Currently, there are literally dozens of tower defense games available through the Apple App Store. This makes NGmoco’s newest installment in the genre, Star Defense is a very hard recommendation at first impression, with its $5.99 price tag and the fact that its part of a very over populated genre of games. However it seems as if NGmoco has hit the proverbial nail on the head with this one. Star Defense is very polished from the fully 3D plane levels, to the groovy spatial sound track, and the near perfect balancing of turrets and alien baddies. Even if you think you’ve played enough tower defense games to last a lifetime Star Defense is well worth the purchase for fans of the genre.
What sets Star Defense apart from its many predecessors is that instead of placing you in a flat plane in which to deploy turrets you are given 3D globes or, in some cases, cubes which are littered with paths bending and criss-crossing every which way. This set up makes for some very strategic placement of your defenses as some paths intersect and loop allowing you to set-up some very devastating networks of turrets turning these intersections into veritable gauntlets to punish those pesky aliens. My primary concern with these planets was not being able to easily scope out and place turrets when I can only see a slight portion of each globe at a time. Thankfully, NGmoco made it a painless affair to simply slide your finger across the screen in order to see other portions of the planet and takes advantage of multi-touch “pinching” in order to zoom in or out making planning and deploying your tower defenses effortless.
You have five different towers at your disposal that are purchased with the money you earn from destroying enemies: basic machine guns, a flame thrower that does lasting damage, a slime tower that temporarily slows enemies down, a lightning tower that shocks multiple aliens at once, and a rocket launcher that requires no explanation as to its utility. Not all of these towers are available at first, as you conquer the seven planets, you unlock the last two towers. Each tower can be upgraded twice, increasing the rate of fire, area of effect or range, and the overall damage of the shot.
Getting through the planets in the main campaign will take you several hours, but that’s not the only play mode offered. Star Defense’s challenge mode, which throws endless waves of enemies your way, much like the classic “survival Mode” of most puzzle games. Your hard work in challenge mode is not a solitary achievement, though. You can post your score immediately to Twitter or Facebook directly from the game. Star Defense is not the first game to do this, but it’s nonetheless cool to see because it adds a social element to an otherwise single-player game.
It’s no question that Star Defense may be the new king of tower defense games. This game will no doubt raise the bar for other developers planning an endeavor in the genre.
Pros:
- Stunning visuals
- Great diversity of enemy units
- Cool soundtrack
Cons:
- I wish there was maybe a few more planets
- Limited on-line capabilities
Nikola Tesla would be proud.
Aliens and flamethrowers just don't mix.
Zooming in and out of the planet is a snap.
