Stratosphere: Multiplayer Defense turns an iPad into a tower defense board game

Stratosphere: Multiplayer Defense, Pixile Studios' debut iOS app, turns an iPad into a real-time mash-up between tower defense and a board game, and an update released today brings reworked tutorials and swipe gestures to the game.

Stratosphere: Multiplayer Defense tasks players with forging a balance between building defenses and sending troops through the game board's labyrinths to attack their foes. It supports local multiplayer — where players each take a side of the iPad and play in real-time — and single player games against AI opponents through more than 60 missions. With the integrated #Stratobets system, players can challenge others to a game and brag about their victories on Twitter and Facebook.

The two-man team at Pixile Studios, who developed the game while undergraduates at the University of British Columbia, recently released Stratosphere in the iOS App store for $1.99. You can check out a trailer of the hybrid action above.