Although the game’s focus is hammering the player into a hardened min-max pro, you don’t have to be godly at micromanagement to have a fun and successful time with Defense Grid 2. You’re still able to manipulate the speed of time, so if you’ve got what you think is a solid line of defense, crank up the speed and test out your theory! This can be a dangerous move, though, since, as mentioned above, the levels can change in an instant.

Whether you’re battling against several foes or simply traversing the world map, the controls remain responsive and comfortable throughout. Although the controls during the fight sequences can take some getting used to, they quickly become second nature and pulling off combo moves and performing team-up attacks are a cinch.

Other mechanics play out as one would expect: pull the trigger to fire, hit that button to jump, and then hit that other button to yell really loud at the person in front of you. You couldn’t really ask for anything more with the controls — they’re intuitive and drastically improved.