Survival Code

SURVIVAL_CODE
Something called ROOT is running a simulation. It has run it many times before, and it's looking for one thing: a build that can survive all 20 waves.

It hasn't found one yet.

The constructs that failed weren't deleted. ROOT corrupted them and put them back in, so every piece of malware you fight used to be a construct like yours. If you fail, yours goes back in too.

You're the Participant. Pick a construct, survive the clock, and rebuild it between waves.
SURVIVE
Your Function (your main attack) fires on its own, so your hands are free for dodging, positioning and picking the right moment for your Trigger.
8 constructs, each with its own Function and a Trigger you fire yourself: a self-repair patch, a dash, a damage overload, a slow field, a ring of traps and more.

8 malware types, each one a corrupted construct with its old job turned against you. Ransomware used to be a Hypervisor. The Worm used to be an Antivirus, and it still repairs itself.

20 waves that end on a timer. You don't have to clear the screen, you just have to still be running when the clock hits zero.

UPGRADE
There's no "pick 1 of 3" screen here. Between waves you open up your construct and rewire it.
Two grids, one for the construct (Health, Energy, Speed) and one for its Function (Damage, Range, Attack Speed). Each is 6 by 5 and never gets bigger, so every cell has to earn its spot.

Signal nodes you place and connect by color. Buffers add, Amplifiers multiply, Redirectors trade one stat for another, and Accumulators grow from what you actually did last wave.

40+ modifiers that slot into Amplifiers and change how things behave: reflected damage, chain explosions, bouncing projectiles, slows.

Unique Modifiers that rewrite a construct's Trigger or Function. Router's dash starts cutting through enemies. Sonar gets a second cone sweeping the other way.

A shop paid in Code Parts, salvaged from the malware you destroy. Lock what you want, reroll the rest, and merge identical nodes into stronger ones.

Randomizers for when you feel lucky. The node goes up a tier, or down one. ROOT is fine with either.

ROOT:// Candidate builds found: 0,
> Continuing...