Usually when I quit a game it's because it failed to hold my interest or I didn't like the game mechanics or I found some other pillar of design lacking. This is the first time, I think, that I've quit a game simply because it was too difficult. I love tower defense games, so it pains me to write a negative review, but my reaction is at the very least... mixed.

Kingdom Rush is a fun game for a while. You complete stages with less than perfect ratings (out of three stars) but as you earn upgrades to your towers and abilities you can revisit those stages and complete them again to earn the maximum score. You have a degree of agency in how you overcome each stage's challenges, but I noticed from the start that the game seemed a bit inflexible in what it allowed to be successful.

That becomes painfully apparent when, after completing the campaign and unlocking additional stages, it seemed the game was less about finding a solution that worked for you and finding the single, specific solution that the designers intended. This was no clearer than when I broke down, unable to complete any stage available to me, and looked up a playthrough video that outlined exactly where to place which towers and when to upgrade them, right down to where and when to place reinforcements and drop meteors... and I still couldn't finish that stage. Evidently my timing was off just slightly and that was enough to doom the attempt.

In the end I have a mere 40 out of 130 stars, but that'll have to be enough. I refuse to just follow playthroughs to get any further and can't complete any of the stages available on my own, so it's time to call it quits rather than endure any additional frustration. I wish I could rate the game positively, but my disappointment—in my ineptitude or the game's—makes that impossible.

Usually when I quit a game it's because it failed to hold my interest or I didn't like the game mechanics or I found some other pillar of design lacking. This is the first time, I think, that I've quit a game simply because it was too difficult. I [i]love[/i] tower defense games, so it pains me to write a negative review, but my reaction is at the very least... mixed. [i]Kingdom Rush[/i] is a fun game for a while. You complete stages with less than perfect ratings (out of three stars) but as you earn upgrades to your towers and abilities you can revisit those stages and complete them again to earn the maximum score. You have a degree of agency in how you overcome each stage's challenges, but I noticed from the start that the game seemed a bit inflexible in what it allowed to be successful. That becomes painfully apparent when, after completing the campaign and unlocking additional stages, it seemed the game was less about finding a solution that worked [i]for you[/i] and finding the single, specific solution that the designers intended. This was no clearer than when I broke down, unable to complete any stage available to me, and looked up a playthrough video that outlined exactly where to place which towers and when to upgrade them, right down to where and when to place reinforcements and drop meteors... and I [i]still[/i] couldn't finish that stage. Evidently my timing was off [i]just slightly[/i] and that was enough to doom the attempt. In the end I have a mere 40 out of 130 stars, but that'll have to be enough. I refuse to just follow playthroughs to get any further and can't complete any of the stages available on my own, so it's time to call it quits rather than endure any additional frustration. I wish I could rate the game positively, but my disappointment—in my ineptitude or the game's—makes that impossible.