Villainous is a Flash-based game with the unusual premise of being an anti-tower defense game. A tower defense game is a game where the player builds a network of towers to stop an invader. In Villainous, the situation is reversed, with the player constructing a line of enemies to overcome the tower's defenses.
That explanation may make more sense if the reader is familiar with Tower Defense games.
The game, as it suggests in its name, is also somewhat unusual in that the player is not trying to save the world or any such high fantasy staple, but is rather a villain, out to rob and steal from towns. You select a number of units, some basic units, some support units. Every time your selected line of raiders breaches the defense and enters a town, you gain points, called "infamy". When you have sent enough raiders through, you can either move on to the next level, or try again to get a higher score on that level. Outside of the battle screens, you are allowed to make various decisions in order to level up your armies.
Apart from the novel narrative and gameplay techniques, the game does exactly what a flash game should do: present a novel situation where the stimulus to "keep playing, just one more level" is held right over the player's nose. When I started to write this, I went back for the first time in months to play the game, to see if it had any changes. And then I got roped into playing it for 30 minutes and 5 levels. It has what casual games should have, which is an intuitive interface and an addictive element. It also has a cheerful irish jig that moves with the rhythm of the game.
Although it is very fun to play through the first time, it has limited replay value. Part of this is because once the player has selected their strategy, they have limited input into its outcome. The entire idea of an anti-tower defense game may just not be the best concept for a game. Alternatively, while the popular tower defense flash game Kingdom Rush has consistently added new levels and new gameplay abilities, Villainous has not expanded.
So the whole, I would say that Villainous is a fun, addictive game for a single play-through, it seems to have limited replay value.
The game can be played at http://www.kongregate.com/games/Rete/villainous or at http://armorgames.com/play/12143/villainous