Rise of the Zombies



Rise of the Zombies was a tower defense game made available for the 2019 Halloween event.

"The undead are stirring. Will your dragons be able to protect you from the hordes?"

Badge
Participating in the Rise of the Zombies event awarded users the 2019 Halloween Event badge.

Instructions


Via the Halloween 2019 event page:

''Place towers on the board to form your line of defense. Each breed has its own unique effect. Once you click “Survive”, you will be subjected to unending waves of zombies. A new round happens every five minutes.''

''Though it is not possible to win outright, try to make it through as many rounds as you can. You will gain XP based on how long you survived. As you level up, you will unlock new towers and be able to build bigger and more involved defenses.''

Zombie behavior
Zombies will usually move in a straight line unless there are no targets in their path. They can attack any tower adjacent to them, and increase in spawn rate and damage as the game progresses. They can also attack the same turn they spawn.
 * Rounds 1-5: One zombie spawns per round.
 * Rounds 6-60: Two zombies spawn per round.
 * Rounds 61+: Four zombies spawn per round.
 * Round 101+: Zombies begin dealing 2 damage.

Note: Despite the action log stating that three zombies rise in rounds 31-60, only two zombies actually spawn until it reaches the rounds where four zombies spawn.

Tips and strategies
XP farming: You gain 1 experience for every round, while Shallow Waters give 5 experience per Shallow Water tower at game over. Once the Shallow Water Dragon is unlocked, place several of them on the sides and add damaging dragons in front of the Shallow Waters to protect them, while leaving a wide path open to the keep. This will lead to quick game overs and experience due to the Shallow Waters' bonus.

Any Magma, Ice or Thunder Dragon can summon the Guardian of Nature, which will spawn in the zombie spawning area. It will leave after 10 rounds or once it runs out of health, and can be summoned multiple times per game. When attacking, it releases a wave of energy, dealing 2 damage to zombies in a 2-square radius. It has a cooldown of 2 turns.

Thunder and Aeon Dragons appear to only activate when zombies move close enough to them.

Purple and White Dragons can affect dragons diagonal to them. Adjacent Purples may attempt to lower each others' cooldown, causing a chain reaction if multiple are adjacent.

Although placed vampires have 3 HP, turned vampires only have 1 HP.

Actions are determined in order of tower placement, going from zombie side to the keep, then northeast to southwest.

Clicking "Start Over" will not reset the game until the player clicks "Survive" to begin a new game. Players can experiment with tower placement or reread their abilities like this.

Descriptive text
Before adding defenses: Prepare your defenses; the night is long, and the hordes of zombies are relentless.

Round 0: The winds howl and the moons are full; it will be a long night, but you trust your dragons to protect you.

Rounds 1-29:
 * The undead rise from the earth, targeting your stronghold. But you hold steady in your keep.
 * The undead rise from the earth, targeting your stronghold. You remain, unwavering, in your keep.

Rounds 30-59: ''The swarms continue unceasingly. Your defenses hold, but for how long?''

Rounds 60+: ''You have persevered through countless waves of risen undead, yet they keep coming. This is truly a war of attrition that is not in your favor.''

Game over:
 * You fought valiantly, but in the end the zombies proved inexorable.
 * You have been overrun. Though you had wits on your side, the undead came in endless numbers.
 * In a never-ending game of chess, you did not prevail. Perhaps another strategy will work better?
 * The undead have taken your keep, but all is not lost. It is time to rebuild and regroup.