Swarm Surge Released + First Balance Patch (v1.0.1)

Hey everyone! 👋

Swarm Surge is live! Soft-launched yesterday, already patching today based on feedback.

What's the game? Fast roguelike tower defense - think Vampire Survivors meets classic TD. 10 waves, permadeath, 10-15 minute runs. Towers upgrade 5 times and get exponentially stronger. Between waves you draw random cards that change your build.

The core question: max out 4-6 towers, or spam 15 weak ones? Your card draws force the choice.

v1.0.1 - Balance Patch

Okay, levels 6-10 were way too easy. If you beat it yesterday, congrats on easy mode.

What changed:

Tiered tower costs - Towers now cost different amounts based on power. Basic is 100g, Laser 130g, Sniper 180g, Area 220g. Early choices actually matter now.

Late game got brutal - Levels 6-10 have way more HP (up to 7x), faster bugs (up to 2x speed), more spawns (100 bugs on wave 10), and tighter intervals. Level 10 should actually feel threatening.

Upgrade scaling nerfed - Damage per tier reduced from 1.7-5.0x down to 1.5-4.0x. Now "place a new tower" vs "upgrade" is an actual decision, not just "always upgrade."

Also fixed some rendering bugs, audio loops, and added version display.

What I'm watching:

• Level 10 clear rate (targeting 30-40%)
• Card balance
• Tower diversity

If you play, tell me:

• Did you beat level 10? How?
• Which cards feel broken or useless?
• Any bugs?

Play here: https://loopcraft.itch.io/swarm-surge

Quick tips: Abuse pause (spacebar), unlock Laser early, defend your base, Explosive bullets + Area tower = chef's kiss.

Thanks! 🐛⚔️