Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD
- July 25, 2024
- Ironhide Game Studio
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD" is a strategy game where players join forces with unlikely allies to defeat a powerful evil. Players can control two heroes on the battlefield and command a variety of units, including Paladins, Archers, Mages, and Necromancers. The game features fast-paced and captivating gameplay, with the possibility of units arguing and causing chaos, adding a unique twist to the strategy genre.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and engaging gameplay, maintaining the charm of the Kingdom Rush series.
- The introduction of dual heroes adds a new layer of strategy and fun to the gameplay.
- The tower variety is impressive, offering unique options that encourage different strategies.
- The campaign is significantly shorter than previous titles, with only 16 levels and no additional content at launch.
- Many players feel that the game lacks innovation, as it reuses mechanics and towers from earlier games.
- The difficulty level is perceived as too easy, even on higher settings, leading to a lack of challenge.
- gameplay284 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance is generally well-received, praised for its engaging tower defense mechanics and the introduction of a dual hero system that adds strategic depth. However, many players express disappointment over the game's short length and a perceived lack of innovation compared to previous titles, with some mechanics feeling repetitive or uninspired. While the graphics and overall polish are highlighted as strong points, concerns about balance and the limited variety of towers and heroes persist, leading to mixed feelings about the game's value for its price.
“The gameplay is incredibly engaging, with a perfect blend of strategy and action that keeps you hooked for hours.”
“Great gameplay design and art design, everything feels great and engaging.”
“Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance is a fantastic addition to the series with much improvement in terms of gameplay over Kingdom Rush Vengeance.”
“Best graphics but worst gameplay of the series.”
“Very short campaign, same gameplay as always.”
“The maps were annoying to play because of the 'eye' mechanic of the maps, healing and buffing the enemy units.”
- story187 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in the latest Kingdom Rush installment has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over its brevity and lack of depth compared to previous games in the series. While some appreciate the engaging lore and character interactions, the campaign is criticized for being too short, lacking side missions, and feeling rushed, leaving players wanting more content and narrative development. Overall, the game is seen as fun but underwhelming in terms of storytelling, with hopes for future updates to expand the narrative experience.
“Love the storytelling and the lore.”
“The bosses are creative and feel epic to take down with their special mechanics, and the story isn't made as a joke; there's an actual plot that builds on the last game, and it's not a bad one either.”
“Additionally, the game's story is incredibly amusing, adding another layer of enjoyment to the overall experience.”
“The campaign is short, there's no side missions, the enemy mobs are overly spongey, the heroes are, in my opinion, boring.”
“The story feels very short, even compared to the other Kingdom Rush games, which all have a very short story.”
“Campaign is very shallow and not sure if it's just quickly or lazily put together but it lacks anything that drags you into the story.”
- graphics120 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, charming art style, and attention to detail, with many considering them a highlight of the franchise. While some players note a lack of variety in art style after the initial stages, the overall aesthetic is described as colorful and engaging, contributing to an immersive experience. However, there are criticisms regarding the gameplay and content depth, suggesting that the focus on graphics may have come at the expense of other game elements.
“Awesome visuals and attention to detail with the level design.”
“The graphics and sound design are top-notch, creating an immersive experience that draws you into the world of Kingdom Rush.”
“Stunning art and animations: the visuals are as charming and polished as ever.”
“Quality of visuals, sounds, music and design visibly deteriorated.”
“The graphic is less crisp than Vengeance.”
“Look if you enjoy this game that is fine by me but comparing this game to the other four in the series it's not even close with this game being by far the worst one with the other four having more enemy variety, better towers and heroes in general, and overall better graphics because this game feels more like a cartoon than a Kingdom Rush game and I understand that the new game is on a new engine but it seems like it went way overboard with the crappy cartoon style.”
- music42 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the latest Kingdom Rush games has received mixed reviews, with some players praising it as a step up from previous titles, while others feel it lacks the iconic quality and power of earlier soundtracks. Complaints include the music being perceived as generic, overcompressed, and not fitting the game's theme, with some noting a noticeable decline in audio quality compared to the 2011 version. Overall, while the art and design are celebrated, the music seems to be a point of contention among fans.
“The music and art excel.”
“Awesome, entertaining, the music is great, the design and art is beautiful.”
“This game's art style is a perfect blend of the old and new style, nearly every level has fun easter eggs to find, the music is also a step up from the past two games in my opinion being probably the best KR soundtrack since Frontiers.”
“Music is pretty generic and again overcompressed.”
“My main complaint is about music.”
“Quality of visuals, sounds, music and design visibly deteriorated.”
- replayability34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while players appreciate the variety offered by different hero combinations and enhanced difficulty modes, many express disappointment over the limited number of levels and lack of additional content such as endless modes or branching narratives. Some reviewers highlight the addictive gameplay but call for more diverse challenges and progression systems to enhance replay value. Ultimately, while there are elements that encourage replaying, significant improvements are needed to fully realize the game's potential in this area.
“An advantage of this is that there is much more replayability regarding different heroes as you can select heroes depending on how their skills/spells synergize or cover each other's weaknesses.”
“The enhanced difficulty, however, is not a drawback but rather a testament to the game's depth and replayability.”
“Polished game with lots of replay value.”
“The biggest downside is the limited replay value.”
“Yes, there is replayability in terms of playing on harder difficulties and modes, but there aren't that many levels/maps.”
“Very little in terms of replayability - no endless mode, level modifiers, bonus content, or anything of that sort (beyond the challenge modes which are a one-off and kind of busted as noted above).”
- monetization25 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 56 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many users appreciating the absence of microtransactions, which they find refreshing. However, there are significant concerns about the game's perceived cash grab nature, especially with hints of cut content and potential paid DLC, leading to skepticism about the overall value and integrity of the game's monetization strategy. Overall, while the lack of microtransactions is praised, the fear of exploitative practices looms large among players.
“There aren't any microtransactions either, which is fantastic.”
“Thank god there's no microtransactions, holy moly.”
“The Steam version comes with all towers and heroes, so there are no microtransactions, which I really like.”
“This approach can work if the initial content is substantial, but not when it feels like a cash grab with underdelivered promises.”
“I just wish that Kingdom Rush as a series doesn't get reduced to a generic cash grab mobile game that disrespects its players to their face.”
“This game just feels like a cash grab at this point and I don't want any part of it.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- -6 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unfulfilling, particularly due to the lack of engaging challenges and the absence of a speed-up option. While some appreciate the removal of specific tower achievements, many feel that the gameplay becomes monotonous, especially with dual or triple defense levels that require excessive resource management. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a chore, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
“I had a lot of fun; getting the achievements isn't tedious considering they took out all the tower-specific ones. There's no need to replay a stage with just one tower type to make it shoot ten thousand times, for example.”
“Grinding in this game feels rewarding rather than repetitive, as the progression system is well-balanced and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is enjoyable because the game offers a variety of challenges and rewards that make each session feel meaningful.”
“The whole first world feels tedious and an unnecessary chore before you get to the actual meat of it.”
“You can easily clear the game on hardest difficulty in 5-6 hours and then there is nothing else to do besides grinding the alternate stage modes (which are trivialized by unlocking the 2 dragon heroes after finishing the main campaign).”
“Only 2.6 hours in and already getting bored; the challenges don't feel rewarding, there's no speed-up button to help with the grinding, and you don't earn skill points based on your stars. I was hoping the game would get better, but I'm not impressed, especially when compared with the original first three games.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its silly tone and amusing voice lines, although some find the levels too short. While the game has toned down the edginess from its predecessor, it still delivers fun and engaging moments, particularly through its characters and comedic elements. However, some players express frustration over gameplay mechanics that hinder the effectiveness of certain humorous features, like the battle brewmasters.
“They toned back the edge from Vengeance, but the game is still silly and funny with its tone and voice lines.”
“It's a great game, I don't see any issues with it, but I have seen people complaining about the levels being short, which is funny to me because other Kingdom Rush games all had short levels until the devs added post-game content.”
“As Ironhide's fifth work in the Kingdom Rush series, Alliance is also funny and great.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the overall performance and new content, others criticize the control scheme for being poorly adapted for PC, lacking a rebinding interface. Additionally, the simplification of tower upgrades has diminished the strategic depth at critical moments, making gameplay feel less engaging. Overall, the game balances a nostalgic experience with some optimization shortcomings.
“Beating a stage often feels powerful, mowing down the enemies, and I appreciate that it usually just takes the right general strategy, rather than requiring hyper-optimization.”
“Always loved playing this as a kid on flash game websites, but now it is well optimized and there are new games to boot.”
“On the negative side, the control scheme is not optimized for PC and there is no rebinding interface that I could find, which hurts as it feels a bit like a low-effort port in that regard.”
“Not having two options when upgrading towers to level 4 reduces the complexity of the ends of levels drastically, making what should be the climax into an optimized rotation and placement of spells.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional impact of the game lacking, feeling that while it offers fun gameplay and nostalgic references, it fails to deliver a truly moving or impressive experience that justifies its price. The overall sentiment suggests a sense of disappointment, as the game does not evoke the emotional depth expected.
“On top of it, the wholesome movie and game references make this game whole.”
“This one just made me feel kind of lied to.”
- character development6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by the engaging abilities and unique designs of heroes like Anya, Nyru, and Broden, which offer players enjoyable experimentation. The beautifully crafted environments and character aesthetics enhance the overall experience, making the gameplay both visually appealing and fun. Players who appreciate the series will find the new heroes and towers to be a delightful addition.
“Anya, Nyru, and Broden are really fun to experiment with, and their abilities have good utility. Plus, their character designs are cool too.”
“Each environment and character design is beautifully crafted, making the game a visual delight.”
“If you're like me and really enjoy these games immensely, no matter what, you'll love it. The art, the character designs, and the gameplay are very fun. I really enjoy all the new towers, and the new heroes all feel fun and play well. I definitely recommend this to people who already enjoyed the previous games.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Many users express nostalgia for the atmosphere of older games, noting that the current game's ambiance feels somewhat lacking and easier in comparison.
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is praised, with balanced towers and heroes contributing to a smooth experience. The use of the same engine as the earlier Kingdom Rush titles results in minimal bugs, making it a significant improvement over the mobile version. Additionally, the Steam version enhances stability by unlocking all towers and heroes for free by the end of the game.
“The towers are balanced, the heroes are balanced, and the game runs smoothly. This is a huge upgrade from Vengeance, and the Steam version unlocks all towers and heroes for free by the end of the game, making it much better than the mobile version. Additionally, this Kingdom Rush game uses the same engine as the first three Kingdom Rush games, so it's not that buggy.”
