At the start, I severely underestimated just how beneficial the pause button would be during my playthrough.

Fun game! I would personally like a harder difficulty option that really emphasizes the need to pause and consider where/when you place your towers. That mixed with complex, intentional level layouts could turn this into part tower defense, part puzzle game I believe.

I still find it confusing with icons not matching their name. But despite of that, I've managed to complete some levels.