There are plenty of tower defense games in the Windows and Windows Phone Stores, and Bloons TD Battles hopes to catch your attention with its head-to-head competition with other players to see who has the strongest defenses.
The concept behind Bloons TD Battles has you defending against wave upon wave of enemy balloons (or "bloons", in the game's parlance) while your opponent is doing the same. The game has twenty towers to place along the paths these vicious balloons will take.
Graphics are good and gameplay challenging with a fast-pace. Overall Bloons TD Battles is a fun game for passing the time. We took the Windows Phone version of the game out for a test drive and found it to be a fun, addictive game to pass the time with.
There is a lot to this Windows Phone game and a few of the key features of Bloons TD Battles include:
- 18 Custom battlefields or tracks to defend
- 20 Tower defenses, each with eight upgrades
- 3 Gaming modes
- Weekly challenges
- 16 in-game achievements
The three gaming modes include:
- Defensive Mode: Build up your defenses and outlast your challenger as you are invaded by hostile balloons
- Assault Mode: Manage your defenses and send custom bloons directly against your opponent
- Battle Arena Mode: Battle for medallions that can be used to upgrade and unlock defense towers.
You also have a practice mode to hone your skills and the ability to create and join private matches to challenge your Facebook friends. You have your choice of Defense or Assault modes in the Play with Friends option.
When you first launch Bloons TD Battles, the game will walk you through an extensive tutorial. The tutorial will covers everything you need to know to play the game, including placing your towers, upgrading them, dispatching bloons against your opponent and unlocking new towers. Should you ever need to revisit the tutorial, you can access it from the gaming mode menu.
Before entering battle, you will have the opportunity to select which defensive towers you want to use during the competition. You start Bloons TD Battles with the basic towers available and can unlock additional towers as you earn medallions during gameplay.
For the most part, gameplay is consistent throughout Bloons TD Battles regardless of the gaming mode. The game screen is split with you and your opponent defending one side or the other. Your gaming controls line one side and represents the available towers. In the middle of the screen is your cash count and running across the top of the gaming screen is yours and your opponent's health meter. Each bloon that passes through your defenses will reduce your health.
You begin each battle with a small amount of gaming cash that can purchase about two defensive towers. As you take out bloons, you will earn additional cash that can be used to put more towers into play or upgrade existing towers.
Towers are put into play by tapping/dragging the icon from the menu to the battlefield. A green circle will appear representing the range of the tower's weapons; if it's not an acceptable location the circle will turn red. When your cash flow allows, you can upgrade your tower to increase its effectiveness. Just tap on the tower and an upgrade menu will appear at the bottom of the screen.
If you are playing the Assault Mode, in addition to setting up defenses you will have the ability to send a variety of bloons against your opponent. The bloons will cost you gaming cash and can be upgraded to increase their defenses.
Battles continue in waves until either you or your opponent runs out of health. At the conclusion of the battle, if victorious, you will earn medallions that can be used to upgrade or unlock towers and bloons. You also have the option to unlock items or boost your medallion count through in-app purchases.
Gameplay starts the second you transition from the tower set-up screen to the battlefield. You will need to be quick in setting up your first few towers to avoid being overrun with bloons.
Keep in mind you will need to register with Bloons TD Battles to pick a fight with a Facebook friend or back up your gaming progress so it can transfer between devices.
A fast-paced and intense gaming experience
Bloons TD Battles is a fast-paced game with colorful graphics and animations. It is a challenging game with a unique twist in that it's not every day you have to defend yourself against an invading army of balloons.
Gameplay is challenging and can be very involving with so many factors to balance such as choosing the right towers for a game, managing your towers during a game or picking the right bloons to unleash. There is an element of strategy to Bloons TD Battles beyond popping balloons. If you don't place and upgrade your towers efficiently, it is easy to become overwhelmed with bloons and sending a few bloons your opponents way can make a dent in their health. Then there is the aspect of the game where you are funding your defenses. Cash flow isn't terribly restrictive, but you have to manage your resources carefully as you place new towers and upgrade existing towers.
All in all, Bloons TD Battles is a fun game to spend a little time with. There is a lot to this game but not to the point where it feels complicated or overwhelming. The multiple gaming modes give the game a little more longevity through the variety and there is a slight addictive pull to Bloons TD Battles.
Bloons TD Battles is a free game, with several in-app purchase opportunities, that is available in both the Windows PC and Windows Phone Stores. Bloon TD Battles does support low-memory Windows Phones.
Download Bloons TD Battles for Windows PC and Windows Phones
