Bloons Tower Defense

Bloons Tower Defense is the first game in the BTD series, released in mid 2007 as a free flash browser game.[14] In the game players had to defend against coloured bloons with monkeys, dart throwers, and other towers positioned around the map.[15] When strong bloons are popped they release weaker ones until eventually completely popping. If all lives are lost, the game is over. If all waves are passed, the player will win the game.[5]

Bloons Tower Defense 2 was released soon after in late 2007,[14] adding new towers, multiple map options, new bloons, and an option for the game's difficulty.[16]

A screenshot of the Bloons TD 3 browser version from 2012 onwards

Bloons TD 3 was released on September 5, 2008, months after the release of Bloons Tower Defense 2, named differently due to a trademark dispute with Com2uS.[13][14] As with the second game, new towers, bloons, and maps were added.[17]

A version based on this game was released for iOS titled Bloons TD; made available on October 3, 2009 from the iOS App Store.[7] This version had extra maps styled in snow and beach themes,[18] and included OpenFeint achievements.[19]

The game included five map packs, containing a total of 15 different levels to play, with packs unlocked by completing the previous levels.[4] This version of the game was also released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.[2]

Another version of the game, simply titled Bloons TD, was released for DSiWare in 2011, containing 50 rounds to complete.[20][21]

A screenshot of Bloons TD 4

Bloons TD 4 was released on October 26, 2009 as an online freemium game with a proprietary iOS version released on December 7, 2010, developed in conjunction with Digital Goldfish.[22][23][24] The gameplay underwent changes including a graphical update, the ability to save the current game, and the introduction of an unlock-based leveling system.[3] The tower upgrading system received various changes including increasing the number of upgrades per tower,[14] and new maps and game modes were added.[25]

iPhone and iPad versions of this title have been purchased over one million times.[26] A version of the game was also released as a DSiWare game in 2012.[27]

A screenshot of the Bloons TD 5 iOS version

The original (Flash and freemium) Bloons TD 5 was released on December 13, 2011. The proprietary version of BTD5 was released on iOS worldwide on November 15, 2012 for iPhones and iPods with improved graphics and additional upgrades, tracks, towers, and bloon types.[8] On November 19, 2014, it was released on Steam.[28]

Bloons TD 5 Deluxe was released on January 27, 2012, which sets a certain goal the player may achieve to be rewarded with more in-game currency.[10] Also with a new update for the mobile version of BTD5, a new tower was added called the "Monkey Sub". The submarine was later added to the online version on July 23, 2015.

This game also has an unlimited round free play mode, which can have from MOABs to ZOMGs. Speed and health ramping also buff the blimp hp throughout the rounds. The Steam/Mobile version has two special mode bosses, the Dreadbloon and Blastapopoulos. The iOS, Android, and Steam versions have 15 languages: English, Arabic, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.[29] On March 3, 2017 it was released for Microsoft's Xbox One, later releasing for PlayStation 4 on May 9, 2017 and Nintendo Switch on June 13th, 2018, all of which cost $14.99 USD.[30]

Bloons TD 6 is the newest game in the main Bloons TD series. After being announced on March 28, 2017 on PRLog,[32] it was released for the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store on June 14, 2018. A Steam version was released on December 17, 2018.[33] Unlike all earlier games, Bloons TD 6 does not have a Flash-based counterpart on the Ninja Kiwi website.

Along with 3D graphics, new features added include three new bloon types, each with unique properties such as immunity to magic and fire, extra health, or immunity to slowing and knockback. Some maps contain obstacles that block the sight of certain towers. Some obstacles are able to be removed by paying a sum of in-game money.

Similar to the previous games, players start with a certain amount of starting cash and lives and are required to build towers to defeat a set wave of bloons per round. However, after wave 100 or during apopolypse, the waves are completely random. In-game cash is earned for every bloon popped. Lives are lost when bloons reach the exit. Additional towers and upgrades can be bought to further assist the defense against more difficult rounds. Some towers can directly attack bloons, while others slow down bloons, support nearby towers, or generate in-game currency. Unlike previous games, there are three paths to upgrade on and 5 upgrades on each path. You can buy 5 upgrade on one path, 2 on another, and none on the last. Special towers known as "Heroes" automatically upgrade themselves without player input, or can be upgraded for cash sums, where the cost depends on the level of the hero, though only one hero can be placed per game, preselected beforehand by the player. As of the 22.0 update, there are eleven heroes.[34] If playing in a co-op game, each player may place down a single Hero.

Special game modes can be unlocked for a map when completed on a certain game difficulty. Each presents changes in gameplay, such as limiting certain tower types, increased tower and upgrade prices, reducing or eliminating external income gain, or spawning stronger waves of bloons. Some game modes start on later rounds or increase the round required to beat the game. Players may also play Daily Challenges, user-created games with special rules not present in normal games.

Winning most games earns a special in-game currency called Monkey Money. It can be used to purchase "powers", which are either temporary boosts or unique towers that cannot be upgraded. Certain heroes are bought using Monkey Money, and Heroes have unique cosmetic skins that can be purchased. Another currency, called Monkey Knowledge Points, are used with Monkey Money to unlock special tower boosts such as plus 200 starting money or a free dart monkey at the beginning.[35] Trophies are a different currency used to buy a variety of cosmetics such as hero animations and special soundtracks. These are won from completing race or odyssey game modes.

Bloons TD Battles was released on December 12, 2012,[36] and later to Android and iOS platforms in-between November 5 and 6, 2013, respectively.[37] On April 20, 2016, it came to Steam as a ported version.[38]

The gameplay is similar to that in Bloons TD 5 but two players compete against one another in one of three game modes. In "assault" mode and battle arena, each player normally progresses through the levels that are usually equal to 2x-1 in terms of BTD5. Example, round 7 in BTD Battles would be round 13 in BTD5. However, the players are also given the ability to purchase additional bloons, sending them to the opponent, overwhelming them.[39] In "defense" mode, the players play a natural game, the screen split vertically. Players can spend money to increase their income. In "Card Battles" mode, the players choose from a selection of cards to use in their games. The cards have two functions: Sending bloons to the enemy player, which, like in Assault Mode, will give the player who sends the bloons income, and placing down a tower. All three game objectives are to outlast the opponent in surviving the bloon attacks. Using the games' skill-based matching system, players can be automatically matched with one another.[40]

Bloons Monkey City was released on November 25, 2013. Like Bloons TD Battles, the core gameplay is similar to that of BTD5, however, the player has to maintain a city, expanding the city by capturing bloon-infested areas called tiles.[41] One important goal of the game is levelling up the city. Players earn XP for the city by capturing tiles, completing missions or building towers. Earning higher levels with XP grants access to certain unique game features, like Monkey vs. Monkey, Monkey Knowledge, etc.

There is also an in-game feature known as Monkey vs. Monkey, allowing players to fight each other; raids can be launched using the resource "Bloontonium". This can be acquired by capturing certain tiles or with Bloontonium generators. If the opponent fails to defend against the raid in the set time period, the attacker gains city cash, another resource in the game used to build towers, bloonstones, the 'premium currency' of the game, and city honor, which has no primary purpose in the game other than achievements.

One primary difference between this game and the others in the Bloons series is the addition of buildings.[41] Buildings in Bloons Monkey City are required in order to use and upgrade towers. Some buildings serve as prerequisites to other buildings, while others are prerequisites to using certain bloons in raids. The number of towers the player can use in a game is determined by how many of the corresponding type of building the player possesses. Some buildings unlock new monkeys, while others unlock upgrades for these monkeys. Other buildings are required to unlock the tier four upgrades, camo bloon defense, and MOAB-class bloon popping power (the Sun God and Robo Monkey also require buildings). This game contains 3,000 Tiles, and a new MOAB-class bloon, which is DDT (or Dark Dirigible Titan).

In mid-2014, Ninja Kiwi released a new mode known as Contested Territory, a mini-game which offers bonus rewards, and pits players against each other, all of whom compete to survive the most rounds for the longest time on a trickier-than-normal track.[41][42] This game was released on browsers, but a port to iOS and Android was released on December 3, 2014 and February 18, 2015, respectively.[43][44] The Steam version was released on April 10, 2020.[45]

Bloons Adventure Time TD is a crossover game between Ninja Kiwi's Bloons TD series and Cartoon Network's Adventure Time series that was announced via the Cartoon Network International News Site and the Ninja Kiwi blog on March 8 and 9, 2018, respectively.

The game soft launched on July 14, 2018 in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and Singapore on Android and iOS and later launched internationally. The game features characters from Cartoon Network's Adventure Time such as Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Princess Bubblegum as well as new monkey heroes like Max, Cassie, and C4 Charlie.[46]

The gameplay is similar to other games in the series, with a new weapon and item mechanic as well. There are at least 15 adventures and 50 maps to play in that act as the playing stage of the game.[47]