9 Lives to Defend is a bullet heaven, auto-shooter, survivor-like game published by Silesia Games and developed by Goldarait.
Loki the Furball Defender
You play as Loki, the mightiest furball defender. This cat isn’t a lazy Garfield-he’s ready to defend his home from waves of pests until his humans return. Your main goal is to survive a trip on one of the maps, which can be set to 12 or 24 minutes, or endless mode if you have a lot of time on your hands.
Gameplay and Challenges
The game offers four difficulty levels: Playful, Snappy, Wild, and Brutal. Higher difficulties reward more kibble, the game’s currency, for every boss defeated. There are eight maps to choose from, each with optional modifiers that crank up the challenge while also boosting rewards.
You start with nine lives, and each life has three hit points. Enemies drop kibble when defeated, and once you’ve collected enough, a bowl appears on the map to restore lost health. Every four minutes a boss spawns which is randomized each time aside from the final boss. While the maps mainly serve as visual variety (the enemy waves don’t really change), bosses provide a consistent challenge amongst the chaos.
Defeating a boss drops a treasure chest at the center of the map. To unlock it, you’ll need to stand within the marked circle and survive a barrage of enemies until it closes. Cracking these chests is always worth the risk. Inside are huge boons for Loki, ranging from large kibble payouts to major stat and skill boosts that can turn the tide of a run.
Progression and Upgrades
Enemies also award XP, and filling the XP bar lets you pick new skills or stat boosts. Loki can equip three primary skills, six secondary skills, and has a special feline instinct attack that recharges over time. If you manage to defeat the final boss or you are defeated, your trip ends and you’re returned to the main menu.
Between runs, the Hideout is where you upgrade Loki’s abilities with kibble, buy amulets (up to three equipped at once), and complete missions for bonus rewards.
Loki isn’t limited to one look. You can unlock and play as Samurai Loki, Viking Loki, Bionic Loki, Wizard Loki, Soldier Loki, Boxer Loki, Sheriff Loki, and Count Loki. Each skin changes attacks, playstyle, and stats, with unique skill trees to upgrade. There are also cosmetic-only variants for each skin, unlocked through special requirements.
Skills can be upgraded up to five times in the hideout, improving damage, cooldowns, movement speed, recovery time, dash cooldowns, and feline instinct abilities. With skins, amulets, and upgrades, there’s plenty of progression to chase.
Final Verdict
9 Lives to Defend offers a lot in a small package. While the enemy waves are repetitive across maps, the mix of skills, skins, upgrades, and chest rewards keeps it engaging. The early game can feel tough, but progression smooths the difficulty curve, and higher settings like Wild provide a real challenge.
It’s easy to pick up for a quick session, and fans of Vampire Survivors will feel right at home. At under $5, it’s an easy recommendation-skip a coffee and give this one a go.
9 Lives to Defend was reviewed on Xbox Series X with a review code provided by Silesia Games. The game is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5.
