Xbox Reviews

Bloons TD5 review

Review Bloons TD5 | After the fantastic action and Tower Defense game hybrid Deathtrap comes a more traditional Tower Defense game for Xbox One, Bloons TD5. This is the first console game from Ninja Kiwi (congrats!) and that makes it even more exciting. Did this mobile game transition well for console? Let’s find out in this review!

You even have zebra balloons

THE GOOD

  • Bloons works like most Tower Defense games, you place towers so enemies can’t reach your home base. The difference is that towers in Bloons are monkeys and enemies are balloons. Giving it a more child friendly feeling. What’s refreshing about Bloons is that you can place monkeys wherever you want,  you just have to keep the path for the balloons open. This gives you a surprisingly tactical way for playing this game.
  • You have quite a few towers/monkeys to choice from, each monkey can be upgraded with new abilities and choosing which to take at what time is crucial. What I really liked was how you unlocked more defensive monkeys, by leveling up your profile level you get more and more available options. The more you use a monkey the higher you can level it up too. It’s a clever way to award players for playing the game.
  • You would think that Ninja Kiwi couldn’t provide much diversity with having balloons as enemies, to be honest that was my first opinion when I just started the game. Never trust your first impression, because balloons come in all kind of shapes and original ways to make your life more difficult. You really need to think a head and place monkeys that can defeat particular balloons. Armored balloons need to be destroyed with cannon fire and camo balloons require specific monkeys too. You have a few more like these so prepare to hate the balloons at your next McDonald’s visit.
  • All ages can play Bloons, that normally means that the developer choose the path of casual gaming, I was happy to see that Bloons is great for die-hard tower defense players too. Picking the highest difficulty is a real test of your reflexes and strategic thinking.
  • Cute and colorful visuals with some funny and clear monkey design. Things can become very hectic so it’s a very good thing that each and every monkey-type is different and distinct. Even upgraded monkey types look different so you always have a clear indication who needs to be updated. (you have to remember each visual addition, that might be a little difficult for some)
You can collect bananas, they give you money

Mixed Feelings

  • Sound is good enough but can become a little repetitive, waves can take half an hour so sound effects can become a little tiresome. I loved the style and funny sound pop ups though, more variation would have been nice.
Things become very hectic, but it remains a fun experience

THE BAD

  • There is a lot going on, unlocking monkeys, upgrading them, premium abilities, permanent upgrades and more. It was really confusing at first, even now I still have a few “How did this work again?” questions. It would have benefited the game if the tutorial would have been a little bit more clear, considering the game is attractive for the younger people too.

Score: 80% | Bloons TD5 was made for the mobile audience but it doesn’t show while playing it on Xbox One. It’s a very fun and addictive tradition Tower Defense game that everyone can enjoy and love. Developer Ninja Kiwi’s first console game is a good one, I hope they will continue to entertain Xbox gamers!

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