Cartoon Stick Wars
Game Overview
A cartoon side-view stick army battle. You and the enemy each control a fortified castle with a crowned king on top manning an auto-firing bow. Spawn dozens of stickman troops: slappers, punchers, archers, chiefs, knights, jousters, ninjas, bombers, hammer slammers, jetpack pilots, biplane bombers, rolling cannons, UFOs, and tanks. Kill enemies for gold, spend Kill Points in the War Forge between (or during) battles to upgrade your castle, your king's bow, and your troops. Eight levels, multiple monster enemies (orcs, spiders, bats, ogres, rock brutes, wyverns, witches), airstrike and 2x Gold Rush specials.
How to Play
Click a unit at the bottom (or press 1-9) to spawn it from your castle. Spawning costs gold; killing enemy units earns gold and Kill Points. Each unit auto-marches and fights what it meets. The crowned king on your castle auto-fires a bow at incoming enemies. Tap FORGE (top right) any time to spend Kill Points on tower HP, bow range/damage/fire-rate, gold income, troop armor, and troop damage. AIRSTRIKE drops 6 bombs across the enemy half; 2X GOLD doubles your income for 30 seconds. Some troops fly, and only ranged units can shoot them down. The enemy gets stronger every level: orcs at L3, bats/spiders/witches by L5, an ogre and rock brute and wyvern at the end. Drop the enemy castle to 0 HP to win.
About Cartoon Stick Wars
Cartoon Stick Wars is the biggest game we've built for this site. It's a side-view, castle-versus-castle battle in the spirit of the classic stick-war Flash games. You hold the left side of the field with a fortified castle, and your crowned king stands on the roof with an auto-firing bow. The enemy holds the right side. In between is open ground, and the only way across is with troops. You spend gold to spawn stickmen at your gate, and they march, fight and (mostly) die so your side can push the line forward and bring the enemy castle down.
Most of the fun is in the troop roster. It starts with humble slappers and punchers and climbs through archers, chiefs, knights, jousters, ninjas, bombers and hammer slammers, all the way up to jetpack pilots, biplane bombers, rolling cannons, UFOs and tanks. Most troops also have a ten-tier evolution ladder, so the slapper you start with isn't the slapper you finish with. The enemy's army escalates right along with yours. On top of that, the eight campaign levels bring in real monsters (orcs, giant spiders, bats, ogres, rock brutes, wyverns and witches), and each one forces you to build a different army.
Gold is where the strategy is. Every kill pays gold. Kills also earn Kill Points, which you spend in the War Forge, between battles or right in the middle of one, to upgrade your castle's durability, your king's bow and the troops themselves. When things go badly there are two panic buttons. One is an airstrike. The other is a 2x Gold Rush that doubles your income for long enough to buy your way back into the fight. Most of the skill is knowing when to save Kill Points and when to spend them mid-battle.
A tip from a lot of playtesting. Don't send troops one at a time into a lane you're losing, because they'll get picked off piecemeal. Hold your gold and let your castle's bow and walls soak up the push. Then release a mixed wave all at once, with melee up front and archers and bombers behind. Big waves win fights. A trickle of single troops just feeds the enemy's economy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do troop evolutions work?
Most troop types have a ten-tier evolution ladder. As you invest Kill Points in a troop line in the War Forge, its stats climb and its look changes, and each tier has its own art. Enemy forces escalate alongside yours, so evolving is how you keep pace.
What's the difference between gold and Kill Points?
Gold is your in-battle currency. Every enemy kill pays out, and you spend it to spawn troops. Kill Points are the persistent upgrade currency: you spend them in the War Forge on your castle, your king's bow, and troop evolutions, either between battles or mid-fight.
How many levels are there?
Eight campaign levels. Later levels add monster enemies (orcs, spiders, bats, ogres, rock brutes, wyverns, and witches) on top of the mirrored stickman army, and each monster type punishes a different lazy strategy.
What do the airstrike and Gold Rush specials do?
The airstrike is a screen-clearing emergency button for when a wave is about to hit your gate. Gold Rush doubles your gold income for a window. The best value comes from popping it while a big fight is paying out kills, then spending the windfall on one large counter-wave.