How to play
Pond pests walk along the sandy path towards the nest. Every one that gets there takes eggs: one for a rat, raccoon or crow, two for a snapping turtle and five for a fox. You start with 20 eggs, and the game is over when they’re all gone. Hold out for 30 waves to win.
Pick a bird under the board, then tap a grass square to put it there (not the path or the water). Send the next wave when you’re ready. Every pest you stop drops crumbs, and beating a wave pays a bonus, so you can build more birds or tap one to upgrade it (three levels) or sell it for 70% of what you spent. Sending a wave before the last one is beaten pays a little extra.
The birds
Pebble Duck (50): quick shots at one pest. Splash Duck (70): splashes every pest close by and slows them down. Mud Goose (110): lobs mud that hits a whole group, but can’t reach crows. Heron (150): spears one pest from far away, straight through a turtle’s shell. Golden Goose (120): doesn’t fight, but lays crumbs after every wave.
Tap a bird to choose what it aims at: the pest closest to the nest (First), the one with the most health left (Strongest) or the one furthest back (Last).
The pests
Rats are quick and weak. Raccoons are tougher. Snapping turtles are slow, but their shells take 6 off every hit (the Heron’s spear ignores that). Crows fly straight over everything to the nest, so keep some birds that can hit them near it. Every tenth wave brings foxes. Pests get tougher each wave, and the Hard pond’s are tougher still.
Tips
Build where the path bends, so one bird covers it twice. Put Splash Ducks just before your Mud Geese so the mud lands on slowed-down groups. A Golden Goose early pays for itself in about five waves. The next wave is listed under the board, so you can get ready for crows and turtles before they come.
Is my game saved? Yes, on this device, every time a wave is beaten. Your stars and best score for each pond are kept too.