Over the years, there have been many tower defense games including one of the most popular games of our time, Clash Royale. The Bloons franchise too has been making fun tower defense games since a long time and the characters from Cartoon Network’s famous show Adventure Time are a welcome addition to this version.

The game is simple to pick up and easy to play. The objective is to survive an onslaught of balloons attacking you. These balloons follow a specific path and come in different shapes, sizes and abilities. To counter them, players can use different characters from Adventure Time. One can place these characters anywhere in the designated zones on the map. There is a strategic element to placing these characters, based on the path the balloons take and the individual abilities of each character and balloon.

The most exciting part, of course, is that you can employ characters from the TV series such as Jake, Finn and Princess Bubblegum. Each of them have special abilities. Finn has his sword that deals damage to the balloons while Princess Bubblegum has a special gun that slows them down. There are multiple such characters that can be unlocked and used, each with his or her own special ability. You can also equip the characters with items and weapons that you randomly earn for completing levels. To upgrade a character, you have to use them in levels as well as spend specific, character-based currency that you get as a reward or buy from the store. Upgrading characters unlocks their special abilities.

What makes a game interesting are the enemies you have to fight. The balloons may seem non-threatening but they can be frustratingly difficult to get rid of when they are armour plated. There is ample variety in the type of balloons you have to fight, from those that regrow to those that are difficult to detect. There are also boss balloon ships that attack you and can only be defeated by using boosters.

What makes the game charming is that it has a narrative holding it all together. The characters from the original show voice the simple but charming story. This story takes place in different worlds with characters from the series. Each world has a unique environment. Within every environment, there are multiple different maps that you can battle on. The game also gives you the choice to select the difficulty level before entering a map and that makes for a very interesting risk versus reward situation.

VERDICT: Bloons Adventure Time is a well-made, charming game that perfectly marries the charm of Adventure Time and the gameplay of Bloons. Due to the sheer size, there are plenty of loading screens and transitions. Moving from one screen to another also takes time. It takes time to understand all the different parts of the game too and it is a bit difficult to navigate.

Whether you know of Adventure Time or now, if you are on the lookout for a fun and charming tower defense game, look no further. I’d go so far as to give it a nine out of 10 rating.

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