About the game
Defender is a complete tower-defense strategy game with real depth. Enemies march along winding paths and you build defensive towers around them — each tower type with its own personality: fast shooters, anti-air cannons, frost slows, laser beams, area-quakes, homing missiles, and more.
What separates this game from a toy is the decision web around every wave. Should you spend gold on another cheap tower or save for a laser? Do you cover the path choke points or spread the field? Enemy types counter strategies, and the warm-up waves make room for you to learn each one before they team up on you.
How to play
- Click inside the game to focus it, then start a round.
- Select a tower from the panel (or tap its number key) and click a highlighted spot to build it.
- Upgrade towers as gold comes in — upgrades multiply a tower's damage far more than adding a weak tower does.
- Watch the enemy types. Slow tanks, fast runners, and flying units need different defenses.
- Survive all waves to win. Lose too many enemies through and your health runs out.
Controls
| Build a tower | Click it in the panel, then click a build spot |
| Quick-select towers | Number keys 1–9 on the build screen |
| Upgrade / sell | Click the on-screen tower option |
| Start waves | Use the in-game wave button |
| Touch screens | Tap-to-build works, desktop is smoother |
Five strategy rules that win runs
1. Choke points beat spread-out coverage
Enemies follow set paths — find where paths curve or merge and concentrate fire there. One strong tower at a bend has more total shots than two weak towers in the open.
2. Build damage before upgrades — then upgrade
Early game, a few cheap towers stop the first waves. Mid-game, gold is better spent upgrading your best two towers than adding a fifth weak one.
3. Let enemy types dictate your mix
The game telegraphs what's coming. Fast runners? Frost slows buy your shooters time. Flying units? Anti-air towers or they fly right past you. Read the incoming wave before you spend.
4. Cover the exit, respect the entrance
Every enemy passes the final stretch — so late-game towers near the exit catch anything that leaks. Early towers at the spawn give every enemy a longer gauntlet. Balance both.
5. Watch your economy, not just the wave
Spending all your gold right before a wave spikes your DPS, but hoarding for a big tower can let a cheap unit slip through. The clean rule: spend to survive the current wave, save only for a known spike.
Why you'll like it
It's a serious strategy game disguised as a casual one. The tower roster is deep, the paths force real planning, and the difficulty curve rewards replays instead of luck. If you like the "one more wave" pull, this is the longest-lasting game on the site.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell a tower and get gold back?
Yes — this version supports selling placed towers from the tower screen, so experiments aren't wasted.
Do I need a mouse?
Desktop mouse or trackpad is smoothest; touch works too, but precision is easier with a cursor.
Is my best wave saved?
Yes — progress and highscores are stored locally in your browser on your own device.
Is this game free?
Yes. It's an open source (MIT) tower-defense game by Tomás Malbran, license included.
Game credit: Defender by Tomás Malbran (github.com/TomMalbran/games), open source under the MIT license.