App Review: Alien Creeps

Like the Tower Defense genre? You could do worse with Alien Creeps, a game by Outplay Entertainment.

The Premise

Earth is under attack by monstrous aliens and it's your job to keep them at bay. Yes, I know, hardly original. In fact, it's a concept that's been flogged to death over and over. Still, this is a Tower Defense game. It should, and will be judged by other factors. As such, any half-decent plot will do.

The Aesthetics

Visually, Alien Creeps does pretty well. Graphics are suitably cartoony, in fitting with the comic feel of the game. Animations are cute.

The Experience

As with most other Tower Defense games, upgrades are made available when you collect enough in-game currency to purchase them. The upgrades are pretty inventive and provide plenty of nifty visual effects in addition to killing aliens in very interesting ways.

The mood is set for maximum campiness; if the visuals don't immediately clue you in, the dialogue will.

The Interface

For the most part, the controls are fine and dandy. Easy enough to use without screwing up. One complaint I do have is with the Tesla, because using it involves clicking and swiping. This can cause the screen to move, which can be a royal pain in the butt when you're in real-time mode and aliens are pouring in thick and fast.

What I liked

Alien Creeps ramped up on the funny. The Head Villain was a delightfully snarky alien. The Commander and Engineer, your character's allies, also indulge in a fair bit of wisecracking.

Upgrades and optional buys. You can buy Allies to help in your defense. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and abilities. Creatively, they're a hoot.

Replay value was limited, but the game was not as repetitive as some others I've played. There is a variety of ways in which to kill stuff and pass stages, so things don't get stale all that fast.

What I didn't

In some of the stages, difficulty level seemed just a little too off-putting. There were stage levels which I suspect would be impossible to pull off without spending money.... or even with spending money.

Most of the aliens just seemed a bit by-the-numbers to me. Sure, they came in many different sizes, colors and degrees of toughness, but other than a few standouts, they were all just fodder.

Having flying aliens follow the same predefined paths as walking units, just seems rather implausible.

Game ended just a wee bit too soon after 20 plus stages. Could have done with more stages.

Conclusion

Despite its limited size, Alien Creeps is a decent offering for its scope and genre. It should keep you busy for a couple weeks or so.

My Rating

7 / 10

Try Alien Creeps today. It's out of this world.
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