Kingdom Rush 5 Reviews

To anyone who loves this game, I have owned both pc versions through Steam and mobile versions. The Pc version is 20$ for full access, including entire towers and champions. Sometimes, you get discounted down to like 17 dollars to enjoy the game. However, you don't get like in-app purchase items that help you progress through the stages by purchasing a gem with real money. Meanwhile, the mobile version costs about 7 dollars for partial access, and you have to pay an additional about 50$ish to get all champions and towers like Which you can get by playing in pc version. I don't understand why in the world you separate things and ask for more money? The game itself is amazing and lovely, but the way they put the system this way is way messed up. Why not just cost the game 20 bucks and give full access? I don't go against ideas with additional items purchased, but you can't ask for more money to unlock stuff that is supposed to be given by default.

I have been a Ironhide fan since the very beginning. Things have certainly gone downhill fast since the first 3.

Level design and difficulty are artificially designed not for fun, not for a challenge, but only to force you to make IAP. I don’t just mean towers and hero’s (which are incredibly more powerful than starter towers), but even starting at level 13 where you can’t even beat the stage on normal without dropping thousands of gems.

Enemies that can’t be blocked, enemies that spawn dozens of additional enemies just by advancing, enemies that spawn more enemies when they die, enemies that roll past your guards during the “gaze” or whatever, which exists throughout half the map.

To pay $6.99 already is a steep price compared to every other F2P on the market, but be hit with the same necessity to pay as a F2P after already paying for the game is outrageous. Yes, you could farm thousands of gems for weeks to beat a single level, but this isn’t how these games were originally designed. Unfortunately I’ve already purchased all previous ironhide games (what are we at, 7 or 8 KR variations??), but I’m not buying any more. This isn’t worth the ~$50 they expect you to shell out for the full experience.

Shame on you Ironhide, for building up a fan base with what was previously good game design, and apparently a passion for the game and the art, and now stabbing them in the back.

The Kingdom Rush games are simply the best when it comes to tower defense. The right balance of pretty graphics, detailed animation, and just-right strategy. Theres no denying this.

In the same way there is no denying that charging a minimum of $35 to access all heroes and towers, core components of the game, is ludicrous. Why advertise allowing “two heroes at once” when you are allowed a total of four heroes without shelling out another few dollars? And way, way more than this if you want to use the “cool” heroes used so prominently in the game’s promotional material.

Shame on Ironhide, who has learned no lesson from doing this in the past. I am sorely disappointed and wish they would realize people like me - their fans - discovered them not through an IAP-laden cash grab but through the free online games we were allowed to explore and enjoy without needing to spend a bit more money here and a bit more money there. Eventually the fans of Kingdom Rush from those days will be gone and there will be no new fans to replace them.

And that’s a shame. Because these truly are very good games, it just seems like an HBS MBA snuck into their strategy meetings with the intent to wring value out of the customer - not provide maximum value to the customer. It isn’t too late to turn it around, but I doubt they ever will.

I really liked the previous ironhide games but this one goes overboard. It is basically a clone of the previous games but feels shorter and has the same boring upgrade ladders. Even though I paid full price most of the hero’s and towers are locked behind extra paywalls and the game difficulty near the very end becomes unreasonably hard even after adjusting the difficulty settings. They probably did this intentionally to get people to pay for more heroes and towers. The levels offer no real incentive to replay them because many levels are too easy or short and award enough points to get the necessary ladder upgrades.

Please go back to original series games where levels were abundant, ladder progression was interesting and strategy was required. If you’re going to lock hero’s and towers behind paywalls then don’t charge for game or only do 1-2.

I’ve thoroughly played every kingdom rush entry several times at least. They all had good difficulty that required good strategy, this game relies entirely upon surprises to beat you. A level with simple paths is compromised by flying enemies who fly AROUND the ENTIRE path straight to the back. Not to mention, said flying enemies can stun your units, or even teleport half the path when struck. They are also present on every level past a certain point. The rest of the enemies are trivial and pose no threat, flying enemies are a lazy, lame attempt at making the game harder. Instead of requiring strategy they are just boring to counter. This would be fine if that was all, but almost every later levels difficulty is built around a surprise change or gimmick that isn’t present until the last few waves, which without preparation is almost impossible to be ready for. Not to mention the pay towers and heroes are significantly better then the free ones, in almost every way the paid towers trivialize the game. For a 7$ game, it sure feels like we’re supposed to pay even more to enjoy the full game.

It’s decent. By far my least favorite in the Kingdom rush franchise however. It just doesn’t have quite the same feel as the other 4 games and I think the towers and hero’s and maps are the least fun out of all the KDR games. I like that they brought back some of the old towers from other games but I wish they would expand on this and bring back even more of the older towers and hero’s. Using two hero’s is cool. I’d really like to see more endless wave challenges like in the earlier games. I also wish some levels only had one gate to protect, all of these levels have at least two. The one gate maps were some of the best in the older games I think. I also really didn’t like the final boss level with having your towers moved and destroyed throughout the level. I get that they are trying to do something new but it just isn’t as fun for me. Also $50 to unlock all hero’s and towers is a bit much. And that’s the sale/ bundle price too. I think $20-$30 to have all all content unlocked would be more reasonable.

It's been a long wait and I was very excited to finally have a new version of Kingdom Rush! But a few things are marring the fun:

1. The map in each level always needs to be scrolled. You can never have the entire thing on the screen, even zoomed out at max.

2. When double clicking to call enemies early, because the map needs to be scrolled, you can't just tap the little circle. You have to scroll to the edge first, losing sight of the main fighting area at times. Even then, half the time the circle is dimmed out and you can barely see it and have to double click to see it before double clicking to call, wasting valuable time and bonus coins.

3. The maps *all* have 2 or 3 exits. All of them. It's super disappointing because some of the most enjoyable previous maps just had one exit where you can concentrate forces.

4. Two heroes per map, every time. Makes sense with the multiple exits, but the play experience just isn't as focused. I don't like the scattered feel personally, so I hate that it's *every* map.

5. The new towers aren't that fun. I bought them all. They also don't clearly show whether they attack air or ground or both when scrolling through.

6. Some levels are annoyingly difficult even on casual mode.

The whole experience makes me want to go replay previous versions of the game instead. I stopped at some level with a lot of invisible guys and spiders, and I'm not that eager to continue.

I love this game and this series - I have 100%’ed each of them. However, I really hope to see some changes made to this game or upcoming games.

The bad reviews that complain that the game is impossible without paying are laughable - there are numerous videos online showing every level being completed at the highest difficulty with no paid content.

That being said, locking so much content behind paywalls does leave a really bad taste in my mouth. I’m not naive, I understand that developing a quality game like this costs money, and I want Ironhide to be a successful company that properly compensates its employees. I would have been happy to pay more for the game upfront to have full access to the content, although I understand how a $20 sticker price would deter many casual players.

I think a good compromise would be something like allowing the purchase of towers and heroes with gems. In this game and in Vengeance, I have amassed tens of thousands of gems that I have no use for because I, and many other players, do not use items. This is likely not done because this would significantly drive down IAPs, but I think that something like this would make this easily a 5 star game. I hope that the company is able to find some kind of balance here.

Thanks to anyone who reads.

I love all the kingdom rush games (I’ve literally been playing them since I was 15) but this one has had some issues the others haven’t.

When I finish a level and unlock a new tower/level up a hero, I’ll go into the heroes or towers sections and upgrade/equip them. However, it won’t save that I do this unless I play the next level. For example, let’s say I’ve finished a level, upgraded a hero, and then left the game for the day. When I reopen it the next day, it doesn’t register that I’ve upgraded the hero and instead displays that I’ve unlocked a new tower/hero again (even though I’ve already seen that screen the day before). This results in a frustrating loop of trying to remember what upgrades I’ve chosen before and then trying to remember to not upgrade anything before closing KingdomRush5 . I haven’t had this problem with other games so I’m hoping it’s an issue that gets resolved quickly with a new update.

Another issue I have is the tower descriptions. When choosing towers to equip it’s often unclear if they’re archers, troops, etc. I wish there were more clear descriptions that made sense with the tower types so it was easier to choose which to equip.

Aside from those issues I really love the concept of this. It takes kingdom rush to a new level of gameplay I enjoy (even though I hate choices lol). I really like this next installment in the franchise and I’m glad they’re still making these.

Love these games, the best TDs out there in all honestly. I love all the cameos and Easter eggs.

Vengeance was great and it was fun to use the dark army I just didn’t enjoy fighting all the characters I had grown to love.
This story vindicates vengeance, it’s very fun and interesting to see them uniting.
Some gripes, (tho still a great TD)

I loved using “prince” Denas in Origins and you can use Veznans ability in vengeance; this installment missed a great opportunity to cast them both as heroes. To beable to use both Denas and veznan as heroes would’ve been fun with the dual hero mechanic this game introduced, and would be great to see in future updates.
Tho being able to use Denas to fight Mydrias was a taste I’d have loved full fledged hero Units for both.
To add, I would’ve loved to see what happened to all the old heroes veznan captured. Gerald Lightbringer holds a special place in my heart.

My only other real complaint which can be updated in future updates aswell in the amount of levels seems to get shorter and their design is mostly more of the same with a different setting skin.

Lastly, I’ve been asking since the first kingdom rush that a survival mode for every level would be great fun with leaderboards and should also be considered and added.

I am long time fan and enjoyed of the kingdom rush franchise, and truly have the utmost respect for its developers. That being said, I am left slightly unsatisfied by this game, as they uncharacteristically demonstrated a lack of attention to detail.

First, with my minor complaints. There is no encyclopedia anywhere in the game. After you defeat the final boss he still appears alive on the map. Furthermore, it has a little over half the campaign levels as vengeance. I found this to be extremely disappointing. I know they will continue to add levels, but I doubt they will eventually add 60 more levels to the game. I also find the story to be somewhat poorly explained as compared to the previous iterations of the game.

The mechanics are great, and the towers and hero’s are cool and generally more balanced than in vengeance. I have dew complaints regarding the fundamental aspects of the game, but rather all the little details. Throughout the games thus far they have increasingly added more levels and details with each game, which I have always highly respect of ironside studios. This, however, feels somewhat like a step backwards. A strong game overall, however I will say it feels like they pushed it out too early, almost as a money-grab.

Love it, love it, love it! This game is a blast. Great heroes ( mostly), great towers ( mostly), great levels. Yes I bought the towers and heroes because it makes the game more fun. I try to beat all levels with the “free” material because I believe you would make that possible as that has been the case throughout the franchise. It is definitely a challenge.
I did think the hero bundle was a little pricey but I bit the bullet because I knew I would be playing this for years. The different combinations lends istself to endless variety in gameplay. Ramping up the all the different heroes takes some time and is loads of fun.
As the graphics get better and the gameplay more complex, I realize a lot has gone into this and want Ironhide to keep making new content, so I am more than willing to pay for that.
I haven’t completed the game yet, as I am trying to savor the experience, but I must say I am having so much fun with this latest iteration of my absolute favorite game franchise. Thank you Ironhide.

Just felt like a lazy attempt tbh and they only have 17 stages at base game while the other games have far more. On top of that they had no endless mode. this game didn’t have anything after you beat the campaign like why??? All the other games had this but for some reason not this one. Also the towers only had 2 upgrade paths (more laziness) which took away from the game imop (why have a new game and have less options I get you added the second hero which I really liked but everything else kinda flopped compared to last games). Lastly the enemies were very weak but hit you in bursts…. The flying mobs are by far the most annoying especially the stunning ones, like add more interesting units better lore and do better with this game, the previous games are absolutely marvelous this one not so much :(

This game genuinely feels like a breath of fresh air. The two hero system is fantastic and allows a lot of replay value to the levels. The bosses are a bit easy but still engaging. The towers overall feel very balanced with the heroes though I have yet to try the premium towers and heroes (more on that soon).

Story, personality, and humor is great! Love seeing all the callbacks to the older games and cannot wait for more! There’s just ONE gripe I have that’s holding back the game.

I WANT to get the heroes and towers bundle, I have the money! I have bought the heroes and towers of other games including other Ironhide titles… but when I successfully punch in my password for icloud, I am told to verify my purchase first and the pop up won’t let me change the debit card nor will it allow me to use Apple Cash!

I am really desperate to try all the premium content but this accursed verification stops me as the button to verify Apple Cash doesn’t even work, as it’s grayed out like it’s invalid. Please, a fix to this would be appreciated as I have little negative to say and I have already reached out for help couldn’t get any answers.

I don’t know how big of a developer team Ironhide is but they are hands down one of the best developers ever in my opinion. I have never had any bugs in any of their games. I have never had to sign any kind of data tracking agreement. I have never felt like they are price gouging or money hungry. They just release great games, bug free, time after time. While they might have a hero or tower behind a pay wall occasionally, other than that, when you purchase one of their games you get (wait for it)….the whole game!!! In todays age of gaming where devs just rush something out to get your money just to fix it later or release some pay to win garbage. These guys have never stooped to that level and as an old school, 46 year old gamer dad, I got nothing but respect for these guys and or gals. So truly, thank you, you guys are the best!

Love this newest addition to the Kingdom Rush series so much, both towers and heroes feel important, lots of new interesting mechanics with the towers to make them truly different from one another. Same with the heroes, I thought I wouldn’t like the removal of the major spell, but having 2 heroes and 2 albeit weaker spells open so many doors to synergy and strategy. Overall the game is pretty balance in my opinion, most stages on normal you could beat after 1-2 tries, the higher difficulties are really engaging for long time fan like myself, and I like that they added a bunch of easter eggs to the stages. The art style is great as well, I didn’t like the more cartoon like style of Vengeance, but this seem like a good mix a the cartoon style with more animation especially how heroes move and the original more fantasy hand drawn style of the first 3 games.

You should definitely get the older ones, this is not as good as those. But it is a great addition to the line up Great graphics, gimmicks, and the newest campaign was great (and free). ##################################################### But guys, 2 things. The hoards are pretty plain, everything is like 5 enemies at a time. I miss the huge swarms like the past, all those zombies and skeleton maps. ##################################################### Secondly, this game’s additions are way too expensive. $30 for the rest of the characters? $25 for all the towers? I know that this is your business model but we did already shell out for the game itself. Seeing how Vengeance is charging $7 for new campaigns, more than the game itself, is really REALLY off putting. It’s one thing to charge for new content, everyone understands that, but it should be commensurate with the cost of the game itself. Come on guys, please.

In the mobile edition of the game, you only have access to the first 4 heroes and 10 out of the total 15 towers. You can buy everything else for and additional $35 but you don’t really need too in order to win on veteran mode. I’m currently working on impossible mode and I still find the game to be fun and well balanced without spending money. An important thing to note is that it seems you can get everything in the game for $18 on steam which is much cheaper. There is one advantage to playing on mobile however. If you enjoy using one-shot items, you can only get them on mobile and not the desktop version. I’ve accumulated over 6000 gems just from playing the game that I can spend on items but so far I haven’t needed too. Honestly it is just fun collecting them and the game as a whole feels very good to play. Well done by Ironhide!

It’s a beautiful and imaginitive entry to a timeless franchise. The gameplay is top notch for the tower defense genre, it’s engaging and fun. My only critique is that my experience has shown most Ironhide games in the past 5 years are more enjoyable and the gameplay more balanced with some of the purchaseable heroes and towers.

Even so, splashing out 30 or so dollars for this game isn’t bad (with all towers and heroes), since I still remember when a gameboy game went for that much, with less than an 1/8th the content, and no accounting for inflation! Just keep in mind, KingdomRush5 cost is the starting point, but you might want to consider setting aside a few bucks for the in-app purchases as the difficulty increases. Thankfully, there’s little need for the microtransaction items, as the ability to earn in-game currency is quite generous.

I also give the team kudos for their imaginitive world building and backstories - they’ve built a great world to visit in Linearia!

Another high quality kingdom rush game. Broke the game with all the stars and had lots of fun.

One thing I noticed though is that wings and iron fists no longer contributes to the skill points. As the result, it doesn’t give me as much incentive to finish them before moving on to future levels. Getting stuck on new levels and coming back to get more stars so you can move on with better towers was a core game mechanic that doesn’t exist anymore. When I finish the game and come back to them with my lvl 10 heroes and new towers, they become too easy. This is the first kingdom rush game that I didn’t want to finish them, which adds a little shade to this great game