spin.exe

The top you built fights in the arena. You don't.
You created it in the garage out of scrap metal and old wiring. Built a body, polished the tip, and wired up its brain out of cassette tapes. Then you brought it into the tournament and pulled the cord to launch it into its first fight.
Now you watch it spin on its own. You have no buttons, no control, no nothing to help it if things go south. But if you wired it right, you'll get to watch it earn you a victory and the rewards that come with it. If not, well, back to the basement.

WIRE THE BRAIN
Every ability in the game is a cassette, and every cassette has a job. Triggers get the chaos started: the wall gets hit, spin drops low, the enemy gets close. Actions do your dirty work: missiles, lasers, chain lightning, a proximity mine, a clone of yourself. Wire triggers to actions to create chains of behavior. Wire a bunch together and you've made the brain of a fighter. There are 70+ cassettes to draft from, and plenty of opportunity to find the next broken combo.
LAUNCH IT
Pull back to spin your top up until you find the sweet spot. Then flick it in a direction to launch it into the fight. Over-rev and it wobbles in. Hesitate and it goes in slow. But nail it and it comes in hot.

THEN YOU WATCH
A fight is 30 to 90 seconds of your top flying around the arena battling one or many other tops, all with their own brain. You'll wince as things go wrong, and hope as things go right. Sometimes your top shatters into pieces. Sometimes it just runs out of steam... wobbling, scraping, and tipping over like a sad coin on a table.

LOSE. LEARN. REWIRE.
Every new run is a new circuit. That means three tournaments, two tops, and one program you keep improving throughout the run. Win fights, earn tokens, draft new cassettes, and rewire between rounds. Having two tops gives you the wiggle room to make a mistake and correct it without starting all over. When you lose, inspect the enemy's setup, wiring and all, and make a plan to beat them next time.

THE COMPETITION
There are six clubs that run the underground circuits, and every one of them has a different way of ruining your day.
WRECKING CREW "Hit first. Hit hard. Repeat."
MOUNTAIN CLUB "We are unbreakable."
PHANTOM SYNDICATE "Find us in the shadows."
SIEGE ENGINEERS "Prepare for war."
THE LEECHES "We will drain you dead."
SWARM COLLECTIVE "We are many. You are one."
Scout them before the fight and read their tendencies so you can counter them, or avoid them on the path to the end.

At the end of the final circuit is the guy who broke your first top and joked about giving you a chance. Earn your right to face him, and see if you built a fighter that proves him wrong.
You outbuild. It outfights.