Greetings, friends, and welcome to Mobile Game Monday, where we chat about games you can play on the go. If you like gaming on a phone or tablet, this is the place for you. Join us every week as we go on all sorts of adventures.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15, and to celebrate, Mobile Game Monday highlights an indie game developer from Uruguay. Ironhide Games is known for creating the Kingdom Rush tower defense game series.
In an article celebrating note-worthy Hispanic-made games, Google Play spotlights Gerson da Silva, a long-time gamer and creative developer for Ironhide Games. The article explains that “as a Hispanic developer, the studio’s history has been filled with self-taught moments, innovation, resilience and moving forward with effort and determination.” There are limited resources for game developers in Uruguay, but this has never stopped the headstrong gamers.
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Instead, Silva encourages using these limitations as opportunities for innovation. This allows you to accept your mistakes and persevere. So let’s hear it for Ironhide Games and all of the talented Hispanic creators out there determined to beat the odds.
Latin American culture is known for its passion, and gaming is no exception. This indie company is just one of the many examples of Hispanic creativity in gaming. Embrace the beautiful culture, and you may find your next favorite game like I did.
Kingdom Rush: Vengeance
Kingdom Rush: Vengeance is the fourth installment in the Tower Defense series. Other games in the Kingdom Rush series have you play as the hero. However, Vengeance lets you be the big bad. Play as the almighty wizard Vez’nan, who seeks vengeance against the entire kingdom and its heroes. Lead a powerful army of creatures from the darkest parts of the kingdom to exact your revenge.
Although Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD is the newest installment, I started the series with Vengeance because I wanted to be the baddie. However, keep an eye out for a review of Kingdom Rush 5 in the future because it is definitely on my to-be-played list. Then, we can see the changes made to the franchise over the years. Honestly, I look forward to trying out all of the games in this series. You can check out all the games in their impressive catalog here.
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Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty standard as far as tower defense goes. Place towers along a path and try to eliminate waves of enemies before they reach the end. Test your tactical abilities against over 35 different enemies, like armored Dwarves looking to protect their mines.
Start with a limited number of gold and gather more as you take down foes. Use your ill-gotten gold to upgrade existing towers or build new ones. Of course, as a wizard, you have a few spells at your disposal, like the ability to summon goons to fight for you.
Additionally, there are helpful one-time-use items like bombs or healing potions. These can be the difference between victory or defeat, so it is always smart to keep some in your robe pockets. Be careful, if too many enemies make it past your defenses, game over.
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Towers
With over 16 towers to choose from, there are plenty of ways to wreak havoc. Choose from ranged, melee, magic or artillery towers, each with its own unique skills and special abilities. For example, magic towers are particularly effective against heavily armored units.
My favorite is the archer tower, mostly because they yell, “Take an arrow to the knee” as they attack. I love a good Skyrim reference. Archers are also one of the only towers that can take down pesky flying enemies. There is no limit to the possibilities here and sometimes it may take a few tries to find the recipe for success.
Heroes and Villains
Every villain needs a red right hand. Choose from 17 extra-strength “Heroes” to defend your dishonor. You can only assign one hero at a time and can control where they fight on the map. Each hero is cooler than the last.
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For example, start with Veruk, the honored orc tribal warrior who fights ferociously. Or bribe Beresad, the black dragon, with Dwarven treasure to engulf the kingdom in green flames. Unlock more and more heroes as you level. Then, unlock and upgrade each hero’s unique abilities.
Our Adventure Ends Here
While I have only played a few tower defense games, Kingdom Rush: Vengeance is by far my favorite. Everything about this game is top quality, from the vibrant graphics to the symphonic music and everything in between. Additionally, learning the game is easy, but mastering it is another story, and I tend to be drawn to games like that.
The pop culture references are golden, and I really enjoyed the cheeky humor throughout the game. For instance, at the Dwarven brewery level, I noticed a bar with a familiar-looking bartender and patron named “Borney.” Fans of The Simpsons, this one is for you.
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If you click on the bartender, he serves “Borney” drinks until he passes out. You actually get an achievement for putting him to sleep. There are tons of references like this to everything from Donkey Kong to Lord of the Rings. However, the names have been changed for copyright purposes.
Ultimately, Kingdom Rush: Vengeance is a solid choice for any fan of the tower defense genre. However, I think those who enjoy fantasy RPG-style games would enjoy Vengeance as well.
Kingdom Rush: Vengeance is $4.99 in Google Play (free with Play Pass) and the App Store.
Take it easy and play it safe, gamers.
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