Deal | Toy war on the kitchen table: Strategy game drops under $5 for the first time on Steam

In Toy Shire, players take on the role of Kevin, who receives some new toys from his family. His old toys aren't particularly happy about this, as they have no intention of simply being replaced by a few newcomers. So they band together and promptly declare war on Kevin's new toys. Fortunately, those new toys happen to be an entire army of green plastic soldiers ready to fight back. The toy battles take place in different areas of the house, where kitchen tables, bathrooms and children's rooms become enormous battlefields from the perspective of the tiny figures.

Behind the wacky premise lies fairly traditional tower defense with a touch of real-time strategy. To defend their base against waves of enemy attacks, players build various towers and gradually upgrade them. But that's not all: They can also recruit their own plastic soldiers and command them directly. This means the action isn't always limited to defense. In some levels, players can go on the offensive themselves and capture enemy bases. Along the way, the little soldiers face all kinds of toy enemies – from dinosaurs and robots to powerful bosses.

Toy Shire has been generally well received on Steam. Players particularly appreciate the lovingly designed toy worlds and nostalgic atmosphere. The combination of tower defense and real-time strategy has also been well received overall. However, many players feel the balancing still needs improvement. Some levels and boss fights are considered unfairly difficult, while the controllable soldiers often offer little tactical advantage over the defensive towers. The relatively limited amount of content and occasional technical issues have also drawn criticism. Overall, 86% of more than 750 Steam reviews are positive.

Half price on Steam for the first time

Toy Shire comes from Texas-based studio Bluespy and only left Early Access on October 6. To celebrate the full release, the strategy game is 50% off on Steam until October 15, bringing the price down to $4.99 from $9.99. According to SteamDB, the deal marks a new all-time low – the previous maximum discount was 40%. Toy Shire is rated as “Playable” on Steam Deck.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.