Brutal TD

Brutal TD is a minimalist, retro-styled game combining tower defense with classic space-shooter elements. You control a single tower, choosing which enemies to target and prioritize and how to spend resources. You can build differently to meet each situation, use power-ups and get help from auto-firing support towers.

Waves and enemies

Most waves vary between playthroughs, with semi-random enemy spawn times, paths and locations. Enemies have different abilities, including stealing resources and obscuring your vision. Levels grow progressively more challenging, with bosses ranging from simple blocks that fire at you to large enemy planets; some bosses have multiple forms. Randomized item drops and upgrades offer further ways to develop your defenses, and full auto mode lets you spray bullets across the screen.

Levels and challenges

The game has over 40 levels, each with its own chip and synth music, and 39 Challenge modes featuring the original, pre-nerf level designs. These challenges are described as almost impossible. A level editor lets you create levels and share them with others through the editor's save data.

Visuals and unlocks

Custom CRT shaders and dynamic level backgrounds create a retro space-shooter look. You can enable or disable object blooming and glow tracing. You can also unlock skins for your pointer and main tower, along with intelligence rooms that show enemy stats, names and other information. The game has a subtle overarching plot.