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Bloons Tower Defense

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Bloons Tower Defense
The logo for Bloons TD on iOS
Genre(s)Tower defense
Developer(s)Ninja Kiwi,
Digital Goldfish Ltd. (iOS)
Publisher(s)Ninja Kiwi
Platform(s)Android, browser, iOS, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DSi
First releaseBloons TD
2007
Latest releaseBloons Monkey City
  • WW: November 25, 2013

Bloons Tower Defense (also known as Bloons TD) is a series of tower defense games under the Bloons series produced and created by Ninja Kiwi. The game was initially developed as a browser game, built upon the Adobe Flash platform and released in 2007. Later games in the series expanded to support various mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DSi.

In the game, players attempt to prevent balloons (called bloons in-game) from reaching the end of a set course by placing towers along it; units which can pop the bloons in a variety of ways. It is also possible to freeze and, in later levels, glue the bloons, giving other towers more time to pop them. Money is gained by popping bloons and completing levels, and can be spent on extra towers or upgrades for existing ones or even special items such as exploding pineapples and monkey tacks.

The series has received mixed reception, with most games reviewed well. Some versions have been described as the best free tower defense games for their platform while criticism for the games has largely been due to lack of innovation in recent games and performance issues.

Gameplay

The main objective of Bloons TD is to prevent balloons, known in-game as "bloons", from reaching the end of a defined track on a map which consists of one or more entrances and exits for the bloons. The game is a tower defense game and thus the player can choose various types of towers and traps at his or her disposal to place around the track in order to defend against the bloons, gaining points for every bloon popped.[1][2] If a bloon reaches the end of a path, the player loses lives (or in later games, health); once these are depleted, the game ends.[3][4]

Bloons follow the map's set path on the track until they either reach the exit(s) or are popped. There are multiple types of bloons, with tougher variants containing a number of weaker ones.[5] In some versions of the game bloons possess special abilities, or strengths, that resist certain tower types.[6] With each level, the intensity of bloon waves proportionately increases.[7]

Towers are the main defensive utility in the Bloons TD series. Each tower has its own unique purpose, power, and use, with some being powerful against specific bloons but unable to target others effectively.[8] Every tower can be upgraded to increase power and other capabilities by spending the in-game currency, known simply as 'money', which is earned by popping bloons and at the end of each round.[8] In Bloons TD 4 and Bloons TD 5, certain towers can be placed to produce additional money.[9]

In later games, there are 4 difficulty levels to play each level on, and there are 5 different types of maps rated by difficulty; beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, and extreme With each harder difficulty the player plays on, the less lives they have and the more each tower and upgrade cost.

Series

There are currently six main games in the Bloons Tower Defense series, in addition to various add-on packs and spin-offs such as Bloons Tower Defense 4 Expansion and Bloons Monkey City.[10] The series was retitled from Bloons Tower Defense to Bloons TD in 2009 due to infringement on the TowerDefense trademark owned by Com2uS.[11]

Bloons Tower Defense and Bloons Tower Defense 2

A screenshot of the original Bloons Tower Defense.

Bloons Tower Defense is the first game in the BTD series, released for free as a flash browser game in late 2007.[12] In the game players had to defend against coloured bloons with monkeys, dart throwers, and other towers positioned around the map.[13] When strong bloons are popped they release weaker ones until eventually completely popping.[5] Bloons Tower Defense 2 was released soon after in early 2008,[12] adding new towers, multiple map options, new bloons, and an option for game difficulty.[14]

Bloons TD 3

A screenshot of the Bloons TD 3 browser version.

Bloons TD 3 was released around October 2008, months after the release of Bloons Tower Defense 2, named differently due to a trademark dispute with Com2uS.[11][12] As with the second game, new towers, bloons, and maps were added.[15]

A version based on this game was released for iOS titled Bloons TD; made available on October 3, 2009 from the iOS App Store.[7] This version had extra maps styled in snow and beach themes,[16] and included OpenFeint achievements.[17] The game included 5 map packs, containing a total of 15 different levels to play, with packs unlocked by completing the previous levels.[4] This version of the game was also released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.[2] Another version of the game, simply titled Bloons TD, was released for DSiWare in 2011, containing 50 rounds to complete.[18][19]

Bloons TD 4

Bloons TD 4 was released in October 2009 online with an iOS version released on 7 December 2010, developed in conjunction with Digital Goldfish.[20][21][22] The gameplay underwent changes including a graphical update, the ability to save the current game, and the introduction of an unlock-based leveling system.[3] The tower upgrading system received various changes including increasing the number of upgrades per tower,[12] and new maps and game modes were added.[23]

iPhone and iPad versions of this title have been purchased over one million times.[24] A version of the game was also released as a DSiWare game in 2012.[25]

Bloons TD 5

A screenshot of the Bloons TD 5 iOS version.

Bloons TD 5 was released in December 2011 with improved graphics and additional upgrades, tracks, towers, and bloon types.[8] The game also introduced a daily challenge feature which sets a certain goal for the player to achieve, rewarding him or her with more in-game currency.[26] On November 15, 2012, BTD 5 was released on iOS worldwide for iPhones and iPods.[8] Also with a new update for the mobile version of BTD5, a new tower was added called the "Submarine". The submarine was later added to the online version in July 2015.

Bloons TD Battles

Bloons TD Battles was released in 2012,[27] and later to Android and iOS platforms in 2013.[28] The gameplay is similar to that in Bloons TD 5 but two players compete against one another in one of two game modes. In "assault" mode, each player normally progresses through the levels. However, the players are also given the ability to purchase additional bloons, sending them to the opponent, overwhelming their competitor.[29] In "defense" mode, the players play a natural game, the screen split vertically. Players can use money to increase their income. Both game objectives are to outlast the opponent in surviving the bloon attacks. The mobile version of Bloons TD Battles is exclusive as it has two non-PC towers, the Submarine and an exclusive tower called the "Cobra".[30] Using the system's skill-based matching system, players can be automatically matched with one another.[31]

Bloons Monkey City

Bloons Monkey City is the latest game in the series released in December 2013. Like Bloons TD Battles, the core gameplay is similar to that of BTD5, however, the player has to maintain a city, expanding the city by capturing bloon-infested areas called tiles. One important goal of the game is to level your city up. You can gain XP to level your city up by capturing tiles or building towers. You can also fight other players though an in-game feature called Monkey v. Monkey. You can also launch raids of your own using "bloontonium". This can be acquired by capturing certain tiles or with bloontonium generators. If your opponent can not defend against your raid, you gain city cash. City cash is used to build towers. One item of this game sets it apart from all other Bloons TD games. You have to build towers that let you upgrade your monkeys and even gain monkeys in the first place. You also have to build towers to allow you to use certain bloons in raids. Some special upgrades and towers require you to build certain special towers, such as the rubber repair. Another interesting part of this game is a thing called contested territory. This is a minigame where you compete against other players to survive the most levels on a trickier-than-normal track. In this special mini game, you can gain city cash, special rewards such as monkey knowledge packs, and more. Monkey knowledge packs gain XP for your monkeys, leveling them up. When you level your monkeys up, they can either become more powerful, cheaper, or more. This game was released on browser, but a port to iOS and Android was released in December 2014 and February 2015 respectively.[32][33]

Reception

Shortly after the release of Bloons Tower Defense, Lore Sjöberg of Wired described the game as cheerful and addictive, calling it "pop culture at its best".[13] In 2012, Justin Davis of IGN described Bloons Tower Defense as one of the best free tower defense games, despite its "amateurish" artwork.[5] He later noted the first entry's lack of depth, and that the sequel improved this.[14]

IGN editor Daemon Hatfield said that he thought Bloons Tower Defense 3 succeeded in standing out in the crowded genre by having sufficient core game mechanics and adding an individual twist.[34] The game's iOS version received mixed reviews with some authors praising the unique towers and good gameplay, though the user interface, controls, and lack of leaderboards were criticised.[4][7][35] The DS version received similar reception, with Lucas Thomas of IGN describing it as "a pretty good take on good old Bloons TD."[18] Eurogamer's Kristan Reed gave the PSP version 8/10, describing it as "transfixing", though he said that the music appeared to be designed to "drive you insane".[15]

GameZebo editor Jim Squires gave Bloons Tower Defense 4 a 3.5/5 rating, praising it on its well designed maps and towers and for having a large amount of content, but he criticized the game for not "bringing anything new to the genre."[20] GamePro editor Ryan Rigney gave Bloons Tower Defense 4 a 2/5 rating, stating that it had the same Bloons Tower Defense gameplay as the previous titles, and "the screen eventually gets so hectic that it's no longer fun to play"; an issue which many other reviews also responded negatively to.[3][20][36]

Bloons TD 5 was received similarly to its previous version, with reviewers commenting positively on the number of maps, towers, and levels, but criticising the lack of innovation to the tower-defense genre and performance issues at higher levels.[8][9] Both Bloons TD 4 and Bloons TD 5 featured among the top 10 paid iPhone apps in the iOS App Store,[37][38] with Bloons TD 4 selling over 1 million copies.[24] Bloons TD remained in the top 100 apps for at least 3 months,[16] and Bloons TD 5 was the 8th most purchased iPhone app in 2013.[39] Overall, the game series has been played over 1 billion times across web and mobile devices.[40]

References

  1. ^ "Bloons TD". PC Welt (in German). 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b Jordan, Jon (24 June 2010). "Bloons TD coming to PSP Minis". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Nesvadba, Andrew (6 January 2011). "Bloons TD 4 Review". App Spy. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Rattray, Tim (21 October 2009). "Bloons Tower Defense Review". Slide to Play. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Davis, Justin (7 March 2012). "Free Game of the Day: Bloons Tower Defense". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  6. ^ Bedford, John (26 November 2012). "App Of The Day: Bloons TD 5". Gametrailers.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Chiappara, Damian (4 October 2009). "Bloons TD Review". App Spy. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d e Aylott, Chris. "Bloons TD 5 Review". SlidetoPlay.com. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Leif. "Bloons TD 5 Review". Gamezebo.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Tower Defense Games". Ninja Kiwi. Archived from the original on 2014-01-25. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  11. ^ a b Jordan, Jon (25 January 2010). "Com2uS "guides" developers not to use its trademark Tower Defense". PocketGamer.biz. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d Harris, Stephen (May 13, 2013). "Game of Fame: Bloons Tower Defense". DailyTekk. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Sjöberg, Lore (16 August 2007). "Browser Game: Bloons Tower Defense is Pop Culture at its Best". Wired. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  14. ^ a b Davis, Justin (16 March 2012). "Free Game of the Day: Bloons Tower Defense 2". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  15. ^ a b Reed, Kristan (9 July 2010). "Download Games Roundup". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  16. ^ a b Jordan, Jon (17 August 2009). "Bloons Tower Defense popping over to App Store". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  17. ^ Jordan, Jon (6 November 2009). "Revealed: Bloons Tower Defense's OpenFeint achievements". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  18. ^ a b Thomas, Lucas (10 November 2011). "Bloons Tower Defense Review". IGN.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  19. ^ East, Thomas (6 December 2011). "Pullblox coming to 3DS eShop this week". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  20. ^ a b c Jim Squires (24 January 2011). "Bloons TD 4 Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  21. ^ Yonemoto, Tracy (16 February 2011). "Bloons TD 4 review". App Safari. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Here it is: Bloons TD 4". Bloons TD 4 Release Text. Ninja Kiwi. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 17 January 2013 suggested (help)
  23. ^ Narcisse, Evan (29 November 2012). "Pac-Man, Wii U YouTube and a Romantic Airport Management Game from the Makers of Professor Layton Arrive in The Nintendo Download The Week". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  24. ^ a b "Kiwi games industry booms". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  25. ^ Reed, Philip (2 December 2012). "Bloons TD 4 (DSiWare) Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  26. ^ Lada, Jenni (8 January 2013). "Android Amusements: Bloons TD 5". Technology Tell. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  27. ^ Aaron. "A New Year, A Ninja Kiwi Year". Ninja Kiwi Official Blog. Ninja Kiwi. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  28. ^ Aaron. "Bloons TD Battles iOS - Out now for FREE!". Ninja Kiwi Official Blog. Ninja Kiwi. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 4 January 2014 suggested (help)
  29. ^ Nichols, Scott. "Mobile reviews: 'Pac-Man Dash', 'Sky Gamblers: Cold War', more". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  30. ^ Bedford, John. "Bloons TD Battles iPhone Review". Modojo. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  31. ^ "Bloons TD Battles Brings Sniper Monkeys, Multiplayer Tower Defense to iOS Devices". The Market for Computer & Video Games. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  32. ^ Gould, Aaron. "What's Up at Ninja Kiwi? - 18 December '14". Ninja Kiwi Blog. Ninja Kiwi. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  33. ^ Gould, Aaron. "What's Up At Ninja Kiwi? - 05 February '15". Ninja Kiwi Blog. Ninja Kiwi. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  34. ^ Daemon Hatfield (March 10, 2009). "Daemon's Take on Bloons Tower Defense 3 - Web Games Feature at IGN". IGN. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  35. ^ Rick Broida (19 October 2009). "Five awesome iPhone tower defense games". CNET. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  36. ^ Ryan Rigney (December 15, 2010). "Bloons TD 4 Review from GamePro". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  37. ^ Cowan, Danny (13 December 2010). "Top iPhone and iPod Touch Game Apps: Infinity Blade, Bloons TD 4 See Big Sales". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  38. ^ Chang, Jon (17 December 2013). "Candy Crush Saga Is Apple's Most Downloaded App of 2013". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  39. ^ Graham, Jefferson (17 December 2013). "Apple reveals top app downloads of 2013: Candy wins". USA Today. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  40. ^ Chapman-Smith, Ben (21 November 2012). "Auckland company's latest game making it big in US". The Aucklander. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
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