Naval Storm TD is one of the most original tower defense games we had a chance to play. Gamespire’s new mobile title has unique setting, and instead of setting up the battlefield on the land, it features strategic naval encounters. Other features that make Naval Storm rise above the competition include excellent graphics, unique play style, and punishing difficulty.
The graphical prowess of the game is incredible. High detailed models, sharp textures and incredible looking water place this one close to the top among all mobile games. A free-form camera capable of rotating and zooming helps the player in navigating the battlefield but at the same time gives you a way to get into the action, to observe your turrets as they destroy enemies in glorious explosions filled with vibrant colors and stunning effects.
While most other TD games out there feature levels with predetermined defense turret locations, Naval Storm is different. It gives the player complete freedom over placing their troops, making things easier and harder at the same time. More comfortable in the way that you are capable of setting up turrets wherever you want, which can turn the tide of any battle.
Since you can freely place defensive installments, there’s an option to change the path enemies take, making them crawl through the defensive labyrinth, force them to take a longer route through your defenses, and even closing out specific routes.
But, since most levels feature lots of open space you will be challenged pretty often since you must place defenses where they are most deadly – and to know this you’ll probably have to play each level once in order to scout possible paths, best places to build defenses, and number and type of enemies that will try to break through your defensive wall.
This makes Naval Storm one of the harder tower defense games out there since most levels have to be played at least two times before you get ready for a flawless victory. Add to that the fact that each new world requires from you to achieve three-star rating at each level of the previous world (meaning you have to keep all your lives and to stop every enemy), and we have ourselves one pretty challenging game on our hands.
But, even since Naval Storm is a free-to-play title, each level can be aced without spending a dime, just by playing strategically. You have to be completely focused, and you have to watch out for each and every enemy coming your way. If you can do this, there’s just another thing you must do in order to ace every level, and that’s to follow our advice. Stay with us and find out how to achieve a three-star rating on each level found in the Naval Storm TD.
1. Take A Close Look At The Map Before You Start The Level
Fortunately for gamers, Naval Storm lets you manually start the first wave meaning you have all the time in the world for studying the map and picking the best spots for placing defensive installments. Before you activate the first wave make sure to find those spots. They should offer plenty of free space and should be placed on open water.
Also, check out if there’s a chokepoint that can be closed with a dam, or with an empty turret platform. Each platform cost $20, but it can make the difference between victory and defeat. Just look at enemies’ paths (they are colored blue) and see if you can make them all travel on a similar path, so you don’t have to build two groups of defenses. It is all much easier if you can make foes travel along the same route since you can build your whole defensive grid along one path.
Next, check out if enemies have one or more exit points. If there is more than one way for them to leave the map make sure to place support there (a minefield in most cases). This is very important since you can place five minefields in total on each level, and each time you place you won’t be able to put the next one until the timer runs out. So we advise you to place one before the start of the first turn, with the best possible place the exit point. Just place it, so it crosses over the enemy path (the blue colored line, it is easy to spot).
You should do all preparations before activating the first wave of enemies. Place turrets, find possible choke points, and potential points where you can close down an area, place minefield near the exit point, and scout for all potential exit points enemies can take.
2. In Most Cases, You Will Have To Restart Each Level A Couple Of Times Before Acing It
While one or two stars can be achieved on the first try, for a perfect score (and we don’t talk about getting four or five stars since those are reserved for hard and insane modes), you will have to restart a level a couple of times. But that doesn’t mean restarting as soon as one enemy manages to escape.
Don’t do that; it is better to play a level to the end, so you find out where your weak sports are, how to better use your support and to find if there are better spots for defenses to be placed.
As we already said Naval Storm TD is one pretty hard tower defense game, so don’t expect to finish a level on the first try. And since three-star rating on each level is required in order to unlock new worlds, it is better to earn “just” one or two stars than restarting as soon as one enemy boat or submarine manages to escape.
3. Think Before Buying An Upgrade
Each defensive tower has a slew of upgrades that are unlocked by advancing through the game. Some are super useful, others not so much, so be careful when choosing which upgrade you will unlock next.
Upgrades are bought with oil and are pretty expensive, so before unlocking one be sure this is the one you need. For instance, some upgrades are no-brainers. Slowing beam for the machine gun tower is an excellent upgrade. It slows down one enemy, and the best thing about it is that the enemy slowed doesn’t have to be the one that’s shoot at.
Another great upgrade is triple torpedo barrel for the torpedo tower. It gives the tower plenty of power and makes it suitable against small boats and jet skis. Just remember that unlocking an upgrade doesn’t make the tower equipped with it automatically; it just unlocks it for purchase while playing the game.
4. Support Is Essential For Achieving A Perfect Score
As with most other tower defense titles, Naval Storm offers assistance in the form of support powers such as an airstrike, placing mines, or airborne missiles. Use them wisely, not because they are limited (some of them are) but because each has a timer that limits the number of uses per one level. Make sure to activate them only when they are absolutely needed, like when a boat or a submarine passed all of your defenses and runs freely towards exit point, or when you are sure your turrets can’t destroy some enemy.
Also, you can buy new sets of support weapons for gold (premium currency in Naval Storm), so make sure to complete all special offers (like liking the developer’s page on Facebook) since those will grant you enough gold to buy an extra set of support weapons, which can help you greatly, especially in latter levels.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Experiment
Some levels found in Naval Storm are super hard, even when played in normal mode. So don’t be afraid of experimenting with different turret placements, making different paths for enemies to travel, or using different upgrades. For instance, a mortar can be excellent when you are facing with tons of jet skis, but if a level features mostly small boats, it is better to build machine gun turrets.
Also, sometimes closing down a route can just make things worse, so feel free to experiment with different routes. Also, sometimes having fewer turrets that feature upgrades is better than having more basic ones. Just remember, get used to restarting each level at least a couple of times before achieving a three-star rating.
6. Some Handy Tips And Tricks
Finally, we decided to share a couple of tips and tricks that should help you acing each level. Firstly, try building defensive towers in such a way to enable for them to get connected with dams later in the level. Then, build one turret for which you can buy an overdrive upgrade and then connect other defenses with it. This way all of the connected defenses will have increased power while overdrive is enabled, just destroying enemies in seconds.
Next, you can slow down time. Use this option often since it gives you more time to take a look at the battlefield and plan future moves. Also, always slow down time when using support, giving you more time to finely target an air strike or to see where an enemy will travel so you can place a minefield directly ahead of them.
Always watch ads since they give you a nice amount of oil and a couple of gold pieces. They can be watched about a dozen of time per day, so start watching them once you depleted your energy since you also get energy when watching ads.
Try upgrading your radar defense to the max because it has some nasty upgrades and when fully utilized, radar can give other defenses incredible bonuses, increasing their range, power, and fire rate.
Finally, make sure to have at least one machine gun defense with the slow beam, and if possible build enough for enemies to be slowed through the whole route, they are traveling. This way your other defenses will be able to inflict much more damage and to be much more deadly. Just don’t do it if finances are slim; it is better to build a defense that is effective against certain enemies that are featured on a level than to build towers that won’t be able to destroy enemy boats and submarines.
Okay, folks, that was all. We are hoping you will read some tips that will enable you to finish all levels featured in Naval Storm. Just remember that, yes, the game is hard, but that doesn’t mean that finishing it can’t be done without spending real money. Just be patient, play strategically, and follow out advice and no obstacle will be too hard to climb over. Thanks for reading and happy gaming!