SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Don't Feed the Monster!

Following a wildly successful iPad release, indie developer Day Go By Entertainment recently unveiled their latest creation, Monster Feed for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. To the uninitiated, this title may appear to be yet another entry in the bloated field of tower defense games, but upon closer inspection, Monster Feed looks more and more like an instant classic. And at $1.99, it’s way cheaper than your average Dickens. (If that's still not cheap enough, you can always sink your teeth into the free lite version first.)

The premise of the game is simple: defend a herd of helpless deer (or swamp birds, depending on which world you choose) from a forest teeming with -- you guessed it -- monsters. Sure, these hungry fiends may follow predictable paths and attack in the same number of waves each round, but don’t assume you can just throw down a few towers and kick back to watch the ensuing slaughter. What really sets this game apart from the competition is the need to actively supplement your tower offensive by casting spells.

At the beginning of each new map, you choose to play as one of just two characters: Lilith, a stern-faced fairy with giant balls of fire and ice, or Taz, the satyr with a sweet goatee and his faithful monster-chowing Gnasher hound. Each has their own unique powers which allow you to freeze, incinerate, and even nuke your enemies with the tap of a finger, resulting in some highly gratifying howls, screams, and itty bitty monster blood spatter. Over time, you earn the ability to level up, gradually increasing the speed and impact of each of your three chosen spells.

As you progress, you can unlock even more features such as scrollable maps and overload mode, both of which offer yet another genre-bending twist on gameplay. Having to scroll across a busy field of incoming monsters while trying to cast spells and collect coins from fresh kills may be annoying, but I was impressed by how perfectly responsive the interface was to my every tap and swipe. If you’re a fan of spells, you’ll also enjoy overload mode. Slain monsters dispense fewer coins and power-ups, forcing you to rely almost entirely upon your mad spell-casting abilities to protect your tasty friends.

Even after defeating every map in both worlds and modes, I still find fresh enjoyment in topping my previous best scores as I look forward to the developer’s promised updates. With the upcoming addition of more worlds, characters, and maps, this fast-paced monster masher could easily give established tower defense gold standards like Fieldrunners and Plants vs. Zombies a run for their money.

How do you think Monster Feed stacks up against other TD titles? Share your opinions in the comments below!