I recently stumbled across a fun Japanese tower defense game mobile called Samurai Defender, which was developed by Tokyo-based Link Kit. I’m not familiar with any previous work from this company, but this title seems like a lot of fun so far.

The game lets you play the role of an archer, tasked with picking off charging invaders one by one from your perch atop the castle wall. You can earn gold coins to upgrade your firing power and speed, fortify your castle, or invest in ‘schemes’ for your back-up army, which can be called upon at times in the game.

So far I’ve been having a lot of fun with this game, as aiming and firing arrows can be lots of fun, requiring you to make the most of your shots before the enemies arrive at your castle walls.

If you’d like to try Samurai Defender, you can get it for free over on the App Store or on Google Play. It is free to play, and is monetized with in-game purchases.

If you’re in the market for other made-in-Japan tower defense titles, do check out my personal favorite Battle Cats, or even Gotcha Warriors.

The title has been available in Japan since March, and just recently became available globally this week. For a better idea of how the game is played, see our video demo below.