When I realized that one of my favourite TD games from the web [Vector TD] had been adapted for the iPhone and iPod, my eyes lit up and I knew that those hours of playing it back in 2006 were not lost in vain. So I quickly downloaded the Lite version to see if Vector TD’s little brother was packing a punch.

Once loaded, Vector TD boasts an extensive and informative help screen outlining all the different vector towers, enemies and stats when you upgrade etc. Being a veteran I bypassed this and went straight into battle on the only level available on the lite version. The no-nonsense vector graphics look exactly the same as it’s older (web) brother. which look fine and it’s accompanied by a pumping dance track which soon gets repetitive. But it’s not about the music, it’s a about the playability. As always with TD games you need to setup your defences in strategic places to maximize the destruction of the enemy’s forces. In VTD everything is set on a grid so it’s easy to place your towers and establish what works but the difficulty setting seems to be set higher than the web version, after my 4th go I just managed to survive 49 of the 50 waves – but I should have completed it due to my experience. I also encountered a little drop of frames when the action got busy and the interface seems a little clunky at times.

For gamers looking for their first TD game this is a pleasant offering and for fans of vector graphics it’s a nice introduction to the genre. But there are better polished enjoyable TD games out there, such as Sentinel and other vector style games geoDefense (which we’ll review soon). For me it feels like the developer [Candy Stand] rushed this onto the iPhone/iPod and did a straight-forward adapt, rather than considering the size of the device and adding features (being able to scroll through the arena) which would improve the quality and flow of the game play.

Seen as the full version is only 59p, why all the fuss I hear you ask? It’s because I want to like this more than I do, I’m sure I will end up buying the full version, but when it comes to removing games due to a lack of space this might be one of the first to go.

Vector TD Lite, v1.2
Seller: Candystand.com. (4+)
Size: 4.6 MB
Price: FREE / 0.59p