Now, before you write Chillingo’s Knights Onrush off as yet another tower defense game you should know that it would be a grave mistake. Knights Onrush tweaks the tower defense credo by tasking you not with setting up a gauntlet to slaughter incoming enemies, but with arranging a series of defenses on the castle. With the gold you earn by killing enemy units, you can buy cannonballs, door strength upgrades, boulders, fireballs, bottomless pits, gigantic columns, dragon lures, and more. All of these defensive measures will help you keep the encroaching enemies from battering down your door during their multi-day onslaughts.
The controls in the game are pretty standard fare. When a fireball is active, just tap and hold to pick it up and the swing it toward a group of meddling knights to reduce them to charcoal. Tap a loaded cannon to blast the knights away from your gates. Touch a switch to grab a column and then drop it on enemies. You can also pick up knights individually by touching and holding them. While holding them, you can hang them on the dragon lure hook and wait for a passing dragon to swoop down and gobble them up or hold one over the fire pit and drop them to their doom when the lid opens up. Some knight come running in with explosive barrels which you can tap to make them blow up in their faces. Amidst all these weapons you still have the old standard of picking up a knight and then just swiping down to slam him into the ground.
With eleven different enemies, Knights Onrush will keep you from getting all too comfortable with basic strategies. You must prioritize enemies, like the little magicians or assassins, and ranged enemies. There are 12 different castles to defend, too, and many of the stages have specific scenarios and last different numbers of days.
The art style in this game is absolutely gorgeous. From the almost too cute to slaughter knights with huge heads and tiny bodies, to the bright red dragons, and vivid backgrounds. Everything in this game is bright colorful and vibrant enough to make you think your in some crazy, brutal, cartoon.But do not let its cartoon looks deceive you: there is a real-deal strategy game in here. This innovative take on the tower defense concept is one of the genre’s best.
Time to let loose some of that hatred for magicians.
Golden armor won't be saving you here knight.
Hey, Dragons can get hungry too ya know...
