornOfMadness Turning Points]] towards the end of chapter 1.
* GainaxEnding / DownerEnding: You only get a single line: "[[spoiler:I'll always love you, Grandpa...forever...]]" Then cue the credits. [[spoiler:Have you gone insane, or what? The Raberata who runs the training ground puts it best: "I'm not sure whether you accomplished anything good or bad by defending your [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed dead homeworld]], but at least you did it well." (This also serves as your single hint on how to unlock the BonusLevelOfHell.)]]
** The secret ending is even worse. You only get a single ''picture'': [[spoiler:Gutei holding up his finger.]]
* AGodAmI: Pul Wat Aa.
* HardModePerks: Increasing the difficulty slider causes enemies to provide more cache and also creates more enemies due to the longer stage duration. Also, cache at the end of level is carried over to the next one.
* HeelFaceTurn: The Bavakh, once they become sick of being the Oss's slave race. They [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor go back to being your enemies again]] after you start blowing up their science fleets.
* HeroicMime: Subject K, yourself. You never say a thing throughout the entire game. Though your Points are pretty chatty, and they are aspects of you. [[spoiler:Plus, the hallucinations after you go mad.]]
* HoldTheLine: This is pretty much the entire point of a path defender's existence.
** This is also how gameplay works, instead of simply destroying everything, a more typical variant of TowerDefense games. You only have to hold off the opposition until the timer runs out.
* HopelessBossFight: The second Bavakh Brother, who destroys your home planet. Even if you somehow manage to defeat him, the story proceeds as though you lost. [[spoiler:[[DevelopersForesight Though you get a medal if you manage to do it!]]]]
** Ducrosh's mission was to deliver the bomb to Dukis, and he's already there by the time the mission begins. It doesn't matter whether he's subsequently killed by K or the explosion.
* HyperSpaceIsAScaryPlace: Pathspace is a pretty bleak place to live. It only gets worse once reality starts breaking down around you. Or maybe it's not, and you're just imagining it all? And from the perspective of your enemies, Hyperspace itself is the place where immortal, invulnerable ghosts endlessly tear apart your fleets, first in the defense of their homes, but later because they've gone batshit insane.
* InsufferableGenius: Aa starts off as one of these. He [[FaceHeelTurn gets]] [[AGodAmI worse]].
* KillTheGod: [[spoiler:Emperor Corybantes XXV of the New Barakh Empire, and distant descendant of Proconsul Corybantes I]], desires to do this to ''you''' [[spoiler:to protect their Empire, by obliterating Dukis once and for all in the belief that it will finally destroy you]].
* ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway: Just focuses on the planet Dukis fighting alien invaders but no Earth or humans.
* MadnessMantra: Your grandaughter contacts you once, finishing her speech with a screen of "Don't you think? Don't you think? Don't you think?"
* MagikarpPower: All towers seem to exhibit this to a degree, pulling out a crazy EleventhHourSuperpower when you upgrade it to its best level. The award for the best of these ''used'' to go to the Strategist point, which redirected all on-screen shots to the unlucky sap who got hit as well as cutting their HP by 75% or more, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks until its rate of fire was horribly reduced in the recent patch]].
* NietzscheWannabe: [[spoiler:Pul Wat Aa, once he's done [[AGodAmI being a god]].]]
* NonIndicativeDifficulty: The difficulty slider does make a level more difficult, but can also make the game easier in the long term due to cache carryover and increased cache reward in the mission.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: As your character's behavior becomes more and more erratic, multiple explicit comparisons are made between him and Aa.
* PowerBornOfMadness: Represented by the Turning Points. They're erratic and unpredictable, making them impossible to use reliably, but can still have a number of useful abilities. They're also the only points who can actually ''move'' after being placed.
* PowerOfFriendship: Represented by the Circuit Points. These points used to be the weakest and least useful, but were recently RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap ... perhaps a little ''too'' well, as they're pretty much overpowered as of the V1.1 patch, able to punch through everything except enemies on the extreme high end of the power scale, and those accursed Triad Flash enemies.
* PowerOfLove: The Love points are your standard "support" towers, increasing the range and attack power of nearby points (and you, if you're next to one). Unless you upgrade them fully, in which case they double the attack and range of all your towers all over the field.
** This is played somewhat straighter in the "secret" ending of the game, where [[spoiler:it's nothing but you, Aa, an inexplicable old lady, Gutei's finger, and a tug of war between your love points and Aa's hate points...]]
* PowerNullifier: While Bavakh can clear out all bullets in pathspace, there is a regular ship appearing later that disables a close point.
* SadBattleMusic: The final level music, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYlgmBnQIjs&feature=plcp A Winter's Journey.]]"
* ShaggyDogStory: Of truly ''epic'' proportions.
* SpaceFillingPath: Hyperspace, as viewed from pathspace.
* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: As the game progresses, you are led to question whether your character is truly defending what he thinks he's defending, or whether he's simply gone crazy. [[spoiler:Then, once it's become apparent he's gone crazy, the game starts raising the question of ''when'' he went crazy.]]
** [[spoiler:When the Turning Point appears, obviously. "Up to this time, reason alone has guided you. But I am [[PowerBornOfMadness something beyond reason...]]"]]
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The trailer spoils the fact that [[spoiler:path defenders really are ghosts and can't ever return to their bodies]]. It also shows a shot of the final level, though that isn't ''terribly'' spoiler-y without context.
* TrippyFinaleSyndrome: And how.
* {{Unwinnable}}: [[spoiler:The absolute final level, Level CI. No enemies, no points, no cursor, no HP, just an empty path and an immediate Mission Failed screen when you start the level.]]
* VideoGameSetPiece: The final level of the "normal" game. [[spoiler:The path ''moves''. Well, though the individual path doesn't change shape, the whole thing rotates. This also prevents you from placing points anywhere except the perimeter. The timer is also far longer than any prior level.]]
* WesternZodiac: Some of the Points are represented by Zodiac symbols.
** Fear Points: Gemini
** Ortho Points: Tauros
** Cut Points: Pisces
* WhamEpisode: The end of the second campaign. [[spoiler:Aa sells out your planet to the Bavakh, and it -- along with your physical body -- is completely destroyed.]]
** And there's an even bigger one at the end of the fifth campaign. [[spoiler:After a long period of weirdness and the game questioning your sanity, the ending finally confirms it: you've gone completely insane, and your "granddaughter's" messages are entirely in your head.]]
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The entire game is essentially one long exploration of what the path defenders do with their immortality.
** On the other hand, your [[spoiler:hallucinated]] granddaughter is happy to live for millennia after the Dukis scientists discover the technology which allows that.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Sure you're single-handedly more than a match for any fleet in existence, as well as [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu ancient all-destroying and unknowable gods]]. However, it's heavily implied that eventually all path defenders go insane, and spend the rest of their immortal existences obsessing over something. Aa gets [[AGodAmI delusions of godhood]] and demands worship from his people, the inventor of pathspace technology tinkers endlessly with his shooting galleries, [[spoiler:and of course your character spends hundreds of thousands of years defending the dead rock that used to be his home planet]].
* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:''You'', to your "granddaughter" and dead homeworld, mercilessly destroying any ships that come near where Dukis used to be, even when they're completely harmless.]]
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''[--"I love you, Grandpa."--]''