Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time

A cooperative tower-defense campaign where you place polyomino towers and fight off a time-warping mage.

Designers: Helana Hope, Sen-Foong Lim, Alara Cameron
Published by: Lucky Duck Games
Editions by: REXhry, Mirakulus, Light N Games Inc., Ironhide Game Studio

Kingdom Rush: Rift in Time turns the tower-defense video game into a cooperative campaign on your table. A mysterious Time Mage is hurling portals at the realm, and you and your allies must hold the line. You command heroes, deploy soldiers to slow the horde and build towers by placing polyomino pieces on the board. The twist: the portals make towers blink in and out of existence, so you must decide whether to use a tower now or pass it to a teammate so it can be upgraded. Scenarios get harder, with events, new enemies and boss fights, until you can finally close the rifts. It plays from solo to four, and 90 minutes feels about right.

Cooperative campaign with scenarios and bossesTowers are polyomino pieces you place on the boardPortals warp towers in and out, forcing handoffs

Who it's for

You enjoyed the Kingdom Rush video games, or you want a co-op campaign with a satisfying tile-placement puzzle at its center.

Not for you if…

You dislike cooperative games where one strong voice can take over, or you want something short and light.

Vibe's take

Tense and puzzly, with a shared sense of last-second saves. You are always one tile placement away from stopping a breach or letting it through.