iPad Review: Spree, the shopper defense game

Spree for the iPad is what you get when you cross my favorite pastime (shopping) with a tower defense game. Instead of towers, you’ve got commercial retail shops; fashion, leisure, gadgets, service, snacks and restaurants. Unlike a tower defense game, the shops are actually what you protect and your objective is to earn a lot of money and make sure you drain shoppers of their funds as shown by a ‘health bar’ hovering over the head of the shopper.

There are a variety of 12 shoppers, all with different weaknesses that are somewhat stereotypical. For example characters that look nerdy or resemble old men are weakest when a gadget shop or not female-oriented shop is nearby. Tourists spend a lot on money, so they’re a blessing to have. Socialites, Ministers or Rockstars, considered the bosses of each wave are picky and take their time spending their money. Each level consists of 21 waves that need to be cleared before unlocking the next level. There are at least 5 different levels, each with it’s own cute map.

Speaking of cute, graphics for the game are pretty cute and seem to be targeted at females. Although, I’m sure you’ve guessed that this was the case when I mentioned that the game involves my favorite pastime.

Gameplay is pretty easy and straightforward. Touch a shop, then use your finger to drag it to the place you’d like to place it. Double tap to purchase the shop, and if you want to upgrade it, you only need to tap it once. Each shop has at least 3 upgrades that you can purchase with your wave earnings while playing. In playing the game, I found that the key to being successful was to take advantage of all the upgrades, then purchase as many shops as possible and place them in corners or straight strips of land.

The replay value of this game matches it’s price in iTunes. You get what you pay for at $2.99. My only recommendations on improving this game would be to add more upgrades or make it costlier to purchase upgrades. It didn’t take long for me to purchase all the upgrades while playing and I was a little saddened to know that there was nothing else left for me to do with the shops. Something else that would make this game better would be more maps. It’s easy to get through the entire game, casually.

That said, I’d recommend this game to those wanting a girlish-spin on a tower defense game or for those just looking to ease their way into tower defense games.

To purchase for both the iPad and iPhone/iTouch, head here.