Bloons Tower Defense facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bloons Tower Defense
The logo of Bloons Tower Defense, the first game in the series
Genres	Tower defense
Developers	Ninja Kiwi Digital Goldfish Ltd. (iOS)
Publishers	Ninja Kiwi
Platforms	Android, browser (Flash), iOS, macOS, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
First release	Bloons August 16, 2007
Latest release	Bloons Card Storm October 28, 2024

Bloons Tower Defense (also known as Bloons TD or BTD) is a super fun series of tower defense games. It's part of the bigger Bloons game world, and it's made by a company called Ninja Kiwi. The first game came out in 2007 as a free online game you could play in your web browser.

Over time, the games became available on many devices. You can now play them on phones, tablets, computers, and even game consoles. In Bloons TD, your main goal is to stop colorful "Bloons" (which are like balloons) from getting to the end of a path. You do this by placing awesome towers and items along the path. These towers are usually monkeys, but they can also be magic or tech-based. They pop the bloons in many cool ways! Some towers can even slow down bloons by freezing or gluing them.

You earn money by popping bloons and finishing game rounds. You can also get money from banana farms you place. This money helps you buy new towers, make your existing towers stronger, or get special items like exploding pineapples. Just make sure you don't lose all your lives, or it's game over!

How to Play Bloons TD

The main idea in Bloons TD is to stop Bloons from reaching the end of a path on your map. Each map has a starting point and an exit for the bloons. Since it's a tower defense game, you place different towers and traps around the path. These defenses help you pop the bloons. You get one in-game dollar for each layer of a bloon you pop. If a bloon reaches the end, you lose lives. If you lose all your lives, the game ends. Bloons always follow the path until they are popped or moved back by a tower's special power.

Types of Bloons

There are three main kinds of bloons you'll face. These are regular bloons, MOAB-class bloons, and Boss-class bloons.

Regular bloons come in many colors. Each color means they are stronger and might contain other bloons inside. For example, a red bloon is the weakest, but a ceramic bloon is very tough. Popping a stronger bloon often reveals weaker bloons inside.

MOAB-class bloons are like giant blimps. They are much harder to pop than regular bloons. Some examples are the MOAB (Massive Ornary Air Blimp) and the BAD (Big Airship of Doom). These blimps also release smaller bloons when you pop them.

Boss-class bloons are super strong enemies that appear in special game modes. They have tons of health and unique powers. You'll need a very strong defense to defeat them!

Some bloons also have special features. "Camo" bloons are invisible to most towers. "Regrow" bloons can slowly grow back if not popped completely. "Fortified" bloons are extra tough and have double health. You need specific towers to deal with these special bloons. As you play more levels, the bloons get stronger and come in bigger waves.

Your Towers

Your towers are your main defense in Bloons TD. Most of them are monkeys! Each tower has its own special purpose and powers. Some towers are great against certain bloons but not so good against others. You can make your towers stronger by upgrading them. Upgrades cost money, which you earn by popping bloons and finishing rounds. In later games, you can even place banana farms to earn extra money during a round.

Game Difficulties and Maps

The games offer different difficulty levels. On harder levels, you have fewer lives, and towers and upgrades cost more money. There are also many different maps to play on. Some maps are easy, while others are very tricky with winding paths or obstacles. Newer games usually have more map options.

Main Bloons TD Games

There are six main games in the Bloons TD series, plus many spin-off games. The newest main game is Bloons TD 6, released in 2018. The series name changed from Bloons Tower Defense to Bloons TD in 2009. This was because of a name conflict with another game series.

Bloons Tower Defense (The First Game)

A screenshot of the original Bloons Tower Defense

The very first Bloons Tower Defense game came out on August 16, 2007. It was a free online game you could play with Adobe Flash. In this game, you had to defend against waves of bloons using a small group of towers. Bloons had different layers, and each layer you popped revealed the one underneath. You started with 40 lives. If you lost them all, the game was over. If you passed all 50 waves, you won! This game had 5 towers: the Dart Tower, Tack Tower, Ice Tower, Bomb Tower, and Super Monkey. All these towers appeared in later games too.

Bloons Tower Defense 2

Bloons Tower Defense 2 was released very soon after the first game, in October 2007. This version added new towers, more map choices, and new types of bloons. It also let you choose how difficult you wanted the game to be.

Bloons TD 3

A screenshot of the Bloons TD 3 browser version from 2012 onwards

Bloons TD 3 came out on September 5, 2008. Like the second game, it brought new towers, new bloons like the M.O.A.B. (Mother of All Bloons), and more maps. A version for iPhones and iPods was released in 2009. This mobile version had extra maps with snow and beach themes. It also came out for the PlayStation Portable in 2010 and the Nintendo DSi in 2011.

Bloons TD 4

Bloons TD 4 was released on October 26, 2009. It was an online game, and a special version for iPhones and iPads came out in 2010. This game added a "sandbox mode" where you could try out weapons and enemies freely. It also introduced a new bloon called the B.F.B. (Brutal Floating Behemoth). An "apopalypse mode" made the game continuous without breaks between levels.

The game looked much better with updated graphics. You could also save your game progress. A new leveling system let you unlock things as you played. The way you upgraded towers changed too, with more upgrade options for each tower. New maps and game modes were added, including maps with water where you could place the new Monkey Buccaneer tower. The iPhone and iPad versions of this game were bought over a million times! An expansion pack, Bloons TD 4 Expansion, added new towers like the Dartling Gun and Spike Factory. It also brought new tracks and a "Deflation" game mode.

Bloons TD 5

Bloons TD 5
A screenshot of the Bloons TD 5 iOS version
Developer(s)	Ninja Kiwi
Publisher(s)	Ninja Kiwi
Series	Bloons Tower Defense
Engine	Adobe Flash
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release date(s)	Flash: WW December 13, 2011 Android, iOS: WW November 15, 2012 macOS: WW 2013 Steam: WW November 19, 2014 Xbox One: WW March 3, 2017 PlayStation 4: WW May 9, 2017 Nintendo Switch: WW June 13, 2018
Genre(s)	Tower defense
Mode(s)	Single-player, multi-player

Bloons TD 5 first came out on December 13, 2011. A special version for phones and tablets was released in 2012. This version had better graphics and even more upgrades, tracks, towers, and bloon types. It later came to computers via Steam in 2014.

Bloons TD 5 Deluxe was a special offline version. It added new towers like the "Bloonchipper" and "Monkey Engineer." It also had new tracks and special missions. All the things you used to pay for in the online version became free to unlock in Deluxe. This game also had high-resolution graphics. An update for the mobile version added a new tower called the "Monkey Sub."

Just like the earlier games, you had to protect your exits from bloons using monkeys and machines. Bloons TD 5 had a much wider variety of towers and upgrades. This game also had an endless "free play" mode. Bloons would get stronger and stronger in this mode. It was also released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The game also featured daily challenges, which were special missions that changed every day.

Bloons TD 6

Bloons TD 6 is the sixth main game in the series. It was announced in 2017 and released for phones and tablets on June 14, 2018. A computer version came out on Steam in December 2018. Unlike older games, Bloons TD 6 doesn't have a free online version on the Ninja Kiwi website.

Bloons TD 6 looks different from previous games. It uses 3D graphics, making the game world feel more real. It also adds "Heroes," which are special monkeys that level up as you play. This makes them stronger as the game goes on. You can also combine three "Tier 5" monkeys of the same type into super powerful "Paragons." These are very expensive but incredibly strong! Some maps have obstacles that block your monkeys' view or attacks.

You can choose your maps, and harder maps unlock as you complete easier ones. As you play on different difficulties, more game modes become available for each map. Besides the normal game, Bloons TD 6 has many special game modes. These modes have unique rules, like limiting which monkeys you can use or making bloons extra tough. You can even create your own custom games with special rules using the "Challenge Editor." Other players can then play your challenges!

The game also has daily and weekly events. "Daily Challenges" and "Advanced Challenges" have special rules. "Race Events" let you send bloons early to get the fastest time. "Odyssey Mode" makes you complete several maps in a row with a limited group of monkeys. "Boss Bloons" are super strong enemies you must defeat. There's also a "Contested Territory" event where players compete in teams to capture tiles on an island. Each tile has unique rules. In a recent update, a "Map Editor" was added, letting players create their own maps with props and effects.

Over time, new towers have been added to Bloons TD 6. These include the Mortar Monkey, Engineer Monkey, and Dartling Gunner. Two brand-new towers, the Beast Handler and the Mermonkey, were also added. The Beast Handler controls animal companions, and the Mermonkey is an amphibious tower with ocean-themed upgrades.

Spin-off Games

Ninja Kiwi has also made several BTD games that use the main gameplay but are not part of the numbered series.

Bloons TD Battles

Bloons TD Battles was released on December 12, 2012, and later came to phones and tablets. It also arrived on Steam in 2016. This game is like Bloons TD 5, but two players compete against each other!

There are different game modes. In "Assault Mode," players send extra bloons to their opponent to try and overwhelm them. In "Defense" mode, players play a normal game side-by-side. Players can also spend money to earn more income. In "Card Battles" mode, you use cards to send bloons or place towers. The goal in all modes is to last longer than your opponent. You can play against random players or against your friends in private lobbies.

Bloons Monkey City

Bloons Monkey City also uses gameplay similar to BTD5. However, in this game, you also build and manage your own city! You expand your city by taking over areas filled with bloons. A big goal is to level up your city. You earn experience points (XP) by capturing areas, completing missions, or building towers. Higher city levels unlock special features like "Monkey vs. Monkey" battles.

"Monkey vs. Monkey" lets you attack other players' cities. You use a resource called "Bloontonium" to launch these raids. If your opponent can't defend their city in time, you get rewards like cash and special "bloonstones." Buildings are very important in Bloons Monkey City. You need them to use and upgrade your towers. Some buildings unlock new monkeys, while others let you research upgrades. There are also special areas on the map that unlock unique towers or permanent boosts for your monkeys. This game has a new MOAB-class bloon called the DDT (Dark Dirigible Titan).

In 2014, a new mode called "Contested Territory" was added. This mini-game offers bonus rewards and lets players compete to survive the most rounds on a challenging track. This game was first on web browsers, then came to phones and tablets, and later to Steam.

Bloons Adventure Time TD

Bloons Adventure Time TD is a cool crossover game. It combines the Bloons TD series with the popular cartoon show Adventure Time! It was announced in 2018 and launched internationally later that year.

This game features characters from Adventure Time like Jake the Dog, Finn the Human, and Princess Bubblegum. It also has new monkey heroes. A big difference from other Bloons TD games is that you can only place one of each tower, similar to the hero system in Bloons TD 6. The gameplay is still about popping bloons, but it adds new weapons and items. There are many adventures and maps to play through.

Bloons TD Battles 2

Bloons TD Battles 2 is the sequel to Bloons TD Battles. It was released on November 30, 2021. The game was first hinted at in a Ninja Kiwi YouTube video.

The gameplay is very similar to the first Bloons TD Battles. Two players fight each other in a player versus player match. You choose three monkey types and a Hero. You defend against waves of bloons that appear naturally and also against bloons your opponent sends you. This game has 3D graphics and more bloon types, just like Bloons TD 6. You must build a strong defense to protect your lives. If you lose all your lives, you lose the battle. The player who survives wins!

In Bloons TD Battles 2, you need to be smart. You send bloons to your opponent while also defending against their attacks. You automatically earn "eco," which is cash that comes in every few seconds. This lets you buy towers and upgrades over time. Winning battles helps you move up to higher arenas, which are more prestigious. If you reach the top arena, the Hall of Masters, you can rank up on the game's public leaderboard. You can also unlock cool cosmetic items, heroes, towers, and powerful Tier 5 upgrades using a currency called Monkey Money. In March 2024, Bloons TD Battles 2 was also released on Apple Arcade as Bloons TD Battles 2+.

Images for kids

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  A screenshot of Bloons TD 4. The two bottom allies (Dartling Gunner, Spike Factory) were added in a later update.

See also

In Spanish: Bloons Tower Defense para niños