Glowroot Guard

Glowroot Guard is a tower defense game set in a bioluminescent forest. Deep underground, the Heartroot keeps every mushroom and fern alive, and swarms of night bugs are marching along the dirt trails to devour it. You command the guardians: living towers that you plant on glowing stone pads beside the path.

Pick one of five guardian types and tap a pad to plant it. Thornlings are cheap, fast shooters that can hit flyers. Sporepods lob area blasts that crack armor but cannot reach the air. Frostcaps chill several enemies at once, Stormreeds send lightning leaping between targets, and the Needle Owl snipes the toughest enemy from far away. Every guardian can be upgraded three times, or sold back when your plan changes.

The bugs are not all alike. Grubs crawl in crowds, skitterbugs sprint, shell beetles shrug off weak hits, gloom moths fly straight across the field, bog brutes lumber in with huge health, and the Hollow King leads the boss levels with a crowd of followers. Kill enemies and clear waves to earn gold, or tap Call wave early to cash in a time bonus when your defense is strong. A 2x speed button keeps the pace quick.

Fifteen hand-built levels sit on a winding map, each with its own trail layout, from a simple lane to crossing paths and a final court with several routes. Finish with most of your lives intact to earn up to three stars per level. The game saves your progress, so you can always come back and improve a star rating. It plays well with a mouse or with a finger on a phone, in portrait or landscape.