Line a winding road with seven types of glowing geometric towers and hold off endless waves of red invaders.
PoliGuard is a tower defense game with no finish line, drawn in simple neon shapes. A line of red enemies crawls along an orange road that snakes over a dark board, and your job is to place towers that shoot at them automatically. There is no final wave, so the question is always how long your defense can hold.
Each enemy that makes it to the far end of the road takes one of your ten lives. Lose them all and the run ends with your final score.
Getting started
You begin with 100 coins. Choose a tower from the panel on the left or press a number from 1 to 7, then click an empty square off the road. A green outline means the spot is fine, and red means you cannot build there. Escape cancels a choice.
Wave one is small, only five enemies. After you clear a wave, a short five-second bar runs before the next one arrives. Every new wave is larger, and its enemies are tougher and a little quicker. Kills pay out coins and points, and both go up as the wave number climbs.
The seven towers
Your options are the Sniper, Ice, Poison, Explosive, Strong, Fast and Basic towers. Each has its own price, shape and role. The Ice Tower cuts enemy speed in half for three seconds, Explosive Towers deal splash damage to groups, and Snipers land heavy single hits.
Upgrades work differently from most games of this kind. When you buy damage, range or fire rate from a tower card, the boost applies to every tower of that type, even ones you place later. Explosive, Ice and Poison towers also get one special stat to improve. Right-click any tower to set whether it targets the closest, strongest or weakest enemy.
Changed your mind about a tower? Turn on remove mode and click it to get back 70 percent of its base price. Upgrade spending is not refunded.
Strategy notes
- Your opening 100 coins cover exactly two Basic Towers, which is a solid start.
- The road turns eight times. A tower placed on the inside of a bend can fire at enemies on both sides of the corner.
- Put Ice Towers next to your heavy hitters so slowed enemies take extra shots.
- Set Snipers to Strongest so their big hits go to the toughest target.
- Later waves bunch up, which is when Explosive Towers shine.
Good to know
Use the Pause button before a big purchase. The pause gives you time to compare tower cards and buy upgrades, and you can also switch the game to half, normal or double speed. Scroll to zoom the map and drag to pan around it.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse |
|---|---|---|
| Pick a tower to build | Number keys 1 to 7 | Click a tower in the left panel |
| Place the picked tower | — | Left-click an empty square away from the road |
| Cancel the current choice | Escape | — |
| Remove towers for a partial refund | Delete toggles remove mode | Click "Remove", then click a tower |
| Upgrade a tower type | — | Click the "i" button on a tower card |
| Set a tower's targeting | — | Right-click the tower |
| Zoom and pan the map | — | Scroll wheel to zoom, drag to pan |
| Pause and change game speed | — | Click "Pause", then 0.5x, 1x or 2x |
PoliGuard FAQ
Can I play PoliGuard on a Chromebook or phone?
A Chromebook with a trackpad or mouse works well, since the game uses clicks, number keys and a right-click menu. Phones and tablets are not supported. The tower panel needs a wide screen, and features like right-click targeting, zooming with the wheel and the number-key shortcuts have no touch versions.
How do I lose, and is there a way to win?
You lose a life each time an enemy reaches the end of the road, and the run is over when all ten are gone. There is no last wave to beat, so the real goal is to survive as long as possible and push your point total higher.
Is PoliGuard a one-player game?
Yes. It is a single-player defense game. You plan the towers, spend the coins and decide when to upgrade, with no second player or online mode.
What should I do if enemies keep slipping through?
Pause the game, then look at your upgrades. Investing in two or three tower types usually beats owning one of everything. Add an Ice Tower to slow the line near your damage towers, and switch a Sniper to target the strongest enemy.
