Quick Look: Crystal Defenders R1 for the iPhone

Rich and I will be the first ones to tell you that it is hard to find a decent game for the iPhone. They are there, but its just sifting through the ton of crap to find that diamond.  But believe you me, they are there, and Crystal Defenders is shiny one.

To be honest with you, I had no idea that the game had even come out, for the iPhone that is.  After finding it by accident, I downloaded the Lite Version (demo) because I wasn’t that eager to drop $7.99 on it. But after just a few minutes playing the demo, I am smitten.

You can only get so much game out of the tower defence genre. So beyond the simple mechanics and game play, graphics can play big part.  This a field has never been one that Square/Enix has never fallen short in, this being no exception.

With a slick presentation, vivid colors and wonderful artwork, it’s easy to tell that the game is based around the Tactics universe. Sounds are simple bangs and clashes, and music is directly ported from Tactics Advance. Personally, I would have liked to have seen SOME original music. Animation, something that is usually a minimum in a tower defense game, is simple and smooth, and enemies are plentiful as well. Its really nice to see several different sets of enemies instead of the same five clones with a hue adjustment, although some of that is present.

In the demo you get one path, with 3 different units to choose from, a Fighter, Black Mage and an Archer, all upgradeable.  And, well, thats pretty much it.  After beating the Demo, I’ve decided that it is honestly worth the $8.  If you have an iPhone or an iPod, worth the buy.