Y'know normally I hate tower defense, and it turns out the key to making me like it is throw a wheel on it.
No, actually what did it was smooth movement-focused gameplay, cool and varied waves, and a really active approach to the genre. I felt the impact of the wheel less, but that's probably because I just figured "damage good" and didn't experiment much outside of trying to get my largest slice into damage.
Loved playing it, loved the soundtrack, and loved the buildup over time. Well-paced and frantic in a way that was exhilarating rather than exhausting.