IS Defense

Lore & Background

IS Defense was announced in February 2016 by Destructive Creations, with a trailer released alongside a now-deleted Steam Community post on February 11, 2016. The post stated the game was the developer's 'personal veto against what is happening in the Middle East nowadays.' According to Destructive Creations, the game was not made to spark controversy, unlike their earlier title Hatred, but instead was a political video game representing feelings about the Middle Eastern conflict and the expansion of the Islamic State.

The game features three distinct levels: Sicilian Shores, Spanish Harbor, and Croatian Mainland. Each level is completed by eliminating a specified number of terrorists and destroying a sufficient quantity of their vehicles. The player is confined to a turret, armed with a machine gun and a rocket launcher, and can enhance these weapons by accumulating skill points. Killstreaks provide additional assistance and are also subject to upgrades.

In the game's plot, by 2020 the Islamic State has seized control of all of Northern Africa and initiated an invasion of Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. The player, a stationary machine-gun operator for NATO, is assigned to protect the European coastline, eliminating as many invaders as possible until meeting his demise. Throughout the defense, he can enhance his equipment, improve his physical capabilities, and advance his military rank, which influences the effectiveness of support he can summon.

Reader's Guide

IS Defense holds a place in video game history as one of the first titles to directly depict combat against the Islamic State as a militant organization. Its release in April 2016 followed Destructive Creations' controversial game Hatred, but the developer stated IS Defense was not intended to spark controversy, instead serving as a political statement about the Middle Eastern conflict and the expansion of the Islamic State. The game received a Metacritic score of 50, indicating mixed or average reviews. Gry-Online gave it a 55, noting it was repetitive and lacked content beyond shooting Islamic State militants, but overall found it good with solid mechanics. CD-Action gave a score of 35, stating there was no point in playing the game. VICE News claimed the game was Islamophobic and perpetuated xenophobic sentiments against Muslims. The game's significance lies in its direct engagement with a contemporary geopolitical conflict, a rarity in the tower defense genre, and the controversy it generated regarding representation of Muslims and the Islamic State.

Did You Know?

• The game is set in a politically fictional 2020 scenario where the Islamic State has expanded and is invading Europe.
• The game's announcement was made via a now-deleted Steam Community post on February 11, 2016.