| Bloons TD | |
|---|---|
Bloons TD Demo |
|
| Genres | Strategy Tower defense |
| Developers | Ninja Kiwi, Digital Goldfish Ltd. (iOS) |
| Publishers | Ninja Kiwi |
| Platform of origin | Adobe Flash |
| First release | Bloons TD
|
| Latest release | Bloons TD 5
|
| Official website | http://ninjakiwi.com/ |
Bloons Tower Defense, often abbreviated as Bloons TD or BTD (the official website uses this moniker as well[1]), is a series of tower defense-style games under the Bloons brand produced and created by Ninja Kiwi. It was initially developed as a browser game built upon the Adobe Flash platform, but in later games was made available as an iOS app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It is noted that devices operating on Google's Android OS can play the Bloons TD series as well, due to their ability to download Adobe Flash Player from the Android Market. This allows them to run the game directly through the browser.
Contents |
The main objective of the game is to prevent the enemy "Bloons" (a creative derivative of Balloons) from reaching the end of the track on the playing field. As implied by the genre, the player has various types of towers at his disposal to defend against the Bloons; including Dart Monkeys, Tack Towers, Ice Towers, Cannons, the powerful Super Monkey, and others introduced in the various versions of the game.[2] The playing area consists of a defined track, with one or more entrance and exit for the Bloons.
Bloons' are the enemy in the game series. They appear at the entrance(s) located on the playing field, and follow along a pre-defined path on the track until they either reach the exit(s) or are popped. There are many types of Bloons, with the tougher variants usually containing a number of weaker ones. Some Bloons also have special abilities, invulnerabilities, or strengths. Depending on the difficulty and version of the game, the player has a certain amount of lives available to him. Different types of Bloons consume different amounts of lives (if they reach the end of the playing area); with Red Bloons consuming 1, Blue consuming 2, Green consuming 3, Yellow consuming 4, and so on. Colors of the bloons in order according to Bloons Tower Defense 5: Red, blue, green, yellow, pink, black, white, lead, zebra, rainbow, and ceramic. Most larger Bloons also move faster than their lower-end constituents, making them even more threatening to the player. Some Bloons, like MOAB's (Massive Ornary Air Blimp) Take many hits to pop. [3]
Towers are the mainstay defensive utility in the Bloons TD series. Each tower has its own unique purpose, power, and use, with some being quite powerful against some Bloons but unable to target others effectively. Throughout the series the towers have been changed, edited, and many have been added. For instance, in Bloons TD 2, the Dart Tower was renamed to the Dart Monkey, and Monkey Glue was inserted into the game; a trap capable of attaching glue to a certain number of Bloons that pass over it (which slows then down) before becoming useless. In Bloons TD 4, a new tower named the "Glue Gunner" was added to the game, having to ability to attack bloons with a derivative of Monkey Glue. There are also many other types of towers, introduced in the various editions of the game. Towers include...
Dart Monkey, Cannon/Bomb Tower, Dartling Gun, Monkey Ace, Tack Shooter, Spike Factory, Boomerang, Spike-o-pult(not availible to buy in bloons tower defense 4, only upgrades), Monkey Beacon,monkey apprentice(wizard monkey), and Super Monkey.
Every tower can upgrade to increase power and other capabilities. In BTD4, each tower has a 'secret' upgrade that is extremely powerful. They are very expensive and have to be unlocked before use. Of course, they are the strongest and final upgrade of each tower. In BTD 5, each tower has two upgrade paths of four upgrades each. After the second upgrade in either path, there is a split-off point. Once the third upgrade is purchased on one path, upgrading on the other path is disabled. In addition, there are 'premium upgrades' that are bought with MochiCoins from an account.
There are various ways to gain money in the Bloons TD series. In Bloons TD 1 and 2, money was earned by popping Bloons and completing levels; with the money gained by the latter decreasing each level (starting at 100 and slowing diminishing). In Bloons TD 3, these methods were altered. Money is still earned by popping Bloons (which decreases when you reach a certain level count), but the amount of money gained for completing each level was changed to increase per level instead of decrease. In Bloons TD 4, Banana Farms were added, which provide the player with 120 dollars for the first upgrade, 250 dollars for the second, 500 for the third, and ultimately 2000 for the fourth at the end of each level.
There are currently five games in the Bloons Tower Defense series,[4] in addition to various other add-on packs such as "Bloons Tower Defense 4 Expansion".[5] There are also versions of the game which were ported to other platforms, including iOS.
The game was retitled Bloons TD in January 2010 due to infringement on the TowerDefense trademark owned by Com2uS.[6]
Bloons TD was the first game in the BTD series, released in late 2007. It is limited to six Bloon types, red, blue, green, yellow, black, and white. All Bloons with the exception of Red have a number of smaller Bloons inside of them, while others (namely Black and White) had certain invulnerabilities. There are five towers to choose from to pop the Bloons; including the Dart Tower, Tack Tower, Ice Tower, Bomb Tower, and the Super Monkey. Players are provided 40 lives to beat 50 levels; unlike later versions of the game, there are no separate difficulty levels and there is only one track to choose from.
Bloons TD 2 was the first sequel to Bloons TD, and was also released in 2007. It added a number of new items. Lead and rainbow Bloons were added into the game, as well as multiple defensive additions for the player. A new tower, road spikes, and monkey glue. Road Spikes can be placed on the track to pop a number of Bloons which pass over them, until they wear out; Monkey Glue is used to slow down Bloons that pass over it until it is used up. There are also new tracks; each with its own difficulty level. These difficulty levels affect the number of lives a player has, as well as the cost of towers. In this game, players are provided with 50 to 100 lives (depending on the difficulty).
Bloons TD 3 was released in 2008. It added ceramic Bloons and M.O.A.B.s (Massive Ornary Air Blimp), both of which are difficult to pop due to their ability to endure multiple shots from the player's towers. There were now four tracks available the first time the game is played, but four more can be unlocked by playing it on Ninja Kiwi. Bloons TD 3 added another 2 towers, including the Monkey Beacon, which strengthens nearby towers. There are also four upgrades available for most towers, instead of the two from the previous games. A new free-play mode was introduced if level 50 is beaten in each course.
A version for iOS called Bloons TD was made available on October 2, 2009 from the iTunes App Store.[7] On January 26, 2010 a free version was released with less features called Bloons TD Lite.[8]
Bloons TD 4 was released in October 2009.[9] The gameplay underwent fairly major changes, including the ability to save the current game (which requires a MochiGames account) and the introduction of an unlocking-based system; which made it so that towers, upgrades, and the new Sandbox and Apopalypse modes were unlocked over time. Towers now have one upgrade path with four upgrades, instead of the previous split paths and it is believed that there will soon be a fifth upgrade added. The Spike-O-Pult was removed but changed into the 3rd upgrade for the Dart Monkey. Triple Shot was the fourth and final upgrade for the Dart Monkey. The Juggernaut upgrade was also removed from BTD3. New towers included the Spike Factory, Monkey Ace, Monkey Buccaneer, Dartling Gun and others. The Spike Factory had a very powerful upgrade that would be unlocked at a certain career rank called the Spike Storm. The Super Monkey also was given a new upgrade to players who reached a certain career rank. A leveling system was also introduced, which directly corresponds to the unlocking system. The more Bloons the player pops over the course of his game 'career', the higher his level climbs; and hence the more features become available for use. The player's current level status is kept persistently even if the player closes his browser, which improves aspects of long-term gameplay. In the new Sandbox mode (unlocked at rank 26), the player can practice strategy and tower placement with virtually unlimited money and lives (1,000,000 and 100,000 respectively). In Apopalypse mode (unlocked at rank 31), there are no breaks between levels. Bloons come in constant, unending waves.
The game graphics were also completely revamped.
Bloons TD 4 introduced five new tower types, with each receiving additional upgrades including a final, powerful (and expensive) super-upgrade. New Bloons were also added, as well as additional towers, and player options. Some levels have received special challenges.
A version for iOS called Bloons TD 4 was released via iTunes App Store on December 7, 2010.[10] On January 19, 2011 a free version was released with less features called Bloons TD 4 Lite.[11] An iPad version called Bloons TD 4 HD was then released on March 31, 2011.[12] This was followed by the release of a free iPad version called Bloons TD 4 HD Lite on April 28, 2011.[13]
Bloons TD 5 was released on December 15th and was first teased by a trailer released on November 29th. There are new courses and new tower types (Ninja Monkey and Sniper Monkey), and some towers were renamed. Split tower upgrades are reintroduced, with four upgrades in each path (but you can only upgrade a tower to steps three and four for one of the paths). The first three upgrades in each path are unlocked as the towers gain experience by popping bloons, but the fourth upgrade in each path is unlocked when your career rank is high enough. Many of the fourth-level upgrades unlock special abilities, which are very powerful, but which require a cooldown after being used. Also, you now have to manually collect the money from Banana Farms during gameplay, instead of receiving money automatically at end of each round. You now receive "Monkey Money" after winning a game, and can use this to buy special agents that you can place on the field to help you during a game (but which can only be used once before needing to be purchased again).
IGN editor Daemon Hatfield stated that Bloons Tower Defense 3 succeeds in standing out in this crowded genre, by having the core game mechanics right and adding their own individual twist.[14] 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 "Tons of content"; although it was criticized for not "bringing anything new to the genre."[15] GamePro editor Ryan Rigney gave Bloons Tower Defense 4 a 2/5 rating, stating that it has "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".[16] However, Wired called the game "pop culture at its best".[17]