Game Reviews

Vampire Rush

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Vampire Rush

The fearsome reputation vampires had built up over the course of centuries has recently been eroded by screaming prepubescent teenagers.

The likes of Bram Stoker depicted vampires as demonic creatures who stalked the night searching for virgins to sink their fangs into, but in recent years they have been portrayed as more human, swapping Transylvania for America and castles for high schools.

The bloodsuckers in Vampire Rush, however, are a force to be reckoned with, and - most importantly for the reputation they're trying to protect - they don't sparkle.

Still, never taking itself too seriously and in a refreshing change for the genre, Vampire Rush is a good mixture of traditional tower defence and real-time button-bashing.

Nightwalkers

The protagonist of the game, Greg, must prevent the vampires from breaking through the gates of the underworld and reaching the land of the living. A combination of well placed towers and swordplay is necessary to overcome the hordes of enemies clamouring to escape through the gates.

Players control their hero by using a virtual joystick: continuously tapping the attack button will perform a piercing combo, whereas tapping and holding will carry out a slashing combo. There is little to complain about the touchscreen controls, while the impressive gothic-themed visuals reinforce the game's light-hearted tone.

Waves of enemies spawn from different places on the map, and defeating these creatures yields cash, which can then be used to purchase towers and acquire skills. Generous bonuses are awarded for double, triple, and multiple kills.

Money and health can also be procured from the chests that randomly appear on the battlefield, though beware: they can be known to cause an explosion.

Several types of tower can be bought and they are placed by positioning Greg in the desired location. As in more traditional tower defence games, these towers will automatically attack the enemy and can be upgraded using the spoils of battle. Money can be spent on skills that can replenish health, while upgrades to the gates' defences or Greg's attack can also be obtained. Skills and upgrades must be purchased on each level as they do not carry over to the next stage of the campaign.

Carry on vamping

The Campaign mode features seven levels, in which you must defeat ten waves of enemies. The stages become progressively more difficult as a greater number of spawn points and more challenging enemies are introduced.

The campaign may be on the short side, but it's no easy task. Once the gates are assaulted, its defences are breached fairly rapidly, even with upgrades.

Once a level is completed, a score and a three star grade are awarded dependent on your performance. In addition, successfully completing a level unlocks that map for use in the survival mode.

True Blood

This combination of action and tower defence is a profitable one, since it allows you to both strategise and take matters into your own hands, should you need to.

However, this combination does come at the expense of some oversimplification. For many, hack and slash tactics may take precedence over the strategic placement of towers, which should serve to assist rather than be the primary method of attack.

The difficulty of the campaign can also be imbalanced on occasion. Players may find their defences falling instantly from a particularly deadly opponent despite successfully surviving nine waves of enemies.

In spite of these issues, Vampire Rush is charismatic, pretty, and, mercifully, none of the vampires are called Edward.

Vampire Rush

With strong visuals and a tight touch, Vampire Rush is a successful marriage of the tower defence and hack and slash genres
Score
Steve McCaskill
Steve McCaskill
A crippling addiction to Football Manager threatened Steve's education and social life for much of the past ten years, but he has come through it with a history degree and an unparalleled knowledge of zonal marking.