geoDefense Swarm squared away for mid-August launch

Critical Thought Games didn't have to think very hard about creating a follow-up to geoDefense, revealing today its neon-lit successor geoDefense Swarm.

The sequel takes a new angle on the original's straightforward tower defence gameplay with open-ended stages replacing the first game's path-based levels. Instead of plunking down defences along a set route, towers can be placed anywhere on the screen to combat swarms of enemies.

30 levels are being promised across three levels of difficulty. No word on extra modes outside of the linear campaign. Aside from the change from paths to open-ended stages, geoDefense Swarms looks to stick to the original in terms of gameplay mechanics.

Creator David Whatley claims the game does enough to evolve over the original to warrant purchase. "I wanted to create a worthy sequel that wasn’t just a new set of levels, but turned the gameplay on its head – and that’s just what geoDefense Swarm does."

We're eager to see for ourselves exactly how it manages to turn tower defence gameplay on its head. First screenshots show a frenzied, if not altogether confusing breed of tower defense that promises more particle effects than tactical gameplay.