TowerMadness: 3D Tower Defense

TowerMadness is just one of those games that does a lot of things well, but nothing exceptionally. With the high volume of tower defense games in the App Store, TowerMadness doesn't really do anything to stand out.

Most tower defense games involve some sort of epic story line that involves saving the world or something, but TowerMadness has you saving sheep from aliens. That's about as far in depth as the game goes story-wise, and even though the story is very strange, it's fine, because this is a tower defense game.

As with all tower defense games, you set towers in various places to blast those creeps to bits. TowerMadness, at least the main part, is open-field, so your placement of the towers affects the path the aliens follow. If aliens make it to the end, they abduct a sheep; if they abduct all ten sheep, the game is over. The game has four main maps, each increasingly difficult. The main difference in each map is the number of entry points for the aliens. Completing one map unlocks the next. Earlier maps are very restrictive in what towers you can use, but in total there are nine towers. The towers are not terribly distinctive though, and none are extremely creative, just genre standards. There are 16 different types of enemies, including flying ones, and different ones are resistant to different towers. While there is a "fast-forward" button, this simply sends the next wave in early, and I would like to see something that actually speeds up the action. In addition, difficulty settings for each map are lacking.

One distinctive thing about TowerMadness is the online component. By connecting to the towermadness.com server, you can download free additional maps. There are three maps available right now, one of these is even a fixed-path map, which is nice for those seeking some variety. In addition, there are online leader boards, and you can even replay the games of the leaders to see their solutions.

Controls are simple. Tap on an area, and it brings up a circle with options for three categories of towers. Tapping one brings up a choice of three towers, and tapping one of those builds the tower. Tapping on a built tower brings up the option to upgrade or sell the tower. Each tower has five available upgrades. Pinching the screen zooms in.

The graphics, while they are 3D, are actually pretty mediocre. I appreciate the option to view the game up-close in 3D, it's really just fluff, and doesn't add anything to the gameplay. 3D aside, the graphics are very rough and lacking in detail, though visual tower upgrades are a plus. Music is decent, though the sound effects are a little high-pitched for me.

In the App Store nowadays, it is tough to make a tower defense game stand out. TowerMadness does have a lot of towers and enemies, and is pretty fun, but ultimately, it does nothing to rise above the rest.