Aliens Meet Tower Defense In Spice Invaders
Spice Invaders (Free) by Chillingo Ltd puts you in the role of a space pirate pillaging Earth for spice. While you may need to read that sentence a second time to let it sink in, the rest of this game is very straightforward.
Spice Invaders is a tower defense game, so those familiar with that category already know the drill. Aliens are trying to establish bases all across Earth.
You will work your way across the already ravaged continents (full of junk, such as the Statue of Liberty’s head, downed space shuttles, and even the Death Star), while conquering all of the puny humans who dare stand against you.
The tutorial will help orient you to the game, and will teach you how to set up and upgrade weapons, buy and sell items, and how to use magic (which, aliens apparently have).
Once you’re in the game, you’ll start off with a minigun, but that’s just the beginning. Missile launchers, ground-to-air guns and Tesla coils will all be at your disposal as you gain money and experience points.
The spice is the currency, which is earned after defeating levels. Use it to get upgrades and even buy clothes to outfit your character. Of course getting more spice is available as an in-app purchase, ranging from $0.99 to $9.99.
You can also receive spice for dropping a line through Facebook or Twitter.
The graphics are pristine, especially for a tower defense game. The music is kind of fun at first, being a sort of quasi-Star-Wars soundtrack, but then it gets old. Subtle humor is peppered throughout the game as well, such as quotes from the humans or nods to sci-fi movies.
Game Center is surprisingly downplayed with this game, as it is used only for keeping track of achievements and leaderboards. Multiplayer is handled through Crystal, which is free to use.
For free, this is an awesome game. Whether or not you want to indulge in the in-app purchases is up to you, though leveling up and buying upgrades will take you longer than if you bought extra spice.
Avast, me hearties!
