IOS Spotlight #70: OTTTD

Title: OTTTD
Developer: SMG Studio
Platforms: IOS Universal
Price: $2.99
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The tower defense. By now, we all know what to expect from one of those. Lanes, enemies, tower placement, upgrading and repairing. OTTTD takes the TD framework and offers a unique take on the genre with RTS and RPG elements, humor, and copious gore.

It should be noted that OTTTD stands over Over The Top Tower Defense and that name couldn't be more accurate. Across the three worlds, you face diverse enemies, such as flying armored shark, killer eyeballs, and chopper-riding squids,...and leave them littered across the battlefield in pieces. You have four towers at your disposal - rocket, plasma, gatling, and shock, and while that may seem limiting, you unlock two upgrades for each tower, so rocket tower can become an anti-air battery or you shock tower can become a shield generator.

So far, OTTTD sounds like any other tower defense game, but what makes it stand out is the heroes. While Kingdom Rush has a similar system, OTTTD injects an RPG-style leveling system, complete with skill trees, special skills, and weapons to equip. The game offers seven hero classes, from the long range Recon to the rocket-wielding Rocketeer, the clone-crafting Scientist, and others; you can only bring three onto a map, allowing you to customize your playstyle. Like an RTS, you can move your heroes around the map and use their abilities to turn the tides of battle; those mechanics makes OTTTD feel more hands-on and involved than other TD games I've played. You're not waiting for enemies to reach your turrets; you're moving your Heavy into position, using the Engineer's tower boost skill to take out an incoming boss, while you call in a missile strike with your Rockeeter.

Besides the involved gameplay and hero mechanics, OTTTD rounds out its action-packed package with vibrant visuals and a silly humorous tone. You can purchase the gamr for $2.99. The developers plan to update the game with another set of levels and other content in the future and a PC version is also in development.