Friday Flash Game Wants To Eat Your Weekend Bwahahahahaha!!!

August 5, 2011 8:29 AM

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.

posted by Bwithh (60 comments total)

I know what I'm doing once my bosses leave today.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 8:35 AM on August 5, 2011

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

simple, but very nice little game :D
posted by Shrekman at 8:50 AM on August 5, 2011

The rain of fire is a pretty good solution for that but it's not fool proof.


Reinforcements are another possible backstop solution, especially when you upgrade them enough (the highest upgrade means they can take on air targets)
posted by Bwithh at 9:00 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]

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 [9 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

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

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

I know what I'm doing once my bosses leave today.

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

click-click-click-click-click to unblock my towers in a couple of stages
me, I loved that part ! =)
posted by Bwithh at 11:10 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

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.
hmm. just tried it, and its still working for me.
posted by Bwithh at 11:15 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

Huzzah, works in Chrome!
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]

LOVE IT!
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 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

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

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]

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

Arg I will be billing you for four hours of my time
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

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.
Click on the barracks tower. then click on the blue flag in the menu. click in the radius around the barracks to plant a new rally point. Barracks soldiers automatically immediately move to the new rally point. You can do this during the game, not just in the planning stage, and can do this as many times as you like.

It can be very useful to change rally points during the game
posted by Bwithh at 7:51 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]

You and me both, Room 641-A. But it was worth it.
posted by maudlin at 8:30 PM on August 5, 2011

Why would I feed the farmers with the chicken leg?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 8:41 PM on August 5, 2011

Ah! Thanks. That helped a lot.
posted by KGMoney at 9:09 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

Why would I feed the farmers with the chicken leg?
that upgrade means that some (or all?) of your reinforcements become farmers which have higher hitpoint levels than ordinary peasants.

if you don't like the upgrade you can always reset the upgrades. all upgrades are reversible with the reset button.
posted by Bwithh at 10:23 PM on August 5, 2011

Does anything kill those vile little bats besides fire?
any archer or mage tower, the tesla tower, the dragon guided missile, the throwing axes upgrade on barbarians, the spear legionnaire upgrade on reinforcements, the Sun Ray, elves. if they fly over a ground explosion, they also get hurt but you can't aim ground-focussed bombs out them.
posted by Bwithh at 10:26 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

Yep, thoroughly addicted. Just after I got over my Travian addiction.
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

Is there anyway to make the game larger? I have old eyes.

For Windows, try Windows Magnifier on full screen mode
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnifier_(Windows)

For Mac, try the Zoom function:
http://lifehacker.com/255361/mac-tip--zoom-into-any-area-on-the-screen

Or when you are in a browser or Mac or Windoes, look for a zoom in function under your menu options (on Mac Safari, it's under View)
posted by Bwithh at 9:53 AM on August 6, 2011

These heroic challenges are insane! Love!
posted by giraffe at 4:56 PM on August 6, 2011

Thanks Bwithh.
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

Is there anyway to get to Hammerhold?
posted by Mitheral at 10:29 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

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

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

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

hmmm, so apparently barracks soldiers and reinforcements will ignore sheep. archers and mages and artillery will still target them I think. but otherwise you can kill a running sheep "with your hands" by clicking several times on it. This is a gameplay feature not a bug. Can be a bit difficult, so don't place a sheep transmorgifier mage near the exit.
posted by Bwithh at 3:01 PM 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

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

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

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

I haven't been using much artillery at all. Anyone else find that it's of any use?

artillery is very effective with the highest upgrade (no reduction of splash or arc damage due to distance from blast center), but you should make sure you have robust choke points
I like upgrading to the level 4 cannon for the cluster bomb - very wide area damage at the highest level because it distributes along the path line. dragon heatseeking missiles is also quite nice but tesla better against air targets. I usually don't use tesla though.
posted by Bwithh at 1:42 AM on August 8, 2011

fortified towers near the exit, and the biggest, baddest soldiers I can get right at the exit.

also try using teleport mages near the exit (at least one; one or two additional ones on the pathway are also good). and right after some other level 4 shooting towers (e.g. poison / artillery) this is important for getting enemies maximum exposure to your heaviest shooters .

if you are being overwhelmed by a later stage rush of enemies before you can beef your soldiers up enough, also try considering a rock monster mage as a stopgap.

if you have two barrack towers near the exit, try making one paladins (make sure they have shield of valor at least) and one barbarians (make sure they at least have throwing axes). move the easier-to-kill but high distance-damage barbarians behind the high armor paladins.

remember that upgrading will instantly regenerate a barrack's soldiers (in the higher form) or a mage tower's rock monster. this is useful sometimes skipping the delay when your soldiers/monster has been killed
posted by Bwithh at 1:52 AM on August 8, 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

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

Does anyone know how upgrades are limited on the lower levels?

On the mission information screen that pops up when you select a challenge, there is a symbol which is the same as the symbol for the upgrade screen (a hammer or something). the number next to it represents the maximum level for ALL your upgrades meaning BOTH tower upgrades while playing the game and upgrades with stars before playing the game.

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.
posted by Bwithh at 2:28 PM 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??? :)


I actually found the first challenge levels the hardest, personally, and finished them after I did a whole bunch of later ones, some of which are relatively easy

The trick for the hardest challenge levels seems to be in timing. There are moments when you've just made enough money to plonk down a new tower to kill a few enemies that are rushing to the exit, and there's like a window of some seconds to do that, maybe backed up by some reinforcements, and stop them all. and if you miss that window: game over, man, game over.

Also try to position your barracks troops to maximize tower kill zones, but that goes without saying
posted by Bwithh at 9:08 PM 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

The programmers (who are based in Uruguay btw) say on their Facebook wall for the game that there will be an expansion with extra levels "soon".

Also a sequel is being planned.
posted by Bwithh at 2:28 PM on August 12, 2011

a "premium content" special features set has just been added. You have to sign up with Armor Games and start your levels all over again but you get bonus $ per level , a new power (lightning - this doesn't affect game difficulty much because its randomized and too infrequent), your reinforcements go from 2 to 3 (this is more significant for game difficulty) and can be Star Wars, Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter (I think?) themed; and finally you get 15 bonus stars (this probably makes early levels a bit too easy).

This premium content isn't free but you can ignore the recommended pricing and pay as much or as little as you like . Even if you are not interested in the premium content, you might consider tossing the Uruguayan game developers some $ if you enjoyed the game first time round.
posted by Bwithh at 10:06 PM on August 21, 2011