Apple Arcade: A Review of Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+

Tap-to-play controls make Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ simple and easy for all age groups. When overwhelming waves of enemies are incoming, there's no room for confusion or mistakes.

By tapping twice to build a tower and call the wave of enemies forwards (doing so early gets you extra gold), players can easily defeat enemies. In order to place Heroes, players simply tap on the card that shows that Hero, and then tap on the spot they want their Hero to attack. Players can also easily use powers the same way, first tapping the card and then the area of attack.

Basically, anyone can play Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+, not that it isn't challenging because it certainly is.

Pros

• Tap-to-play simplistic controls.
• Simple tutorial teaches players how to use controls.
• Great for all age groups.
• Simple controls help reduce chaos when large waves of enemies are attacking.

Cons

• None!

The gameplay in Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ is, in a word, challenging. I've played quite a few castle to tower defense games. Generally, they are strategy-heavy games, whether they are mobile or not, and that's to be expected.

Maybe, I am out of practice, but I found Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ tricky. That doesn't mean it isn't fun, just that players should expect to be able to get three stars for every tower. They can definitely try, it just might take a bit of time and dedication. Of course, this is all dependent on what difficulty mode players chose. However, I found that even "Normal" mode was difficult and more challenging than I expected. And, though I expected "Casual" to be easy, it wasn't much easier than "Normal."

That didn't stop me, though, from enjoying Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+, and spending many hours moving from tower to tower and wondering where my day went. For mobile gamers who love a tower defense game, previous Kingdom Rush games, or don't mind a challenge, Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ is worth a try, because it's both entertaining and challenging.

Difficulty modes

• Casual- For tower defense beginners.
• Normal- More challenging ("A good challenge!")
• Veteran- Difficult ("Play at your own risk!").
• Impossible- Not for the faint of heart (must first complete the campaign to play impossible mode).

Pros

• Seemingly endless variations of gameplay.
• Interesting enemies that help add to gameplay variation.
• Various unlockable towers with pros and cons that help increase strategy difficulty.
• Cool upgrades and unlockable Heroes.
• Relevant achievements that help make gameplay satisfying and worthwhile.

Cons

• Bugs that cause towers to cease attacking randomly.
• Other reported bugs related to gameplay, such as freezing or inaccuracy of attacks.
• Difficulty modes aren't distinct enough. In particular, casual is not that much easier than "Normal."

What stops Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ from being redundant and predictable is, in part, due to the various Enemies and Heroes. Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ includes 14 Heroes and over 60 Enemies, all with unique powers and abilities.

The Heroes in Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ are unique, ranging from Orcs to Vampires to Dragons, and while not all Heroes are as successful as others, each hero is unlocked as players advance and can be leveled up and used depending on what hero players prefer. What I took issue with in terms of Heroes is that I expected the heroes to keep getting stronger and better and more effective, but this is not necessarily the case. Some Heroes are simply better than other, so players will have to find out for themselves what they prefer based on their strategy and approach.

Enemies, however, are awesome. In fact, I found myself wanting to play as some of the strong, epic, creative enemies offered in Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+. All in all, with over 60 enemies ranging from Woodcutters to Alchemists to Nanoq Warbears, players will find that each new enemy comes with its own challenges and players will have to consider their actions based on those complex enemies.

Heroes

1. Veruk- An Orc Warrior
2. Asra- Deadly Shadow Assassin
3. Olach- Demon trained in dark arts
4. Margosa- Shapeshifting Vampire
5. Mortemis- An Old Wizard King
6. Tramin- Genius Inventor
7. Jigou- Powerful Ice Monster
8. Beresad- Gold hoarding Ancient Dragon
9. Doom Tank SG-11- Machine and "Harbinger of Doom"
10. Jun'Pai- Conqueror and "Deep Devil"
11. EisKalt- Son of Jokull and heir to the north
12. Murglun- Young Magma Dragon
13. Dianyun- The Dragon King
14. Jack O'Lantern- Skilled Knight and Jack O'Lantern Mercenary

Pros

• 16 unique Heroes to unlock.
• Over 60 creative enemies to fight.
• Challenge increases with each tower and as new enemies are introduced.

Cons

• As players unlock new heroes, they will find the next hero isn't necessarily more powerful than the last. So, they may end up sticking with a previous hero that works for their gameplay.

Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ is a great addition to Apple Arcade, complete with comic-themed art, cute action fighting dialogue, and towers that get cuter and cuter as players advance. While gameplay is certainly challenging, that is kind of the point of a tower defense game.

Players should prepare to lose themselves in strategy, while unlocking Heroes, fighting over 60 Enemies, and enjoying what each tower throws at them.

Though there are still some bugs to be found in Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+, I didn't find myself bogged down by those bugs, and those bugs were few and far between. For mobile gamers who love strategy and aren't afraid of a challenge (I date them to play "Impossible" mode once they finish the campaign), Kingdom Rush Vengeance TD+ is sure to offer them hours of entertainment, while still making them use their brains.

Pros

• Easy, tap-to-play controls.
• Cool Heroes and Enemies that make gameplay fun and entertaining.
• Relevant achievements and cool upgrades
• Challenging tower defense.

Cons

• Bugs that have yet to be fixed, as this is a new release.
• Difficulty modes aren't as distinct as they could be.
• Heroes don't necessarily get better as players advance and unlock them.