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I can’t blame you for thinking you’ve seen everything the tower-defense genre has
to offer on your iPad. Those games have overrun the App Store like the rats of Karni Mata,
and I totally understand those who argue, “If you’ve played thirty tower defense
games, you have no Earthly reason to play another.”
It’s fitting, then, that this one comes from another planet.
I can’t say enough good things about this game. Sure, it’s part of a genre that was
overdone three years ago. And yes, it has a name that sounds like Ginger and Posh started
an arcade-themed side project. But the truth is Spice Invaders is as good as tower defense
gets on the iPad. It’s addictive, it’s beautiful, it’s fun...and it’s reason
enough to once again defend those towers.
Developed by On5 and brought to the App Store by Chillingo, Spice Invaders is a dangerously
addictive game. Not since Plants vs. Zombies have I been so glued to my iPad, and after
what was supposed to be a very brief play session turned into a two-hour defend-a-thon,
I realized I was playing something great.
Spice Invaders has a very simple premise. Aliens have invaded the planet and are searching
for spice, a substance they mine and use for a plethora of purposes. The human race, obviously,
isn’t going to take this sitting down. So they attack. And for some reason, you’ve
turned heel and are helping the aliens.
You villainous traitor! Who’d you kick through a barbershop window?
The thing that really sets Spice Invaders apart is the sheer scope of it all. This is
a mammoth game packed with more than 50 maps, each of which can be played in six different
modes. It also has cooperative and competitive online multiplayer, gorgeous graphics, a slew
of crazy towers to choose from...oh yeah, and by the way, it’s free.
Well, kind of.
Your basic objective in Spice Invaders is, obviously, to defend your bases from the attacking
humans. The other objective is to collect as much spice as possible, which you need
to unlock new weapons and purchase magical alien abilities. In fact, spice actually becomes
your main concern after a while—you need it to do everything in Spice Invaders.
Therein lies the caveat, the catch, the thing that makes this a so-called “freemium”
game. The ratio of the game’s dependence on spice and the volume of spice it gives
you is slightly skewed. That is to say you’ll earn less spice than is required for you to
make real progress...and how fortunate, then, that you can buy spice via the in-app purchase.
But once you throw some coins in the hat and you have enough spice to work with, Spice
Invaders really takes off. Each tower variety has a tree of powerful upgrades to unlock
and apply, and you’ll need them to counter your human attackers...who are surprisingly
intelligent at times. It’s just a matter of spending the pocket change on adequate
spice—if you’re okay with that, the game definitely rewards you.
Spice Invaders is really hard to put down, and perhaps even more impressive is the game’s
high level of polish. This is a gorgeous product that plays just as well, and for iPad owners
who need a great time killer and don’t mind spending a few coins on an in-app purchase,
Spice Invaders is an easy recommendation.
Not to mention one of the best new tower-defense games in the App Store.