This article contains everything you need to know about Arkadium’s Merge and Purge: Office Tower Defense Game.
Use the list below to navigate specific topics about Office Tower Defense.
Starting the game
In this part, we'll describe the game's rules.
When accessing the game, the main menu will provide you with several icons. The large Play button will let you play the game. The Cross icon can reset the progress you've made in the game. The top icon explains how to play the game.
You can access the settings on the top left menu.
This will allow you to turn the sound and music of the game on and off. The lower icon closes the menu.
To start playing the game, click on the Play button and you'll be led to the level select screen. From here, you'll see your earned stars on top, and will be able to select between all unlocked levels. Locked levels will be presented with a padlock.
When pausing the game, you can choose the previously shown sound options, as well as two more: The arrow icon will allow you to restart the level, and the white flag icon will allow you to give up the level and quit it.
Understanding Tower Defense Games
Merge and Purge is a Tower Defense game. Due to the specific nature of a Tower Defense game and this being the first one we've made available on the Arkadium website, it's important to explain how they function.
Tower Defense games work on a very simple basis: Enemies will leave from the Enemy Base to your own. You need to place Defenses in their path, to take them out before they reach The Player Base.
Each defense will cost a specific amount and can be upgraded. The enemies will come out in "Waves". When all waves are taken care of, the level ends.
The player base has "Lives" which are wiped as enemies reach it. If all lives disappear, the level is lost.
We hope that this provides an understanding of Tower Defense games.
Playing the Game
To play Merge & Purge, you need to place defenses along the way from the desk to the router. Enemies will walk from the desk to the router base to invade it. To protect it, you have a number of defenses that you can place.
Each defense type has a specific value. You have a limited amount of currency to purchase each of the defenses. You need to pick wisely to use the currency you have in the best way possible.
As each wave ends, you'll get more currency to purchase defenses with. Remember to replace your defenses with brand new ones each wave.
When placing your defenses, you'll only be able to do so by placing them within the available squares around the bases.
However, these areas will expand as you place more defenses. Placing defenses causes squares around it to become available.
By clicking on the "i" icon, you're able to see each defense's statistics. The damage it makes to enemies, how long it takes to reload and the range it has in its attacks.
If you drag the same type of defense into another, you'll be able to upgrade it.
When you do this, the statistics of each defense unit dramatically increases.
By clicking on the right Play button, you'll be able to start each wave. By clicking on the left Fast Forward button, the game will move much faster. Use this if you think all of your defenses are set correctly and you'd like to hurry up the round.
There are 3 different types of defenses. Staplers will fire projectiles towards incoming enemies. You can place several of them around the base to fire upon foes.
The Towers will cause damage to a surrounding area. This damage will be large but limited in range.
The Tower Glue will fire glue projectiles at enemies. These projectiles will slow enemies down and damage them. It's wise to place these in the path of fast foes.
By using a variety of different defenses, protect your router towers from the various enemies as they approach before your lives are lost. Each defeated enemy will give you more currency to spend on defenses.
After all the waves are gone, the router will finish the enemy base and grant you victory. When you finish a level, you'll be able to see all of your stats.
Tips
This chapter is about some strategies on how to perform better.
Strategic Planning
- Know the Level: Study the layout. Identify choke points, long paths, and areas where enemies loop or slow down.
- Plan Ahead: Don’t just react—anticipate future waves. Build with upcoming enemies in mind.
Defense Placement
- Maximize Coverage: Place defenses where they can hit enemies for the longest time—corners and intersections are ideal.
- Synergize Defenses: Combine glue towers with high-damage ones to maximize effectiveness.
- Upgrade Wisely: Sometimes upgrading a defense is better than building a new one. Focus on key towers first.
Resource Management
- Don’t Overspend Early: Save money for stronger defenses or upgrades later in the game.
- Check Strategies: Check whether it makes sense to use money for later waves with tougher enemies.
Know Your Enemies
- Adapt to Enemy Types: Each requires different strategies. Build a balanced defense.
- Learn Wave Patterns: If the game shows upcoming waves, use that info to prepare the right defenses.
Practice & Experiment
- Replay Levels: Try different strategies and defense combinations to see what works best.
- Challenge yourself: Try to place different ways to beat earlier levels.
Scoring
The Merge and Purge game has no scoring system. There is no way to save score in the Merge and Purge game, since it's focused on level progression rather than higher scores. The game is incompatible with the regular competitive Arkadium leaderboards, and it's meant for simple fun progression.