Kingdom Rush: Revisiting The Classic

Kingdom Rush is a game that has been out on mobile devices since 2011. It was developed and published by Ironside Studios. It finally ended up on Switch July 30, 2020. If you have been living under a rock for the last 11 years Kingdom Rush is a Tower Defense game set in Medieval times. You must survive multiple waves of enemies by not allowing them to cross a border. The game has a great variety of enemies, so you never know what new challenge you will encounter.

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Kingdom Rush World Map

Handheld Gaming Community game reviewer Steve reviewed it when it came out and identified some flaws in the Switch version that weren’t a problem on the mobile port. The primary flaws Steve found were the fact the game looks too small on the Nintendo Switch screen, the gem shop from the mobile version isn’t present, and the controls were a little off.

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I am playing the Nintendo Switch version on a Nintendo Switch OLED. The review code was provided by the publisher Ironhide Studio. You can purchase Kingdom Rush on the Nintendo eShop.

I am playing the most up-to-date version and can report about those flaws almost two years after its release. Lets start off with the games appearance being too small on the Switches screen. It is still quite small on the screen, but at least serviceable on the 7″ inch screen on the OLED. The game still doesn’t allow you to zoom in. This seems to be an easy thing to add, since other games like Charterstone: Digital Edition have the zoom assigned to the right analog stick. The Switch still doesn’t have the gem shop nor does it award you gems when you play. Finally, the touch controls are now just about perfect, and definitely my preferred way to play the game. The controller controls are still ok, but awkward.

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I have purchased the mobile version for my Amazon Fire on the Humble Bundle Store. I wanted to get a sense of how these two versions were similar and how they were different. One thing the Nintendo Switch version has going for it is that it is much more vibrant than the mobile port on Android. Other than not having the gem shop the Nintendo Switch version isn’t lacking anything the Mobile port has.

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Should you buy Kingdom Rush for Nintendo Switch in 2022? Absolutely if you don’t have an iPad or Android Tablet, as this port is very good, despite its flaws. However if you have an Android or iPad device then I think you should just play Kingdom Rush on those devices. There are three reasons for this. Playing Kingdom Rush on a bigger screen is a much better experience. The load times for the Android version were much faster than the Nintendo Switch. The final reason is because it is free, albeit with in app purchases.

Summary
Kingdom Rush is a classic Tower Defense game. It finally came to Nintendo Switch on July 30, 2022. Our first review found that it had some flaws, and in this post we revisit this classic, and see if any of those flaws have been resolved. This game is fantastic on the Switch, but perhaps a bit over-priced. If you have a tablet or another large touch-screen device to play it on, you should play it there instead. If you don't have anywhere else to play this game, wait for a sale and give it a try!
Good
  • Classic Tower Defense Gameplay
  • Lots of Replay Value
  • Switch Version looks vivid compared to the mobile port
  • Touch Controls are nearly flawless
Bad
  • Using a controller to play is awkward
  • No Zoom function on a small screen
  • Still lacks the Gem Shop found in Mobile ports
7.8
Good
Graphics - 8
Story - 7
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 9
Value - 7
Written by
My interest in handheld gaming started when I was in high school. I was obsessed with getting a Game Gear. I was so excited to have a relatively high quality gaming experience (for the time) with me wherever I went! As I became an adult, handheld gaming always maintained an important part in my life. I was thrilled to take my handheld gaming to the next level when I got a Playstation Vita, and later a Nintendo Switch. My go-to genres are arcade racers, and RPGs. While I don’t really like games like Minecraft, the Dragon Quest Builders series compelled me so much. I spent over 200 hours between the two entries.

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