Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD

Review by eFreeware

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD is a paid tower defense game from Ironhide Games, the studio behind the Kingdom Rush series. You build and upgrade defensive towers along enemy paths, drop heroes into the fight, and try to hold a line against waves that keep changing shape. The hook this time is that you command two heroes at once, which changes how a stage plays out.

The main reason to consider it is volume. There are 18 towers and 16 heroes to work with, spread across 25 campaign stages and six terrains, so the roster gives you a lot to try before a stage starts feeling routine. That is a lot of moving parts for a $6.99 game, and it is the clearest argument for the price.

How a battle actually plays out

Each stage gives you a set of build spots and a path for the enemy to follow. You spend on towers, upgrade them as waves arrive, and use whatever the terrain gives you. The tower list runs from archers and paladins to mages and necromancers, and the developer includes oddities like demon pits, so there is room to build around damage, control or something stranger. Because towers upgrade rather than just get replaced, the early decisions in a stage matter more than the late ones.

The two-hero system is the part that separates this from a standard entry in the genre. You place both heroes on the field and manage them together, which means two sets of abilities to time and two positions to keep an eye on. The developer leans into the pairing idea, pointing to combinations like a forest guardian spirit alongside a battle automaton, or a space-bending mage next to an ordinary fighter. I'd expect the fun to come from finding pairs that cover each other's weaknesses rather than from any single hero being strong.

Enemies are the other half of that equation. There are more than 45 of them, split across four clans, and each clan is meant to be answered with a different defensive setup. That is where the strategy sits: not in picking the strongest tower, but in reading what is coming and building for it. The developer promises fast-paced battles and boss fights that push a defense to its limit, and the structure suggests stages are meant to be replayed rather than cleared once.

Campaign, modes and the sky update

The campaign runs through 25 stages across six terrains, from forest to caverns, with a boss at the end of the line. Once you win a stage, three different game modes open up for it, each a harder variation on what you just cleared. That gives the game a second life after the campaign, and it is the reason the achievement list runs past 58 entries. If you like chasing a full clear, there is a long tail here.

The most recent update, from March 2026, added a sky-themed chapter: five stages in the Cloud Realm, 15 new enemies in the form of drakes that evolve as they fight, and three ancient dragon bosses. It also brought a new hero, Aurion, described as a radiant dragon, plus a Dragon Hatchery tower that spawns its own brood, and seven more achievements. For anyone who had already worked through the original stages, that is a substantial addition rather than a token one.

The tone throughout is light. Ironhide's games are known for jokes and hidden easter eggs, and this one keeps that habit. It is not a grim military exercise; the writing and the art carry the same playful streak as the rest of the series.

What the $6.99 buys, and what sits alongside it

This is a paid game at $6.99, and it also carries ads and offers in-app purchases, which is worth knowing before you buy.

The price puts it in a different bracket from the free tower defense games that dominate the category. What you get for the money is a finished campaign with a large roster. Whether that trade is worth it depends on how much you value a game that asks for your attention in one sitting rather than in short daily bursts.

The player this fits

This is for someone who already likes tower defense and wants a version with more decisions per stage. Managing two heroes at once is not a small addition; it adds a layer of positioning and timing that a single-hero game does not have. If you enjoy planning a defense before the first wave and adjusting it as the wave list reveals itself, the two-hero setup gives you more to adjust.

It also suits players who like to come back to a stage and beat it a different way. Three extra modes per stage, a large tower list and four enemy clans all point toward replay rather than a single pass through. Someone who plays a campaign once and moves on will still get a full game here, but the design clearly rewards the second and third attempt.

The light tone and the humor make it approachable for a younger player as well, and the content rating reflects that. It is a game about defending a kingdom with cartoon soldiers, not a gritty war simulation. That said, the difficulty curve implied by three extra modes and boss fights suggests it does not stay easy.

A tower defense campaign with real depth

The 4.6 average across more than 34,000 ratings suggests the approach has landed with the people who bought it, and the 500,000-plus installs put it well beyond a niche release.

My recommendation is straightforward: if you want a tower defense game with a full campaign, a deep roster and a reason to replay stages, this is worth the $6.99. If you prefer to play in short sessions, this may be a harder sell. Everyone in between should look at the tower and hero count and decide whether that variety is what they are missing.

What's new in version 7.00.62

5 New Stages: Battle through the Cloud Realm, high above the clouds. 15 New Enemies: Evil drakes that evolve to challenge your defenses! 3 Bosses: Powerful ancient dragons, each one a true test of strategy. 1 New Hero: Aurion, a radiant dragon from a rare sun-infused lineage. 1 New Tower: Dragon Hatchery, a dragon mother that fiercely commands her brood. 7 New Achievements: Prove your mastery of the skies and earn glory.