Retro Defense Strategy Tips

by John Watkinson on Android / iPhone /

Here are some Retro Defense tips we picked up while play-testing the game.

Tower Placement

Red towers can go pretty much anywhere, but green towers do much better when placed near the end of the invaders’ path. This is because green towers become ineffective when they are shooting at invaders that are moving away from them. Blue towers should be placed in the most central location so the invaders are exposed to it for the maximum amount of time. White towers should be placed just upstream of the blue towers to increase this exposure even more.

Bonus Tower Placement

Green and white towers benefit the least from range bonuses, as a long range can result in longer, slower shots. Try to give green and white towers power bonuses only. Blue towers benefit the most from range bonuses, while red towers can benefit from both bonus types.

Tower Upgrades

When there are only a few good spaces for towers (in the tougher levels), it is much better to upgrade towers rather than place new towers. Note that white towers need to be upgraded as the game progresses or they will lose their effectiveness.

Game Plan

Here’s an effective game plan, although there are other approaches that can also work:

1. Before starting, plan the ideal location of a blue tower. It needs to be fairly central and have room for range bonuses around it.
2. Start with two basic red towers placed on corners so as to maximize exposure to the invaders.
3. Plan to use all range-improving bonuses to boost the range of the large blue tower you will build later on. Don’t waste any range bonuses, they are very valuable!
4. Add two basic green towers near the end of the invaders’ path when needed.
5. Upgrade these four towers as necessary until you can afford a mid- or high-level blue tower. Place it in your predefined spot so that it benefits from the range bonuses.
6. Add white towers to support this big blue tower.
7. Improve (and possibly replace) the red and green towers. Make sure you don’t spend all your money on your blue tower or you will get burned by blue invaders! (They are resistant to blue towers.)

Here is a screenshot from a game that is following the above strategy.

Enjoy Retro Defending!