Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time

Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time

AdventureFantasyFightingMiniatures
Players
1-4
Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
2 players
Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
90 min
AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
10+
ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
3.0 / 5
Year
2020

About the game

Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time adapts the popular tower-defense video game into a cooperative tabletop campaign. Players control Heroes and place polyomino Tower tiles to fend off waves of enemies sent by the mysterious Time Mage, choosing whether to build up their own defenses or pass tower pieces to allies for upgrades. A branching campaign of scenarios ramps up in difficulty, introducing new enemies, events, and epic bosses along the way. Special hero abilities and an upgradable tower arsenal give players plenty of tactical options each round. It's designed to capture the addictive tower-defense loop of the video game in a cooperative board game format.

Hobbli's Notes

Fans of the Kingdom Rush video games will feel right at home with the tile-passing tower mechanic; it's a clever tabletop translation of the tower-defense genre. The campaign structure gives a satisfying sense of progression, and the miniatures add nice tabletop presence. It leans on licensed IP appeal, so newcomers unfamiliar with the source material may find the theme less compelling. Solid cooperative fun, particularly for existing fans.

What we like

  • Clever polyomino tower-passing mechanic captures the tower-defense feel.
  • Branching campaign offers a satisfying sense of progression.
  • Good miniatures and component quality for licensed fans.
  • Cooperative play with variable hero powers keeps sessions varied.

Keep in mind

  • Theme relies heavily on familiarity with the Kingdom Rush video games.
  • Campaign-based content can lose steam once completed.
  • Cooperative games can suffer from a dominant player quarterbacking decisions.

Who it's for

Fans of tower-defense games and cooperative fantasy adventures aged 10+, playing solo or in groups up to 4.

Mechanics

Cooperative GameHand ManagementModular BoardPattern BuildingTile PlacementVariable Player Powers

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