Grub Guardian, alternatively Wizard101: Grub Guardian, is a free-to-play tower defense game developed and published by KingsIsle Entertainment and based on the MMORPG Wizard101. The game was first released as a PC browser game on FreeKI Games on January 6, 2012, with plans to expand the title to mobile devices afterwards. The earliest version for iOS devices was released on October 27, 2012, and the game later saw its full launch for iOS devices with support for mobile web browsers on other devices on November 6, 2012. The game was additionally brought to Amazon devices on March 8, 2013. Upon successfully protecting the pet food ("grub") from waves of enemies using guardians which correlate to the different schools of magic, the player can receive pet experience or in-game Wizard101 rewards connected to their KingsIsle account. In November 2021, KingsIsle announced that they did not have plans to further develop Grub Guardian due to a renewed focus on Wizard101 and Pirate101 following the studio's acquisition by Media and Games Invest, though the game is still playable as of June 2023.
Official description[]
From the Amazon app store:[1]
"A Guardian Defense game unlike any other, new from KingsIsle Entertainment!
Defend the grub against swarms of different enemies while you train your Wizard101 pet or play to receive free Wizard101 game codes. Grub Guardian includes:
1) 28 Free maps ranging in difficulty from Easy to Wondra.
2) Each pet has different strengths & abilities.
3) New maps unlock as you progress.
4) Different strategy needed for new enemies.
5) Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for high scores.
6) Ability to purchase premium in-game items and additional maps with Crowns.Grub Guardian is the first mini game that ties directly to your live Wizard101 account! Logging into Grub Guardian allows you to unlock new maps as well as train your pets for experience points. Please be aware - you will not be able to log into Grub Guardian and Wizard101 at the same time. If you do not have a Wizard101 account, you can create one, but non-logged in players can still play a limited number of Grub Guardian maps for Wizard101 game codes."
Gameplay[]
This is from the map stage Hrundle Fjord. The fire pet Ornery Kookaburra is pictured, as are Ice, Fire, and Storm guardians. In the top left corner is the Ambrose Annihilator - when the flame is full, clicking it will deal large damage to every enemy.
The core of the gameplay of Grub Guardian is defending your pet's grub against swarms of different enemies that enter from one or more World Doors. Each enemy that reaches the grub pile will subtract one grub from the 10 available, and the game ends when there is no grub left. Tying into your Wizard101 account, you choose a pet from the ones currently on the selected wizard and choose one of the 48 maps to play on, 28 of which are free. The free levels range in difficulty from "Easy" to "Insane," with some paid maps in Avalon and Azteca reaching "Wondra." Playing levels trains your Wizard101 pet for experience points, or you can receive Wizard101 in-game items such as small amounts of Gold, Reagents, Treasure Cards, or even Energy Elixirs and rare housing items. It costs 10 energy per map stage for the mode of pet experience, and is free to play the mode of Wizard101 Prizes. Just like with games in the Pet Pavilion, you may feed your pet snacks after completion of the map. The game does not recognize double pet elixirs or member benefits.
Upon selecting a map stage, you will be provided with a starting amount of silver, the in-app currency that is used to purchase guardians and increase their level in each map, and will be prompted to place your pet and to purchase guardians. Each pet is assigned a guardian level based on their in-game level, which allows for increased attack strength and range, and each school has different abilities. Each enemy that is defeated awards more silver, which can be used to purchase more or upgrade their level for increased speed, attack, range, and special skill percent chance. Different strategies using different guardians are needed for different enemies. Just like in Wizard101, there are resist and boosting rules for enemies in certain maps, where their health bar will flash green for being resistant and red for being vulnerable. In some maps, you may need to sell your guardians for silver to survive.
Myth guardians have the fastest cooldown time between attacks, however they are weak. Fire guardians can deal splash damage that damages nearby enemies, and sets them on fire with an additional damage over time attack. Ice guardians are weakest, but can slow down enemies and ones near them with a splash radius. Storm guardians shoot lighting bolts across the map, damaging enemies it comes into contact with. They also have the highest damage. Death guardians are the weakest and the slowest, but each hit has the opportunity to instantly kill the enemy. Balance guardians deal splash damage upon impact that damages others in the area like Fire guardians, but Balance guardians also can create large chain attacks. Finally, Life guardians decrease the cooldown time for other guardians within range.
New maps unlock as you progress with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for high scores. The score increases based on the amount of grub and silver left at the end of the stage. There is the ability to purchase premium in-app items with Crowns such as additional guardians and additional grub, as well as additional maps. One can also purchase snack-packs and Wizard101 pets that range from 100 to 5,249 Crowns. Players cannot log into Grub Guardian and Wizard101 at the same time, and doing so will cause the Wizard101 application to close.
Development[]
The first known public mention of Grub Guardian was in a post on the official KIFreeGames Facebook page from December 1, 2011, in which KingsIsle stated they would update fans about the upcoming game "very soon."[2] On January 6, 2012, KingsIsle announced the release of Grub Guardian on the KIFreeGames website. At this point, the game was considered to still be in a "testing phase."[3] On November 6, 2012, KingsIsle formally announced the release of Grub Guardian for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, as well as browser support for playing the game on mobile via the KIFreeGames website.[4]
It was announced by Mathew Anderson on the Wizard101 Message Boards in November 2021 that had due to developmental focus on Wizard101 and ongoing investigation into further updates to Pirate101, KingsIsle had no immediate plans to update Grub Guardian.[5] However the game is still playable and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store as of June 2023. The last game update was in 2017.[6]
Version history[]
From the Apple App Store's version history:[6]
- 1.10.0 – Oct 27, 2012: App launch.
- 1.10.1 – Nov 15, 2012: The first update to the game resolved an issue where the app continued to play sound despite in silent mode, adjusted the in-app hatching timer, and adjusted display settings for iPhone 3GS users and other overall accessibility and text fixes.
- 1.15.0 – Dec 17, 2012: This update provided new background music, adjusted overlapping music, and resolved errors associated with bad logins and accessing first generation pets. The option to spend crowns to upgrade the level of the pet was also added, along with overall increased text sizes.
- 1.20.0 – Mar 4, 2013: This update added Help information and improved scaling and sensitivity of menu selections on devices with smaller screens, and other UI display adjustments in areas of the game such as pet selection and moon guardians’ orientation.
- 1.30.0 – Jun 17, 2013: This update added the Power Ups of Grub Shield, Mini Annihilator, and Instant Upgrade, which can also be received through playing for rewards. It also added a memory feature so that the app remembers your log-in, as well as the ability to create an account within the app itself.
- 1.40.0 – Aug 26, 2013: This update allowed Snack Packs and Mega Snack Packs to be purchased in the in-app Crown Shop, as well as being able to see what snacks were received. This update also moved the Crown Shop button to the home Map Selection screen.
- 1.50.0 – Oct 31, 2013: This update changed the score calculation for the map stages to take into account the in-game level of the pet.
- 1.60.0 – Sep 28, 2017: This update allowed compatibility with iOS11, a display on Apple Watches, an upgrade to the SSL library, and bug fixes.
Appearances[]
| Appearances |
|---|
|
Notes and references[]
| Spiral Games Universe video games |
|---|