Kingdom Rush is created by Armor Games. You might know them from various gaming websites, they are known for their games that involve strategy and cunning gameplay. Kingdom Rush is no exception, it's a defense game that combines much-needed wit and exceptional polish. The core experience is similar to games like balloon defense - waves of enemies follow a pre-set path and must be eliminated by structures purchased in the given area. The concept is that a player can place "Barracks" towers that send out three foot soldiers, they normally are able to slow down the enemy. If players were to put archers or mages next to the barracks, they would easily be able to turn the tide of war in their favor.
Although Kingdom Rush only contains four base tower types which seems a bit small, each tower can be upgraded into two separate categories. These towers can then to be customized even further by having special abilities. This not only gives players a suprising amount of special abilities, but it pays off for those that plan ahead and have a solid plan. For example, the archer tower upgrades are able to shoot very far away or able to deal massive amounts of damage. The "Ranger" or the high damage archer is very useful at the beginning of the enemy's path, but minuscule at the end.
Kingdom Rush is one of the best tower defense games on my chart, let alone on a mobile device. Each level or battleground has their perfect balance of gameplay. It's tough to complete levels but it's not so hard that it makes you feel stupid. If a giant Orc gets past you - use more soldiers. Fast enemies getting on your nerves - upgrade your archery tower to pick them off. It's a play and learn type of game, one level at a time. What in my opinion certainly helps the entire game is the looks and the sound. I'm a sucker for games that have a basic graphic look. If I were to describe the game, I would say it's a stylish, cartoon look that has a slight "fantasy" feel. The sound is on a whole different level, every tower says a one-line phrase when upgraded, the clashing of swords and the zap of lightning bolts through your headphones is pretty awesome. The music plays a heroic tune that just makes you want to kill some goblins and fight to save the kingdom.
The Video above is from youtube, it shows the basic concept of the game. you are able to build towers on the areas with signs on them and the main goal is not to let the enemy fully deplete your hearts on the upper left corner of the screen.
Closing Opinion
Kingdom rush is a great game for those who have experience in tower defense and those who want to get into that genre. After clearing the 12-mission campaign, you are more than welcome to return back to your favorite battles and complete special challenges, adding hours upon hours of replay value. More importantly, Kingdom Rush is a game that keeps you on your toes with Bosses on certain missions, Easter Eggs, and over 50 achievements. This games seems to have it all in one package, while still having that "I want to play more" feeling. All in all it's high quality game play and nice clean polish will make it the #1 strategy game for a while, and an almost guarantee in my book to turn up on the 2012 "best of" list.
The Armor Games website below provides more detail about the game if you're unsure about purchasing it yet. The link takes you directly to Kingdom Rush so you can try it out to see if you really want to spend the money to have it on your portable device.
http://armorgames.com/play/12141/kingdom-rush
GAMESTATION REVIEW
FOR
KINGDOM RUSH (IPHONE)
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | Click here for ratings guide | |
| 9.5 | Presentation Kingdom Rush has one of the best presentations I've ever seen. I was never good at tower defense games, but with this tutorial you'll get how to play within minutes. | |
| 9 | Graphics The cartoon childish graphics doesn't lose its luster in this game. | |
| 9 | Sound The sound of the battlefield never gets old. Swords shattering, the release of arrows, and shooting spells have kept me playing the game for about 4 hours over the weekend and I'm still in love with it. | |
| 9.5 | Gameplay The first few missions can be nerve racking at first but you have a good understanding of what needs to be done. They have displays on the areas where enemies are coming so you know what to prepare for. | |
| 9 | Lasting Appeal You can change your basic layout however you'd like. You can be archer based or wizard based, either way with +50 achievements this game won't be deleted anytime soon. | |
| Amazing | ||
Good, detailed review of the game. How can you add more style and voice to this review? I can find lots of places online that will review a game; how can you make yours different? What unique insight or analysis can you provide?
ReplyDeleteGood use of supporting material. How about a clip of some gameplay? Embed it into the post.