If you spend any sentence on a electronic computer in the previous 2000s , there ’s a good chance you agnise the name Bloons . The colored series a gaming staple fiber of the era , with five secret plan and multiple updates to each released between 2007 and 2009 . It begin as a browser app - based teaser game about popping balloons , but promptly develop into a astonishingly robust tower defense plot that ’s still going firm .

The serial is about to exchange once again thanks toBloons lineup Storm . This fourth dimension , developer Ninja Kiwi is reimagining its iconic game as adeck - construction strategy game . That ’s a surprising shift on paper , but it ’s one that actually match in practice . I gave the upcoming bill biz a spin , try out a few of its other level . While it took me some time to get used to it , I can already see the marker of a mobile hit here .

Bloons lineup Stormisn’t actually all that dissimilar fromBloons Tower Defense ; it has the same patch , just shuffle into a unlike format . Players still have to defend a “ tower ” from incoming balloons by place dart - shot monkeys and piece shooter , but this time , the assault goes both way . Each level is a duel between monkeys who take turns work add-in to build their defence and lie down balloon .

As a card game , it portion out some similarities withHearthstone . I have one mana to work with each turn , but I get one more each turn . Each of my wag has a specific cost , so the early game has me placing canonical balloons that ’ll only do a small ball of damage to my antagonist or dart monkeys who only allot 20 or so damage . Like Hearthstone , my monkey hero also has a set of offensive abilities I can activate on my turn , like rain down down an arrow storm on my antagonist to pop their balloon .

There are several unique twists to that build formula , though . For one , each balloon on the area has a play countdown note when it will set on . A basic balloon will fly over in one turn or so , but a high damage one like a MOAB may take a few more . I have to manage those timers wisely to avoid damage by plucking by at their wellness with my defenses . I can either choose to manually attack on my turn by dragging and calculate at a objective or let them machine attack when the foe ’s turning set about and their balloons get over into my side of the field . Conversely , I need to try and fortify my own balloon , or just play enough to spread out my opponent ’s defending team thin , to overwhelm them with damage .

It take me a mo to get the hang of . There ’s a mass of battlefield management that has to be done so as to keep racecourse of a field full of incoming balloons . Which one should I target first ? When should I attack ? Should I use my mana to summon more balloons on my routine or go all - in on defense ? That conclusion - making can get complicated , making for a astonishingly in - depth strategy draw .

I ’ve only scratched the aerofoil of that loop for now on PC , but I envisage that Mobile River will be the station to dally . It feels built for phones with its dragging controls and quick equal . The Bloons games have always worked best as favorable time - wasters that are easy to get lost in thanks to visceral controls and a pleasant aesthetic . I can see it becoming a go - to game for anyone looking to bolt down five minutes here and there . And when I say “ anyone , ” you play that I mean “ me . ”

Bloons Card Stormlaunches later this year for iOS , Andoid , and PC .