Legends of Kingdom Rush (2021) [+]
Jun 10 2024
Legends of Kingdom Rush is a turn-based tactical game where you take a team of three heroes through four campaigns. In each campaign you travel a point-to-point map where each node is a battle, trader, or skill-based event. In the second half of each campaign you are joined by a (random?) fourth member.
Battles are turn based with an initiative order. Each unit can move then fight (ranger and another unit can fight then move). Every unit has a couple of special skills which can be used then take one or more turns to recharge. Attacks do damage (+/- 1 or 2 around the base damage for the attack) which first goes through armor (some attacks bypass armor) then subtracts life points. Units can be stunned (lose a turn), immobilized (can't move but can attack), poisoned/on fire (damaged each turn), and have other effects on them.
Each battle or encounter gives you experience which can be used to level up your units to level 2 and the maximum level 3. At the beginning of a campaign all units start at level 1 which keeps the campaigns balanced as you redo them with different units -- which you do because there is a separate experience each unit gets at the end of the campaign which eventually increases their tier to 2 or 3 (max for common units) or even 4 or 5 (max for legendary units). Each tier adds an ability option and when a unit levels up they get one more ability (with higher tier units getting a choice of abilities to add).
Each campaign has distinctly different enemies: orcs; ice people; fire people (lots of burning effects); wood people (poison effects). Each campaign ends in a boss battle which can be tough the first time until you learn the mechanics and patterns of the boss (two or three turns is enough to see the pattern). Unit life points carry over from node to node (before travel you can heal with potions and some units can regenerate during combat). If a unit dies then after the battle they come back with one less max life point (though that can be cured with an item). If all units die in a battle the campaign ends and you have to restart.
Graphics are cartoony and sounds/voices are suitable for kids. Mechanics are not hard either though the game is more suitable for 12+ rather than the 9+ rating. There are 18 units (6 legendary -- a party is one legendary and two common units and the fourth is also a common) so good amount of variety as you play different combinations even though each campaign stays the same (the map node contents are random each play and each combat node you see a unit type so you can go around hard combats, though travel is always forward and never side or backwards).
I think I played this game about 20 hours before I got bored and I've used about 2/3rds of the units. It's a fairly worthwhile game to play an Apple Arcade.
Battles are turn based with an initiative order. Each unit can move then fight (ranger and another unit can fight then move). Every unit has a couple of special skills which can be used then take one or more turns to recharge. Attacks do damage (+/- 1 or 2 around the base damage for the attack) which first goes through armor (some attacks bypass armor) then subtracts life points. Units can be stunned (lose a turn), immobilized (can't move but can attack), poisoned/on fire (damaged each turn), and have other effects on them.
Each battle or encounter gives you experience which can be used to level up your units to level 2 and the maximum level 3. At the beginning of a campaign all units start at level 1 which keeps the campaigns balanced as you redo them with different units -- which you do because there is a separate experience each unit gets at the end of the campaign which eventually increases their tier to 2 or 3 (max for common units) or even 4 or 5 (max for legendary units). Each tier adds an ability option and when a unit levels up they get one more ability (with higher tier units getting a choice of abilities to add).
Each campaign has distinctly different enemies: orcs; ice people; fire people (lots of burning effects); wood people (poison effects). Each campaign ends in a boss battle which can be tough the first time until you learn the mechanics and patterns of the boss (two or three turns is enough to see the pattern). Unit life points carry over from node to node (before travel you can heal with potions and some units can regenerate during combat). If a unit dies then after the battle they come back with one less max life point (though that can be cured with an item). If all units die in a battle the campaign ends and you have to restart.
Graphics are cartoony and sounds/voices are suitable for kids. Mechanics are not hard either though the game is more suitable for 12+ rather than the 9+ rating. There are 18 units (6 legendary -- a party is one legendary and two common units and the fourth is also a common) so good amount of variety as you play different combinations even though each campaign stays the same (the map node contents are random each play and each combat node you see a unit type so you can go around hard combats, though travel is always forward and never side or backwards).
I think I played this game about 20 hours before I got bored and I've used about 2/3rds of the units. It's a fairly worthwhile game to play an Apple Arcade.