About Pyramid Guardians
Pyramid Guardians is a realistic 3D tower defense game set on the Giza plateau in Egypt. Giant desert scorpions are marching down a sandy road towards a pyramid, and it's your job to stop them! Stone build pads line the road: spend your gold to raise a mud-brick archer tower on any of them, and it will fire arrows at every scorpion that comes within range. Watch for the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre rising out of the haze behind it all.
There are 10 waves, each tougher than the last. Small scorpions are quick but weak and come in groups, while big armoured scorpions shrug off part of every arrow's damage, so you'll need to upgrade your towers. In wave 8 a giant black scorpion boss shows up, and the final wave brings two of them! Every scorpion you stop earns gold, and calling the next wave early earns a bonus. Defeated scorpions crumble into sand and dust, so there's no blood at all.
The pyramid has 20 lives, and each scorpion that reaches it takes some away. Finish with plenty left to earn three stars, which are saved on your device. Want more? Take on the Endless challenge, where the waves never stop and each one is tougher than the last, and see how long you can hold out. This is the first level, with more on the way: new maps such as the Nile bank at Luxor and a desert oasis at night, new towers like a catapult, an obelisk sun beam and a Nile water wheel, and new enemies too. It's free and plays on computers and phones with no download.
How to play
- Press Play to start the level on the Giza plateau.
- Click an empty stone pad beside the road and build an archer tower with your gold.
- When you're ready, start the wave: your towers shoot the scorpions on their own.
- Collect gold for every scorpion you stop, then build more towers or upgrade the ones you have.
- Click any tower to upgrade it (up to two times) or sell it for part of what it cost.
- Hold out to the final wave and stop the scorpion boss before it reaches the pyramid.
Controls
| Keyboard | Space starts the next wave, F switches 2x speed on and off, and P or Esc pauses. |
|---|---|
| Mouse | Click an empty stone pad to build a tower, and click a tower to upgrade or sell it. Drag to move the map and use the mouse wheel to zoom. |
| Touch | Tap an empty pad to build, and tap a tower to upgrade or sell it. Drag with one finger to move the map and pinch to zoom. |
Tips to win
- Build towers at the bends in the road, where scorpions stay in range for longer.
- Armour soaks up a lot of a weak arrow's damage. Two or three upgraded towers beat lots of basic ones against the big scorpions.
- If your defence is solid, call the next wave early for bonus gold.
- Use 2x speed on the easy waves, then drop back to normal speed before the boss arrives.
Pyramid Guardians: questions and answers
Is Pyramid Guardians free?
Yes, it's completely free and runs right in your browser, with no download and no sign-up.
How do I get three stars?
Stars depend on the pyramid's lives left at the end: 18 or more earns three stars, 10 to 17 earns two, and fewer earns one. Let no scorpions through, or just one or two small ones, and you'll get all three.
Can I play it on my phone?
Yes. Tap a pad to build and tap a tower to upgrade it, drag with one finger to move the map and pinch to zoom. It plays best with the phone held sideways.
What is the Endless challenge?
A mode where the waves never run out: after the usual 10, every wave is tougher than the one before, until the scorpions break through. The number of waves you survive is your score, and your best is saved.
Are there more levels and towers?
Right now there's the Giza plateau map with the archer tower. More is coming soon: new maps, towers such as a catapult, an obelisk sun beam and a Nile water wheel that slows enemies down, and new foes like scarab swarms, jackals, mummies and vultures.
What age is it for?
It suits players from about 10 up, and adults too. There's no blood: defeated scorpions simply crumble into sand. It's more about planning and thinking ahead than quick reflexes.