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 move one tile per turn in a straight line until they reach the player's side of the board, after which they may move left or right towards the keep. They can move and attack in the same turn they spawn. Because they can move immediately, the results board often displays them 1 tile ahead of their actual spawn point. They can attack any adjacent tile, but appear to prioritize towers directly in front of or next to them.

As the game progresses, zombies spawn more often and closer to the keep, and eventually deal more damage. The maximum difficulty is 4 zombies spawning per turn anywhere on the zombie field and dealing 2 damage per attack.
 * Rounds 1-5: One zombie spawns per round. They deal 1 damage each.
 * Rounds 6-30: Two zombies spawn per round.
 * Rounds 31-60: Three zombies spawn per round.
 * Rounds 61+: Four zombies spawn per round.
 * Round 101+: Zombies begin dealing 2 damage.

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 Dragons appear to only activate when zombies move close enough to them. Aeons seem to only activate when a zombie is very close to the keep.

Dragons may have a trigger range that is smaller than their damaging range.

Pinks are rarely useful after better towers are unlocked, as their short range and two-turn damage is outclassed by other damaging towers or additional supports. Their charm also fails to work if they die before it activates.

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.

Bolt dragons will stun zombies for 2 turns.

Although placed vampires have 3 HP, turned vampires only have 1 HP. Vampires will often advance to the front end of the player's board unless their movement is blocked off. While placed vampires cannot move into the zombie area, turned ones can spawn in it.

Most dragon 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.

Dragon actions

 * Green Dragon
 * Green Dragon slams the ground.


 * Red Dragon
 * Red Dragon breathes fire.


 * Dark Green Dragon
 * Dark Green Dragon lashes out with vines.
 * Dark Green Dragon attacks Zombie!


 * Pink Dragon
 * Pink Dragon charms zombies, causing delayed damage.
 * Pink Dragon's charm deals delayed damage.


 * Shallow Water Dragon


 * White Dragon
 * White Dragon releases a wave of healing energy.


 * Magi Dragon
 * Magi Dragon teleports away nearby zombies.


 * Purple Dragon
 * Purple Dragon releases a wave of rejuvenating energy.


 * Vampire Dragon
 * Vampire Dragon attacks Zombie!


 * Bolt Dragon
 * Bolt Dragon releases a bolt of electrical energy.


 * Aeon Dragon
 * Aeon Dragon predicts the future.


 * Sophrosyne Dragon
 * Sophrosyne Dragon casts "Remove Curse" on all zombies.


 * Ice Dragon
 * Ice Dragon chills the area.


 * Magma Dragon
 * Magma Dragon breathes fire.


 * Thunder Dragon
 * Thunder Dragon calls down a bolt of lightning.


 * Guardian of Nature
 * Guardian of Nature releases a wave of bright energy.
 * Guardian of Nature leaves to maintain the balance.


 * Zombie
 * Zombie attacks Dragon!

Other messages:
 * Dragon is resting.
 * Dragon regains 1 HP.
 * Dragon's cooldown reduced by 1.
 * The power of your Ice, Magma, and Thunder dragons summons a Guardian of Nature.
 * X new zombies rise from the earth.
 * Zombie is stunned.
 * Zombie is slowed.
 * Zombie cannot move.
 * A new vampire appears where the zombie once was
 * X damage dealt to Zombie/Dragon/Base
 * Zombie/Dragon is defeated!
 * You are defeated!

Flavor 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.