Robicon from Hidden Button blends tower defense with autobattler merging mechanics in a synthwave CRT package. The Polish duo’s debut game lets you place turrets on limited grids, merge them for upgrades, and survive endless robot waves with 14 unique towers and 20 modifiers. The demo launched in August 2025 with players already logging 10+ hours mastering the critical damage difficulty mode, proving that strategic depth exists beneath the nostalgic visual style.
Merge Towers Like You Merge Watermelons
The core mechanic borrows from autobattlers and merge games where combining identical units creates upgraded versions. Place two basic laser turrets next to each other and merge them into a single more powerful laser turret. Merge two of those upgraded turrets to create an even stronger version. This creates natural progression where your limited grid space forces difficult decisions about when to merge versus when to spread towers for coverage.
The limited grid transforms placement into puzzle-solving. You cannot just spam towers everywhere and merge endlessly. Each square matters. Do you place turrets at chokepoints where they engage enemies longest? Do you cluster them for easy merging? Do you spread them for maximum coverage accepting you might not merge as efficiently? These spatial considerations create strategic depth beyond just having the strongest towers.
Between waves, you select upgrades that either enhance current setups or completely transform mechanics. One upgrade might increase fire rate across all towers. Another could add splash damage to single-target turrets. Some modifiers radically alter how specific tower types function, creating build-defining moments where you commit to specific strategies or pivot entirely based on what the game offers. This roguelite progression ensures every run feels distinct rather than following identical optimal paths.
Fourteen Towers and Five Super Towers
The current demo includes 14 unique tower types plus 5 super towers that represent ultimate merge tiers. Each tower fills specific tactical roles from fast-firing machine guns for swarms to slow heavy cannons for armored targets to area-denial weapons that control enemy movement. Learning which towers counter which enemy types becomes crucial for surviving escalating waves.
Tower diversity creates build variety where different combinations produce dramatically different playstyles. A run emphasizing machine gun towers with fire rate upgrades plays completely differently from cannon-focused builds maximizing single-hit damage. Energy weapons might scale with entirely different modifiers than projectile towers. Discovering synergies between tower types and modifier combinations drives the experimental gameplay loop.
The super towers represent aspirational goals requiring careful resource management and strategic merging to achieve. Reaching these ultimate forms creates power spikes that trivialize previously threatening waves while enabling you to tackle harder difficulties. However, focusing too much on creating super towers at the expense of consistent coverage can leave gaps that sneaky fast enemies exploit to slip through your defenses.
Twenty Modifiers Change Everything
The 20 modifiers available in the demo represent just the beginning according to Hidden Button. These passive upgrades and active abilities stack across runs, creating exponentially complex interactions when combined thoughtfully. Some modifiers have obvious synergies with specific tower types. Others create emergent combinations the developers never explicitly designed but that clever players discover through experimentation.
The modifier selection system between waves creates meaningful choices rather than just picking the numerically strongest option. Sometimes you need immediate power to survive the next wave. Sometimes you invest in long-term scaling that pays off later. Sometimes you pivot your entire strategy because an offered modifier opens possibilities your current build cannot capitalize on. These decision points define roguelite design done right.
Modifier randomization ensures you cannot just execute memorized optimal strategies repeatedly. The game forces adaptation based on what it offers. This creates stories where you stumbled into overpowered combinations accidentally or where you barely survived after being offered mediocre choices for three consecutive waves. The variance keeps runs feeling fresh even after dozens of attempts.
Synthwave Meets CRT Nostalgia
Hidden Button infused Robicon with synthwave aesthetics complemented by nostalgic CRT visual effects. The neon pinks, purples, and blues evoke 1980s retrofuturism filtered through modern game development tools. The CRT scanline effects and screen curvature add authentic analog display charm without becoming distracting gimmicks. This visual identity helps Robicon stand out in screenshots and trailers where hundreds of tower defense games compete for attention.
The minimalist yet captivating visual style serves practical purposes beyond just aesthetics. Clear visual language ensures players can parse battlefield information quickly during intense waves when dozens of enemies swarm simultaneously. Tower types, enemy variants, and projectiles all have distinct silhouettes and colors that communicate gameplay-relevant information at a glance. Beauty and functionality coexist without compromising either.
The robot enemies fit the synthwave theme perfectly. Geometric angular designs with glowing accents create cohesive visual identity where everything feels part of the same world. The enemies are not just arbitrary obstacles but inhabitants of the retrofuture aesthetic the developers committed to. This attention to thematic consistency elevates presentation from functional to memorable.
The Polish Brother Duo
Hidden Button consists of two brothers from Poland creating their debut game together. As a duo, they handle every aspect of development from programming to art to design to community management. Creating a tower defense roguelite with merge mechanics, 14+ tower types, 20+ modifiers, and roguelite progression systems represents ambitious scope for two people working on their first project.
The brothers completed closed playtests before launching the public demo in August 2025. This careful approach to gathering feedback demonstrates they understand iteration improves games more than trying to ship perfectly on first attempt. They actively engage with players on Reddit, Discord, and social media, treating early adopters as partners shaping development rather than just customers waiting for delivery.
The team emphasizes that nothing is more valuable than honest feedback at this stage. They explicitly acknowledge some placeholder content exists in the demo while confirming that 14 unique towers, 5 super towers, and 20 modifiers represent only the beginning. This transparency about development status and future plans builds trust with communities increasingly skeptical of indie projects that overpromise and underdeliver.
Players Already Addicted
One Reddit commenter reported spending more than 10 hours playing the demo and successfully completing critical damage difficulty on the initial map. This substantial engagement with demo content validates that Robicon hooks players through compelling gameplay loops rather than just flashy presentation. Ten hours in a demo suggests the full game could provide dozens of hours of replayability for completionists chasing higher difficulties and perfect builds.
The critical damage difficulty mode represents hardcore challenge for players who master basic mechanics and want tests requiring perfect execution and optimal strategy. Including this difficulty tier in the demo shows confidence that core systems support skill expression beyond just casual play. Tower defense purists appreciate games that reward mastery rather than just time investment.
Community response has been enthusiastic with players praising the gameplay and minimalist captivating visual style. The brothers mention being thrilled with encouraging responses so far. For first-time developers, positive reception provides validation that years of work resonated with target audiences. The challenge becomes maintaining momentum from demo buzz through full release without losing players to competing games launching during development.
Demo Available Now Full Release Coming
The Robicon demo is available now on both Steam and itch.io providing players multiple platforms to access the game. The Steam presence is crucial for visibility and wishlisting metrics that publishers and developers track closely. The itch.io version offers DRM-free alternative and reaches audiences who prefer that platform’s indie-friendly ecosystem.
No release date is announced for the full version. Hidden Button focuses on gathering feedback and iterating based on player experiences rather than rushing toward arbitrary launch windows. This player-first approach often produces better final products than rigid schedules that force shipping before games are ready. The brothers want to make Robicon even better for release rather than just hitting deadlines.
The game will launch on PC initially with no announced console plans. Tower defense games translate reasonably to controllers but the genre thrives on mouse-and-keyboard precision. Focusing on PC first lets Hidden Button perfect the experience before tackling platform-specific challenges if console ports make sense later. For a two-person team, concentrating resources on one platform is pragmatic.
Standing Out in Tower Defense
Tower defense games flood digital storefronts constantly. Most blend similar mechanics into interchangeable products. Robicon differentiates through merge mechanics borrowed from autobattlers, roguelite progression creating run variety, synthwave CRT aesthetic establishing visual identity, and limited grid placement adding spatial puzzle elements. The combination creates something familiar yet distinct.
The merge mechanic specifically separates Robicon from traditional tower defense where you just place towers and maybe upgrade them individually. Merging creates active management layer where you constantly optimize placement for both combat effectiveness and future merge opportunities. This keeps players engaged between waves rather than just passively watching towers shoot.
FAQs About Robicon
When does Robicon fully release?
No release date has been announced. The demo launched in August 2025 on Steam and itch.io. Hidden Button is gathering feedback and iterating based on player experiences before committing to a launch window.
How does the merge mechanic work?
Place two identical towers next to each other and merge them into a single more powerful upgraded version. Continue merging upgraded towers to create even stronger versions culminating in super towers that represent ultimate forms.
How many towers are in the game?
The current demo includes 14 unique tower types plus 5 super towers. The developers emphasize this is only the beginning with more content planned for the full release.
Is Robicon single-player or multiplayer?
Robicon is a single-player experience. You strategically place and merge towers to survive endless waves of robotic enemies without competing against or cooperating with other players.
What platforms is Robicon available on?
Robicon is available on PC via Steam and itch.io. No console versions are announced. The developers are focusing on perfecting the PC experience first.
Who is developing Robicon?
Robicon is developed by Hidden Button, a two-person indie team consisting of brothers from Poland. This represents their debut game project handling all programming, art, design, and community management themselves.
How long is the demo?
Players report spending 10+ hours with the demo mastering the critical damage difficulty mode. The substantial demo length provides genuine sense of whether the gameplay loop appeals before purchasing the full version.
What makes Robicon different from other tower defense games?
Robicon combines tower defense with autobattler merge mechanics, roguelite progression with randomized modifiers, limited grid placement creating spatial puzzles, and distinctive synthwave CRT aesthetic. The combination creates familiar yet distinct experience.
Conclusion
Robicon represents ambitious debut from Polish brother duo Hidden Button who spent years building the tower defense roguelite they wanted to play. The merge mechanic borrowed from autobattlers creates active engagement between waves where you constantly optimize turret placement for both immediate combat and future upgrade paths. The roguelite progression with 20+ modifiers ensures every run feels distinct through randomized upgrade offerings that force adaptation rather than memorized optimal strategies. The synthwave CRT aesthetic establishes visual identity that helps Robicon stand out in crowded genre while serving functional purpose through clear readable battlefield information during chaotic waves. The demo available now on Steam and itch.io provides 10+ hours of substantial gameplay for players who want to verify the merge tower defense concept clicks before the full version launches. For tower defense fans exhausted by samey games that just place turrets and watch, for roguelite enthusiasts seeking new genres infused with randomized progression systems, and for anyone who thinks synthwave aesthetics improve everything automatically, Robicon delivers exactly what niche audiences crave when they complain nobody makes games like this. Download the free demo, place your first laser turret, merge it with another, and discover whether you have strategic mind to survive endless robot waves on critical damage difficulty before those Polish brothers finish building the full version.