Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD

As a longtime fan of the Kingdom Rush series since childhood, I was excited to dive into this latest installment. The game introduces a wealth of new content, including additional stages and innovative mechanics, such as having two units guarding the final objective. These additions enhance the strategic depth and make for an engaging experience. However, while I appreciate the fresh approach, I do miss some elements from the original game most notably, the classic tower upgrade system. In previous titles, towers reached level 3 before branching into one of two specialized upgrades, each with distinct visual and functional differences. For example, archer towers could evolve into a high-speed tree archer or a slower but more powerful gun tower. This system added an extra layer of strategic decision-making that I feel is somewhat lacking in the current iteration. Additionally, I would love to see more variety in explosives. The original Kingdom Rush offered around seven different bomb-based abilities, while this version only includes three. Expanding these options could add more tactical diversity and enhance gameplay. That said, the game does an excellent job of delivering fresh challenges while staying true to the franchise’s charm. The expanded stage selection and new mechanics are fantastic additions, and I appreciate the effort to innovate while maintaining the core experience that fans love. Overall, while I have some nostalgic preferences, this latest Kingdom Rush entry is a fantastic addition to the series and a must-play for both veterans and newcomers alike.

I love the Kingdom Rush games, but the first three were far better than the more recent ones, Vengeance and Alliance. This one doesn’t seem to be as strategy oriented as the earlier games, which did a great job of creating challenges that required a certain balance of tower types. This one, I seem to be using a lot of the same towers to be successful, and the AoE towers and crowd control seem practically useless, especially in the later levels, because of the overuse of strong flying types that force you to overemphasize range towers. I also hate the fact that they stopped including an encyclopedia—when they first give you the info for a certain enemy weakness, you better memorize it because there is no finding that info again (I can’t even find it on the internet). Basically the old games were very strategic, where you had to pay attention to the layout and enemy types that spawned and choose towers accordingly. but the newer games just fill like battles of attrition, where you’re just randomly guessing what towers to place until one works. There was one level that I was only able to finally pass by placing nothing but the first archery tower in every spot, which really highlights how phoned in the challenges are anymore. Also, since they started selling towers, the games have more of a pay-to-win feel to them that cheapens the whole experience. I think Ironhide is getting greedy, and their desire to monetize every aspects of the game is causing the quality to suffer.

Hi Ironhide! I recently purchased your game, and just wanted to leave some feedback on it. First of all: I feel like the health bars with your troops and the enemy are much too similar, and it can get very confusing trying to tell who is who. I think changing the enemy health bar to something dark like purple would work better, and keeping the players as green/red. I also feel as though the characters and towers being locked behind a paywall is quite annoying. I know that you want to make money off of all the effort you put in to making this, (beautiful art by the way,) but we already payed money just to play. I think you should add an option to complete challenges in order to unlock the towers- it would really give players a chance to strive for something. Believe me, unlocking an item or character by putting in the work after being presented with the option to spend money, (the easy way out), it really adds to the sense of accomplishment that you get from overcoming a challenge without taking the easy way. Besides that, great game! The art is so amazing, and I love some of the references you made to other games. Keep being awesome! -Ashdroid