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Amazon's first mobile game adds a twist to tower defense (pictures)

We take a close look at the Android version of Air Patriots, Amazon's brand-new tower defense game.

Jaymar Cabebe
Jaymar Cabebe covers mobile apps and Windows software for CNET. While he may be a former host of the Android Atlas Weekly podcast, he doesn't hate iOS or Mac. Jaymar has worked in online media since 2007.
Jaymar Cabebe
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1 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Organized attacks

Here, you can see a set of organized attack patterns that set the enemies up for damage at just about every point along their path.
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2 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Melee

Without set attack patterns, your units will likely bump into each other or run to the edge of the screen. As a result, enemies could escape through unguarded paths.
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3 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Survival is the goal

Each map can be played at four levels ranging from the Rookie (the easiest) to Survival (the hardest). When playing at the Survival level, your goal is to successfully stop 100 waves of attackers.
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4 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Go for the gold

If you successfully defeat a level without letting any tanks escape, you'll get a gold medal and bonus points. If you're good enough, you may even make it onto the worldwide leaderboard.
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5 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Unlockable maps

To start, only the Grass level is unlocked for play. If you earn enough Gears throughout your game, you can unlock two more. The rest you'll have to buy through an in-app purchase.
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6 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Nuke 'em

Here, the Nuke level offers a unique zigzag path that is difficult to defend.
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7 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

Gears of war

Whenever you defeat a wave of enemies you earn Gears, which you can use to unlock new unit types. There is one unit type, however, that can only be bought with real-world money.
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8 of 8 Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET

In-app purchases

If you find yourself growing impatient, you can always buy Gears with an in-app purchase.

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