Friday Flash Game Wants To Eat Your Weekend Bwahahahahaha!!!
August 5, 2011 8:29 AM Subscribe
Kingdom Rush, the best tower defense This may be the best tower defense game you've ever played. Or at least the cutest.
I don't even really like tower defense games and I enjoyed this a lot.
Kingdom Rush has both well-thought out tactical depth, has some brilliant innovations (e.g. reinforcements... and then there a bunch of suprises I won't spoil) , and is very very very high polished for a free flash game. The loving attention to detail is sometimes astonishing.
It only came out last week or something, so there are a few things that could be tweaked, but I could find very very few issues.
For veteran gamers: the game's difficulty gets much harder after you get halfway or so through the levels. So don't worry if you find the first levels too easy. Also the many of the special challenges available after you complete a level with 3 stars are difficult.
For beginner gamers: you may want to switch to easy mode, especially after the halfway mark.
Note on the upgrade screen: "Marksmen" is unclear but seems to refer to all archer towers. Legionnaires, warriors etc. refer to better classes of automatic reinforcements.
Note at some early point, the game offers you upgrade points if you visit the developers on Twitter and Facebook. As I understand it, you get these points just for visiting - you don't have to join or like their pages. You don't have to do this at all to do well at the game but I thought it was a reasonable ask and ended up joining.
I don't even really like tower defense games and I enjoyed this a lot.
Kingdom Rush has both well-thought out tactical depth, has some brilliant innovations (e.g. reinforcements... and then there a bunch of suprises I won't spoil) , and is very very very high polished for a free flash game. The loving attention to detail is sometimes astonishing.
It only came out last week or something, so there are a few things that could be tweaked, but I could find very very few issues.
For veteran gamers: the game's difficulty gets much harder after you get halfway or so through the levels. So don't worry if you find the first levels too easy. Also the many of the special challenges available after you complete a level with 3 stars are difficult.
For beginner gamers: you may want to switch to easy mode, especially after the halfway mark.
Note on the upgrade screen: "Marksmen" is unclear but seems to refer to all archer towers. Legionnaires, warriors etc. refer to better classes of automatic reinforcements.
Note at some early point, the game offers you upgrade points if you visit the developers on Twitter and Facebook. As I understand it, you get these points just for visiting - you don't have to join or like their pages. You don't have to do this at all to do well at the game but I thought it was a reasonable ask and ended up joining.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
I've been playing this the past couple of days and it is indeed pretty good. TD games frustrate the hell out of me when enemies get past the last tower and there's nothing you can do about them. The rain of fire is a pretty good solution for that but it's not fool proof.
I need a good TD game for my iPhone as Fieldrunners and PvZ have gotten old.
posted by bondcliff at 8:49 AM on August 5, 2011
I need a good TD game for my iPhone as Fieldrunners and PvZ have gotten old.
posted by bondcliff at 8:49 AM on August 5, 2011
I've been playing this a bit this week, and it's a pretty nice take on the genre. The use of soldiers fortifying outside barracks to actually hack one-on-one at various creepers is a nice, less handwavey metaphor for what would otherwise be a Tower of Slow in most TD goes; it's interesting the way that changes the dynamic of chokepoints a bit.
posted by cortex at 9:12 AM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by cortex at 9:12 AM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
I was just thinking: "You know what would be fun tonight? Getting drunk and playing tower defense!"
SO THANK YOU. Now buy me whiskey.
posted by Theta States at 9:19 AM on August 5, 2011 [8 favorites]
SO THANK YOU. Now buy me whiskey.
posted by Theta States at 9:19 AM on August 5, 2011 [8 favorites]
I played this a few days ago too, it's great - the only part that really annoyed me was the constant click-click-click-click-click to unblock my towers in a couple of stages.
For extra upgrade stars, go back and do the survival mode for the first few levels, they aren't that hard.
posted by dickasso at 9:24 AM on August 5, 2011
For extra upgrade stars, go back and do the survival mode for the first few levels, they aren't that hard.
posted by dickasso at 9:24 AM on August 5, 2011
I've been wasting my time on this for the last week and agree that it is excellent. The difficulty spikes upward after the first six or seven levels. I've been forced to go back and play the 'bonus' rounds on early levels to get extra stars in an attempt to get strong enough to make it through later ones. Haven't resorted to "easy" yet, but still may.
I've only found one minor bug so far, on a feature unique to a mid-late level. In general a very polished game with a real arc and learning curve.
Highly recommended.
posted by meinvt at 9:42 AM on August 5, 2011
I've only found one minor bug so far, on a feature unique to a mid-late level. In general a very polished game with a real arc and learning curve.
Highly recommended.
posted by meinvt at 9:42 AM on August 5, 2011
Bless your heart! I've been replaying Cursed Treasure lately as that was a TD game I enjoyed, but was really looking for something new.... so, thanks!
posted by Debaser626 at 10:33 AM on August 5, 2011
posted by Debaser626 at 10:33 AM on August 5, 2011
I know what I'm doing once my bosses leave today.
Why wait?
posted by entropone at 10:37 AM on August 5, 2011
Why wait?
posted by entropone at 10:37 AM on August 5, 2011
I just hit the graveyard level. That was a nasty surprise.
posted by Archelaus at 10:44 AM on August 5, 2011
posted by Archelaus at 10:44 AM on August 5, 2011
Hunh, was playing an hour ago, came back from lunch, and now I'm just getting a gray nothing screen after the developer credit thing.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:10 AM on August 5, 2011
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:10 AM on August 5, 2011
ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?!?
Thanks for checking! Very fun game! Once I get it going again!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:18 AM on August 5, 2011
Thanks for checking! Very fun game! Once I get it going again!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:18 AM on August 5, 2011
Huzzah, works in Chrome!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:24 AM on August 5, 2011
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:24 AM on August 5, 2011
Where did two hours of my life go?
posted by redspraypaint at 1:28 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by redspraypaint at 1:28 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
LOVE IT!
posted by youngergirl44 at 1:29 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by youngergirl44 at 1:29 PM on August 5, 2011
If you like this, give Ninjatown on the Nintendo DS a try- it has several of he same mechanics and cutesy-ness.
I consider myself a decent TD player and I'm having a tough time on the mid levels. I like a good challenge.
posted by Four Flavors at 3:19 PM on August 5, 2011
I consider myself a decent TD player and I'm having a tough time on the mid levels. I like a good challenge.
posted by Four Flavors at 3:19 PM on August 5, 2011
I really like tower defence games in general but I'm picky, there are only a few actual games I enjoy in practise. This has been added to the list.
posted by shelleycat at 3:40 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by shelleycat at 3:40 PM on August 5, 2011
Huh. Supposedly you can tell your soldiers to move to a different spot, but when I click on one, all I get is their stats. Otherwise, it's a pretty fun game.
posted by KGMoney at 5:25 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by KGMoney at 5:25 PM on August 5, 2011
Click on the barracks and use the little flag button to give them a new rally point.
posted by meinvt at 5:34 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by meinvt at 5:34 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've been hooked on this for a week, since I saw it linked on FB. I've conquered it twice over. And am still playing.
posted by cerulgalactus at 5:35 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by cerulgalactus at 5:35 PM on August 5, 2011
Arg I will be billing you for four hours of my time
posted by foursentences at 5:59 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by foursentences at 5:59 PM on August 5, 2011
You can give your barracks a rally point within a certain radius, but you can't actually move your soldiers.
Took a couple of hours to get through, and I enjoyed the higher level upgrades. Fun Game!
posted by dazed_one at 6:14 PM on August 5, 2011
Took a couple of hours to get through, and I enjoyed the higher level upgrades. Fun Game!
posted by dazed_one at 6:14 PM on August 5, 2011
I think I undid a week's worth of shoulder rehab today.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:16 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 8:16 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Why would I feed the farmers with the chicken leg?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 8:41 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 8:41 PM on August 5, 2011
Does anything kill those vile little bats besides fire?
posted by maudlin at 10:21 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by maudlin at 10:21 PM on August 5, 2011
Ah, thanks. I've got a bunch of archers who can't shoot straight, but I'll try upgrading them and the mages.
posted by maudlin at 10:29 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by maudlin at 10:29 PM on August 5, 2011
Yep, thoroughly addicted. Just after I got over my Travian addiction.
posted by dustpatterns at 9:36 AM on August 6, 2011
posted by dustpatterns at 9:36 AM on August 6, 2011
Is there anyway to make the game larger? I have old eyes.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:39 AM on August 6, 2011
posted by humboldt32 at 9:39 AM on August 6, 2011
Thanks Bwithh.
posted by humboldt32 at 5:42 PM on August 6, 2011
posted by humboldt32 at 5:42 PM on August 6, 2011
Just finished the storyline (with many heroic challenges to go). Now I want to start over.
Excellent game -- some really great improvements over the usual. One tip: that ranged weapon of the legionnaire`s isn`t just useful against aerial targets, but ground targets at range, which is very handy.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:02 PM on August 6, 2011
Excellent game -- some really great improvements over the usual. One tip: that ranged weapon of the legionnaire`s isn`t just useful against aerial targets, but ground targets at range, which is very handy.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:02 PM on August 6, 2011
That was pretty awesome. Nice to see that there's Heroic and Iron challenges left to do once my shoulder stops complaining.
posted by maudlin at 10:45 PM on August 6, 2011
posted by maudlin at 10:45 PM on August 6, 2011
I can for the life of me figure out how to use the tower specials; I click on the tower, select the special, one of the three buttons around the special lights up, the cost is deducted from my gold, but nothing in the tower's radius is affected. I did teleport something once, but I was just flailing wildly.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:30 AM on August 7, 2011
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:30 AM on August 7, 2011
I haven't marched through all the upgrades yet, but the ones I have seen are all passive—you are putting money into upgrading some aspect or another of what the tower or it's troops will do in addition to what it already does. So if you buy barbarians a bunch of points in throwing axes they'll be chunking some really nice axes automatically, if you buy teleport for a mage tower it'll automatically teleport stuff now and then, etc.
posted by cortex at 9:35 AM on August 7, 2011
posted by cortex at 9:35 AM on August 7, 2011
Ahhh, I didn't realize the tower specials were upgrades for automatic abilities, I thought they were attacks that could only be used 3 times and needed to be directed by me.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2011
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2011
I can't believe you people are finishing this game in just 3-4 hours! I am totally get stuck on some of the middle levels. Maybe the system is randomly giving me less gold then you all?
And I am not a rookie at TD games...
One thing I find useful is to redo all upgrades in a specific way, depending on the needs of a level. Especially for the extra challenges.
posted by Theta States at 5:43 PM on August 7, 2011
And I am not a rookie at TD games...
One thing I find useful is to redo all upgrades in a specific way, depending on the needs of a level. Especially for the extra challenges.
posted by Theta States at 5:43 PM on August 7, 2011
A strategy that's working for me (halfway through the Heroic challenges right now) is to use towers of various sorts early in the paths, fortified towers near the exit, and the biggest, baddest soldiers I can get right at the exit. I then use my reinforcements mostly to harry invaders by delaying them near the early towers so that the archers and mages can do their bloody, horrid, unspeakable things.
I haven't been using much artillery at all. Anyone else find that it's of any use?
posted by maudlin at 6:47 PM on August 7, 2011
I haven't been using much artillery at all. Anyone else find that it's of any use?
posted by maudlin at 6:47 PM on August 7, 2011
The maxed out artillery tower is the best thing for mobs of unremarkable guys. You'll need it for the skeleton spawning creatures in the later levels.
posted by Mitheral at 6:55 PM on August 7, 2011
posted by Mitheral at 6:55 PM on August 7, 2011
I got the skeletons some other way in the Easy mode, but I'll keep that in mind for Heroic.
posted by maudlin at 7:01 PM on August 7, 2011
posted by maudlin at 7:01 PM on August 7, 2011
I'm at the 33 stars marker and finding it hard to get much further! Some of the challenge levels I can't even conceive what I am supposed to do differently to succeed on them...
Great game, though.
posted by Theta States at 5:54 AM on August 9, 2011
Great game, though.
posted by Theta States at 5:54 AM on August 9, 2011
Does anyone know how upgrades are limited on the lower levels?
For example, my Legionnaires do not have spear throwing, despite the upgrade being purchased, in the lower challenge levels. I am not sure which upgrades are just a waste of time for those levels, and don't know what else to use to leverage advantage.
posted by Theta States at 6:18 AM on August 9, 2011
For example, my Legionnaires do not have spear throwing, despite the upgrade being purchased, in the lower challenge levels. I am not sure which upgrades are just a waste of time for those levels, and don't know what else to use to leverage advantage.
posted by Theta States at 6:18 AM on August 9, 2011
So a level 1 max would mean you can't upgrade any of your towers (since they start off at level 1) at all during the game but you can have the 1st level upgrade for your star enhancements.
Then how am I supposed to grind my way to success on the earlier challenge levels??? :)
posted by Theta States at 6:13 AM on August 10, 2011
Then how am I supposed to grind my way to success on the earlier challenge levels??? :)
posted by Theta States at 6:13 AM on August 10, 2011
Oh yes, the earlier mid-level challenges are ridiculous, with just a sliver of margin for success. So frustrating, but very addictive challenges as well.
After barely touching artillery, I found them essential in some of the ice level challenges. At the front put an articllery surrounded by 2 barracks, positioning both sets of troops at the same spot in front of the artillery, which you use almost all of the starting money to maximize upgrades on. Makes short work of the major rushes, especially if you get your guys up to Paladdins.
I finished the game rather easily when I gave up on finishing all challenges on each level before moving to the next stage. I could do without the excess clicka-clicka-clicka on the final level, but the stage is so fun (and your towers so powerful) that it is still super fun.
I want an extra level pack!
posted by Theta States at 5:54 AM on August 11, 2011
After barely touching artillery, I found them essential in some of the ice level challenges. At the front put an articllery surrounded by 2 barracks, positioning both sets of troops at the same spot in front of the artillery, which you use almost all of the starting money to maximize upgrades on. Makes short work of the major rushes, especially if you get your guys up to Paladdins.
I finished the game rather easily when I gave up on finishing all challenges on each level before moving to the next stage. I could do without the excess clicka-clicka-clicka on the final level, but the stage is so fun (and your towers so powerful) that it is still super fun.
I want an extra level pack!
posted by Theta States at 5:54 AM on August 11, 2011
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posted by Mister Fabulous at 8:35 AM on August 5, 2011