Vampire Season on iOS gets overhauled just in time for Halloween

Back in July, we took at look at 6waves' Vampire Season on iPhone and iPad, and found this monster-themed tower defense game to be rather lacking, with small text and limited camera control options on top of a skewed economy that encouraged premium purchases more than it did replaying the game's levels. Just in time for Halloween, developer Brainz has announced that Vampire Season has undergone a complete overhaul, and an amicable removal from 6waves' catalog. Now published under Brainz's parent company ZIO Studios, Vampire Season: Monster Defense is no longer free-to-play, costing $1.99 for the time being, but the gameplay apparently comes with enough improvements and tweaks to encourage a purchase.

First, the game's economy has been tweaked and is now more balanced, allowing players to easily grind their way through previously completed story levels to earn enough coins to purchase upgrades for their creatures within the game's store. These upgrades are still rather costly, and become more expensive as you continue to play, but they no longer feel unfairly overpriced as they did before. A new kind of premium currency has also been introduced in the form of Sapphires, which can be used in place of coins on some upgrades if you'd rather not level grind.

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In terms of the game's camera, which formerly came with two options, a far zoomed out overhead view and a far zoomed in isometric angle, gamers have now been given more control via pinch and zoom camera options, which really help on the iPhone's small screen. Once zoomed into a level that's comfortable, players can then tap and hold to drag the viewpoint to either end of the battlefield. Since the object in each level of Vampire Season is to protect Dracula's coffin from attack, this is a much needed overhaul that makes the game much more enjoyable as a result, as you can more easily see which kinds of enemies are attacking and can more easily manage the health bars of your individual troops.

While it's still disappointing to see a premium currency option available in a game that already has a purchase price to download, the upgrades within Vampire Season: Monster Defense really boost the game's enjoyment, and with the possibility of a free cost point somewhere down the line, this is one game that now deserves attention, rather than a pass.

Click here to download Vampire Season: Monster Defense on iTunes >

Have you tried the new and improved version of Vampire Season: Monster Defense on iPhone or iPad? What do you think of the game's changes over the original version? Sound off in the comments!