Review by: Danielle Riendeau

Rock of Ages is one of the most truly unique XBLA titles I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. A sort of Super Monkey Ball style game with copious tower defense elements and a look and feel that’s straight out of Monty Python, it has “quirky” written all over it. It’s also mechanically sound, fun, and endlessly entertaining, providing you appreciate the goofy art style and sense of humor.

The basic premise, such as it is, places you in the unfortunate sandals of Sisyphus, the ancient mythological figure who was punished with the chore of rolling a giant boulder up a mountain for eternity. In this version, our hero finds a way to crash that boulder into the face of the temple behind him, granting him both freedom and a very effective weapon.

From here, you’ll do battle against other forces of the ancient world – in two stages. First, you’ll survey the twisty, maze-like battlefield and place defenses (think tower defense style – turrets, mobile units, projectiles, etc.) in front of your own castle walls. Then, you’ll take command of your own giant boulder (think Super Monkey Ball) while you navigate said maze, avoiding your opponent’s defenses. In this way, the setup is one of asynchronous turn-based combat, punctuated with harrowing platforming and obstacle avoidance. It’s a beautiful mix.

The various units all make goofy sense in the context of the game. You have basic towers with which to block the way, cows and war elephants that act as active antagonists to your opponent’s boulders, catapults and even little steampunk looking helicopters that prey upon the enemy when it comes too close. There’s plenty of strategy here, which lends itself to experimentation on the myriad courses.

There’s strategy too, in the offense. You can choose to spend your money (earned from smashing enemy units, naturally) on defensive emplacements or on your boulder itself, which comes in all manner of supped-up styles – everything from a regular old rock to a spiked steel version to a flaming ball of death.

As you progress through the game, the art style will change to reflect the advancing times – everything starts out looking as if it just jumped off of an ancient Greek Vase, but you’ll quickly roll through the “ages” of the title, fighting everyone from Leonidas (there’s even a “this is Sparta!” joke), to good old Leonardo De Vinci to Marie Antoinette. There are even boss fights, which are somehow even goofier than the regular battle situations. One highlight has you launching your boulder at a giant, animated statue of David, aiming for his strategically covered “weak spot”.