Info about Kingdom Rush Frontiers - Tower Defense:

Official game description:
The world's most devilishly addictive defense game is back - welcome to Kingdom Rush: Frontiers!
Bigger and badder than ever before, Kingdom Rush: Frontiers is a whole new level of the furiously fast, enchantingly charming gameplay that made the original title an award-winning hit. Command your troops through an epic (mis)adventure as you defend exotic lands from dragons, man-eating plants, and ghastly denizens of the underworld -all with flashy new towers, levels, heroes, and more goodies to help you crush your foes to a pulp. (Don't worry, we've still got all the good ol' stuff from the last game, too. It's vintage now.)
Kingdom Rush: Frontiers packs in so much content, it's like a fully upgraded artillery blast of mouthwatering, pixelated joy launched right into your smiling little face... and it hurts so good!
Key Features
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*   Fantastic Tower Defense game with lots of strategic decisions. Great power-user stuff like Reinforcements, Meteor Strikes, Heroes and more.
*   Fortify the frontier in exotic news lands - hold the line in deserts, jungles and even the underworld!
*   Eight new specialized tower upgrades! Slice, sizzle, and stomp your foes with Crossbow Forts, Mighty Templars, Necromancers, and even Earthquake Machines - hey, we told you we were shaking things up.
*   Over 18 tower abilities! Unleash Death Riders, pestilence clouds, or Assassins that steal and kill your enemies!
*   Over 40 enemies with unique abilities! Stay on your toes as you fight through desert sandworms, tribal shamans, nomad tribes and underground terrors.
*   16 legendary heroes. Choose your champions and train their abilities! Each has unique specialties that fit different play styles! and More to come!
*   Special units and features on every stage! Watch out for the Black Dragon!
*   Merciless boss fights! Hey, we told you to get those upgrades...
*   Upgrade system allows you to min/max your towers towards your preferred strategy.
*   Hours of gameplay with over 80 achievements!
*   Classic, Iron, and Heroic game modes to challenge your tactical skills!
*   Three difficulty modes! Are you up for a real challenge? Go with Hard mode!
*   Intoxicating charm with a rousing score, full-bodied voice-overs and lovingly illustrated cartoon art! (Complete with cartoon blood, naturally.)
*   In-game encyclopedia! True warriors know thine enemies... and their towers. Study up!

Release date: Jul 25, 2016

Categories: Tower Defense, Strategy, Hero Management, Upgrade System, Achievement System, Endless Mode, Boss Fights, Difficulty Levels

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 20; verdict: Mixed; summary: Kingdom Rush Frontiers receives mixed reviews regarding its gameplay design and pricing. While some users appreciate the strategic depth and lack of in-game purchases, others criticize the game's reliance on an item shop and the high cost of DLC. The overall sentiment suggests that the game has strong elements but also significant drawbacks related to its design and pricing structure.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Complex Mechanics Dependency; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around the complexity of certain game mechanics and challenges, which often require consulting external guides or strategies to overcome. This indicates a significant reliance on external data sources to progress through the game, particularly for more difficult levels and bosses.
- Proton/Linux: score 0; verdict: Positive; summary: The user reviews highlight the depth and variety of gameplay mechanics in Kingdom Rush: Frontiers, including multiple levels, enemies, towers, and heroes. The additional game modes, such as heroic and iron, add significant replayability and strategic depth. The inclusion of heroes in these challenging modes is particularly appreciated. The challenges and replayability of the game are noted, with users mentioning the difficulty and time-consuming nature of completing levels in heroic and iron modes.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The Steam Deck experience for this game has notable issues related to screen size and stability. The small screen size affects the precision of clicks, making the gameplay less enjoyable. Additionally, there are reports of the game crashing, which further detracts from the user experience. Despite these issues, the game is still playable and enjoyable for some users.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: The game exhibits significant performance issues and crashes across the Windows 8-11GB VRAM cohort, with users reporting frequent crashes and instability.
  - Sample size: 38 (3% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (negative, 7 reports): Users report frequent crashes and instability, particularly at higher resolutions.
  - Caveats: 38 of 1213 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth its price, especially when purchased on sale. The quotes indicate that the game is considered a good value at around $10, with some users even suggesting it is worth more than that. The mention of the game being worth its full price and even more so when discounted supports the price range provided.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 32.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: 44.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct mentions of playtime hours from user reviews. The playtime hours are explicitly stated in several reviews, which helps in deriving the metrics for game completion and endgame content. The evidence does not provide specific details on story completion or session length, so those fields are marked as null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with tutorial levels that are beginner-friendly and gradually increases in difficulty and complexity. The fun begins almost immediately after these initial levels.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Completion of tutorial levels
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Tutorial levels may feel like filler; Initial levels may be too easy
  - Unlock drivers: Gradual increase in difficulty; Introduction of new map-specific gimmicks; Introduction of new enemies
  - Conditions: Casual play setting; Adapting strategies to new enemies; Enjoying tower defense mechanics
- Player Archetypes:
  - Veteran Challenge Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking a challenging experience
    - Playstyle: Strategic and persistent, aiming for high difficulty completions.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: veteran player; challenge seeker
    - Reference games: Kingdom Rush; other tower defense games
  - Casual Relaxation Player (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and enjoyment
    - Playstyle: Casual and laid-back, enjoying the game at a leisurely pace.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; relaxation seeker
    - Reference games: Kingdom Rush; other casual games
  - Newcomer Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploring a new genre or series
    - Playstyle: Exploratory and adaptive, trying out different strategies and enjoying the narrative.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: newcomer; genre explorer
    - Reference games: Kingdom Rush; other tower defense games


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- New and creative tower designs (weight 0.38): The game introduces a variety of new towers, each with unique designs and abilities. Players appreciate the creativity and diversity in tower options, enhancing strategic gameplay.
- Fun and addictive gameplay (weight 0.37): The gameplay is frequently described as fun and addictive. Players enjoy the strategic elements and the overall engaging experience.
- Variety of heroes (weight 0.34): The game offers a variety of heroes with unique abilities and a redesigned hero system. Players enjoy the diversity and the powerful hero characters available.
- Increased difficulty (weight 0.32): The game is noted for its increased difficulty compared to previous installments. Players find the challenge engaging and appropriate.
- Thoughtful level design (weight 0.31): The level design is praised for being exceptional and thoughtful. Players appreciate the creativity and richness in the design of each level.
- Good graphics and sound (weight 0.25): The game features pleasant visuals and good sound design. Players appreciate the improved graphics and enjoyable audio components.
- Continuation of Kingdom Rush series (weight 0.17): As a continuation of the Kingdom Rush series, the game is praised for maintaining the high standards of its predecessors. Players consider it one of the best in the series.
- Easter eggs add enjoyment (weight 0.16): The game includes various Easter eggs and references that add to the enjoyment. Players find these Easter eggs entertaining and fun.
- Nostalgic and memorable (weight 0.14): The game evokes nostalgic memories for many players, reminding them of childhood experiences. This nostalgia adds to the overall enjoyment and memorability of the game.

Common complaints:
- Balance issues in gameplay (weight 0.28): The game suffers from various balance issues, including unbalanced levels and towers, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
- Less content than predecessor (weight 0.19): Players feel that the game offers less content compared to the first game, including fewer levels and less additional content.
- Grindy achievements (weight 0.17): Achievements are criticized for being grindy and repetitive, requiring excessive effort and multiple attempts.
- Final boss difficulty imbalance (weight 0.16): The final boss is frequently cited as too difficult and imbalanced, leading to player frustration.
- New towers are lackluster (weight 0.14): The new towers introduced in the game are criticized for being boring and not well-designed, lacking the charm and creativity of the first game.
- Specific levels are challenging (weight 0.12): Certain levels, particularly some of the later ones, are noted for their high difficulty and challenge.
- Lack of customizable settings (weight 0.12): The settings menu is limited, with a notable lack of customizable hotkeys and difficulty settings.
- Hero leveling system issues (weight 0.11): The hero leveling system is disliked and considered one of the worst settings in the game, with upgrades being slow and perfunctory.
- Game is too short (weight 0.1): The game is perceived as being much shorter than the first game, leading to a less enjoyable experience overall.
- Lack of story and innovation (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for its lack of story, lore, and innovation, making it feel less engaging than the first game.
- Boss creatures are overpowered (weight 0.07): Boss creatures are seen as impossible to kill and overpowered, adding to the game's difficulty issues.
- Lacks modern features (weight 0.07): The game shows its age compared to newer entries and lacks modern features and improvements.
- Excessive microtransactions (weight 0.07): The presence of excessive microtransactions, particularly on mobile, is a point of contention for players.
- Small game volume (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for its tiny size and small volume, offering less content overall.
- Graphics quality is mixed (weight 0.06): Opinions on the graphics quality are mixed, with some players finding them decent and others poor.
- Endless mode balancing issues (weight 0.06): The endless mode suffers from balancing issues, making it less enjoyable for players.
- Confusing diamond mechanism (weight 0.06): The diamond mechanism is criticized for being confusing and time-consuming, adding unnecessary complexity to the game.
- Barracks are weak (weight 0.06): The barracks are seen as weak and useless beyond the early game, contributing to balance issues.

Gameplay feedback:
- Variety of Tower Types (weight 0.58): The game offers a wide range of tower types with unique mechanics and designs. Players can strategically place and upgrade these towers to enhance their effectiveness.
- Hero Progression System (weight 0.5): The game includes a comprehensive hero system with progression, upgrades, and unique abilities. Heroes can be enhanced and customized using skill points.
- Classic Tower Defense Gameplay (weight 0.38): The game features classic tower defense mechanics with diverse levels, towers, and heroes. It is often compared to Kingdom Rush and includes elements of strategy and increasing difficulty.
- Adjustable Difficulty Levels (weight 0.34): The game offers adjustable difficulty levels, including a veteran mode. This feature enhances replayability and caters to different player skill levels.
- Strategic Gameplay (weight 0.31): The game emphasizes strategic planning and different approaches to beat levels. Players must use various strategies based on the difficulty and design of each level.
- Unique Level Design (weight 0.17): The game features unique and varied level design, with balanced difficulty and interactive elements. This adds to the overall challenge and enjoyment.
- Unique Boss Fights (weight 0.17): Players encounter challenging boss fights with unique mechanics and designs. These battles add a layer of complexity and excitement to the gameplay.
- Side Quests and Campaigns (weight 0.1): The game includes interesting side quests and campaigns, such as Halloween-themed quests. These add variety and additional content to the main gameplay.
- Addictive and Replayable (weight 0.09): The game is described as addictive with high replay value. The wave-based gameplay and variety of strategies contribute to its engaging nature.

Performance notes:
- Positive performance on PC (weight 0.11): Many players report that the game runs well on PC with good optimization and solid graphics performance.
- Crashing issues reported (weight 0.08): Some players have experienced game crashes, which can significantly disrupt gameplay.
- Low hardware requirements (weight 0.07): The game has minimal hardware requirements, making it accessible to a wide range of players.
- Good experience on Steam Deck (weight 0.07): The game is reported to be less buggy and runs well on the Steam Deck, providing a good gameplay experience.
- Resolution settings available (weight 0.04): Players have noted the availability of resolution settings, which can enhance the gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for tower defense fans (weight 0.3): The game is frequently recommended for both casual players and dedicated fans of tower defense games. It is considered a must-play for enthusiasts of the genre.
- Suggestions for better gameplay (weight 0.08): Reviewers suggest specific settings and improvements for better gameplay experience, including recommendations for new players and enhancements to the endless mode.

Other player notes:
- Partial translation of achievements (weight 0.04): The game has partially translated achievements, which may affect the gaming experience for non-native speakers.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.22): Players are primarily frustrated with the game's difficulty, particularly with certain levels, bosses, and the final boss. Issues with game balance, grinding for achievements, unresponsive controls, and crashing problems also contribute to this frustration. Additionally, the need for microtransactions to unlock heroes and the lack of certain features like 2x game speed add to the dissatisfaction.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.17): Players feel nostalgic due to childhood memories associated with playing the game and its predecessors. The classic tower defense elements and comparisons to previous versions of the game evoke a sense of nostalgia. Many players reminisce about playing the game during different stages of their lives, which brings back fond memories.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.15): Players express satisfaction with the game's value for money, content, and improvements over previous versions. The well-balanced gameplay, engaging mechanics, and challenging difficulty levels contribute to their satisfaction. Additionally, the variety of levels, heroes, and the overall quality of the game are highly appreciated.
- Excitement (weight 0.15): Players are excited about the new content, heroes, towers, and upgrades introduced in the game. The engaging gameplay, dynamic atmosphere, and innovative mechanics contribute to their excitement. The addictive nature of the game and the discovery of Easter eggs and achievements also add to the thrill.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Players enjoy the fun and addicting gameplay, unique features, and creative towers. The engaging campaign story, variety of heroes, and improvements over the predecessor contribute to their enjoyment. The game's design, challenge, and replay value are also highly appreciated.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Players are disappointed with the balance issues, lack of innovation, and excessive microtransactions. The game being perceived as weaker compared to the original, repetitive aspects, and the gem system also contribute to their disappointment. Additionally, the game being too short and significantly easier than the first part adds to the dissatisfaction.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Players experience joy from the enjoyable Easter eggs, achievements, and engaging gameplay. The beautiful art design and stimulating gameplay contribute to their joy. The fun and challenging gameplay, as well as the tower combinations, are also highly appreciated.
- Excited (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the new content, improvements, and detailed features in the game. The new heroes, towers, and upgrades, as well as the engaging gameplay and dynamic atmosphere, contribute to their excitement. The addictive nature of the game and the discovery of Easter eggs and achievements also add to the thrill.
- Happy (weight 0.02): Players are happy with the colorful graphics, pleasant design, and the game being as good as the original. The simplicity and humor of the game also contribute to their happiness.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the personal achievement of completing 100% of the game, the graphics, art style, and the gem system. The design of the Necromancer Tower and the addition of the diamond shop are also highly appreciated.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game being the best tower defense series and recommend playing it on maximum difficulty. The high fun factor, worth the cost, and high replayability contribute to their enthusiasm.
- Positive (weight 0.02): Players are overall positive about the game, praising its craftsmanship, balance, and fun levels. The improvements, new features, engaging gameplay, and adjustable difficulty are highly appreciated.
- Happiness (weight 0.02): Players are happy that heroes are now unlockable without payment and that all defense towers are useful. The game being the most classic in the KR series and having a large variety of enemies also contribute to their happiness.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgic about the series and its peak, reminiscing about their past experiences with the game. Warm memories of playing the game as a kid contribute to their nostalgia.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players love the upgrade system, interactive levels with silly references, and playing as a robot. These unique features and engaging gameplay elements contribute to their love for the game.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players feel bored due to side quests being less engaging, lack of new content, and the overall game feeling boring and lacking anticipation. The long campaign also contributes to their boredom.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players express gratitude towards friends who gifted the game. The act of thanking someone for the gift contributes to their feelings of gratitude.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire the online guides and have a positive experience with the game's graphics, animations, and overall goal. These aspects contribute to their admiration for the game.
- Disappointed (weight 0.01): Players are disappointed with the lack of innovation and changes in the series. The imbalance and decrease in additional content also contribute to their disappointment.
- Frustrated (weight 0.01): Players are frustrated with the balancing and item shop mechanics. The difficulty with the final boss level and the need for a guide also contribute to their frustration.}