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| Source // Giant Bomb |
I genuinely thought we'd seen all the Tower Defense genre had to offer. The 1001 list was adamant we saw a whole bunch of them, but once you've seen one, you've seen them all, no? What could geoDefense Swarm possibly add that we've not yet come across?
Neon colours? Is that it?
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| Source // Microsoft |
Frustration
I can't know for sure, as geoDefense Swarm is pretty much locked onto iOS devices. I say pretty much because it saw a Windows Phone release too, but who has one of those?
All that is left for me to explore are some YouTube videos and some glowing reviews of what is apparently the number 1 game in the store. When? For how long? In what ultra-specific category? Who knows and/or cares, let's see what we're missing.
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| Source // Microsoft |
The answer is a generic tower defence game on a hexagonal grid that takes heavy inspiration from Geometry Wars for its graphic design. The write up in the 1001 list even points out how its name, geoDefense, borrows from both Geometry Wars and Desktop Tower Defense, and once you've seen that, you can't really argue with it.
Taking all the cues from two classics means that either geoDefense Swarm got it right, taking the best features of both games and running with them into something new, or got it very wrong and nobody is talking about it anymore.
I don't know who talks about it in 2021, but in 2010, they probably were. geoDefense Swarm, simple though it may appear, does what you expect it to do, in as flashy a way as the screenshots suggest.
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| Source // Microsoft |
Well, I get that impression, at least. From the videos I've seen, it runs well, looks bright, but does little to persuade you that it is the pinnacle of the tower defence genre. A solid entry, sure, but one to get an iOS device for? That's a bit of a stretch.
Drop turrets onto the grid, upgrade them if you've got enough cash to do so, funnel your enemy - 'creeps' as the game calls them - into a maze of death and keep trying until you succeed. It's tower defence on a hex grid with flashy lights. What more do you want?
Final Word
I'm sure that were I to have had an iOS device and geoDefense Swarm ten years ago, much of that might have fallen under the more favourable 'Fun Times' header, but the only reason it isn't is that I don't want to see another tower defence game for a while. They're not my thing.
Was this one polished? It certainly stood out, borrowing from Geometry Wars to the point of looking like a spin-off, and probably did deserve the accolades and admiration. If you're able to play it, by all means, play it - I can't see a reason not to.
It's just that I don't know why you'd go out of your way to play it now. I don't feel like I'm missing out. I would like to play it to see it first hand, but I'm happy not to, and I'll honestly probably forget about it in a matter of days.
Bit of a weird way to react to a game, really...
Fun Facts
Over 7 tower types, says Wikipedia. So, what, 8 different towers?
geoDefense Swarm, developed by Critical Thought Games, first released in 2009.
Version watched: iOS, 2009 (Austin Evans, Pocket Gamer, MahaloVideoGames)