Bloons Adventure Time TD

Bloons Adventure Time TD is a pretty fun crossover between Bloons TD and Adventure Time, and I think the combination works better than it probably should. I am defending the Land of Ooo from waves of Bloons while using characters like Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline alongside monkey heroes. The basic tower defense gameplay is still easy to understand, but the Adventure Time characters give it a different personality and make the whole thing feel more like its own game instead of just being another Bloons spin off. The biggest strength for me is the amount of content and the way the characters work. There are more than 15 adventures and 50 maps, and I have a large selection of characters and allies to build my defenses around. The equipment system also gives me more to think about because I can give characters different weapons and items to change how useful they are. I like being able to build a setup around the characters I enjoy instead of every map feeling like I am following exactly the same tower combination. The Adventure Time side is also handled really well. The characters fit naturally into the Bloons gameplay, and having the original voice cast involved gives the story sections much more personality. I especially like the little conversations between characters because they make moving between maps feel more connected to the world of the show. The colourful visuals also fit both series nicely, and the whole game has that bright and silly feeling I would expect from Adventure Time while still keeping the action easy to read. The main problem for me is the progression. This game was clearly designed around a free to play structure, and I can feel that in the way equipment, character upgrades and resources are handled. The Wish Orb system means a lot of the equipment I get is based on random rewards, so getting exactly what I want can take quite a while. I do not mind grinding in a tower defense game when I am working towards something specific, but here the progression can sometimes feel like I am repeating maps mainly to improve my chances of getting better equipment. I also think the balance can become strange once I have built up strong characters and equipment. Early on I have to pay much more attention to where I place everything and which abilities I use, but better equipment can eventually make certain setups feel much stronger than others. That takes away some of the challenge because once I have a particularly effective combination, I can rely on it instead of constantly experimenting. There is still plenty of strategy in the maps themselves, but I think the equipment system sometimes gets in the way of that. Even with those problems, I think there is enough here to make it worth playing. The 50 maps, character roster, weapons, trinkets, allies and different abilities give me a lot to work through, and I like having an actual Adventure Time story running alongside the tower defense. It is also free to play, so I can get a good idea of what the game offers without having to spend anything. I just have to be willing to accept that the later progression is much more grind focused than the basic tower defense gameplay. Overall, Bloons Adventure Time TD is a good crossover that I enjoy mainly because the two series fit together so naturally. The tower defense is solid, the Adventure Time presentation is full of personality and there is a lot of content to work through. The free to play progression, random equipment and occasional balance problems stop it from reaching the level of the best Bloons games for me, but there is still a lot to like here. I think it works best when I focus on enjoying the maps and experimenting with different characters rather than trying to rush through the entire progression. Rating: 7.7/10