This is a game originated from Ludum Dare 59, three-day game jam

Protect the Core. Route the Signal.

Welcome! In this unique hex-grid tower defense game, your towers don't shoot bullets—they manipulate continuous beams of energy. You must route High and Low-Frequency signals across the map to intercept and destroy enemy waves before they breach your Player Core.

🚨 IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NEW PLAYERS 🚨

Please be sure to read the text during the tutorial levels! The tutorial transmissions appear in the bottom-left corner of your screen and will teach you the essential mechanics you need to survive.

🎮 Controls

• Pause Game: ESC or Space (Tactical Pause: You CAN place towers while the game is paused!)
• Select Tower: Click the tower button on the UI (Not drag-and-drop).
• Place & Direct Tower: Left Click on a hex -> Drag to set the direction -> Release to build.
• Cancel / Sell Tower: Right Click (Cancels placement while dragging, or sells an already installed tower).

📡 Core Gameplay

To win, you must spend Data Fragments (DF) to build structures that route pre-placed Signal Sources toward the enemy paths.

• Signals Decay: Beams lose strength (Amplitude) the further they travel and the more enemies they pierce.
• Build on the Path: You must place towers directly on the grid to intercept enemies, but be careful—towers cannot be placed on your Core or enemy spawn points!
• Overload: Do not route multiple signals into a single tower! Over-stacking will Paralyze the tower until the signal is redirected.

🌈 Frequencies & Zoning (Combos)

You can overlap signals on the same tile to create powerful ZONES. Mastering these combinations is the key to victory:

• High Frequency (HF) - Blue/Cyan: Best for sweeping weak, grouped mobs.
• Low Frequency (LF) - Red/Orange: Best for bursting down high-HP single targets.
• 🔵 INTERFERENCE (HF + HF): Overlapping two High Frequencies creates a Cyan Zone that slows enemies by 40% for 3 seconds.
• 🔴 RESONANCE (LF + LF): Overlapping two Low Frequencies creates an Orange Zone that deals massive 1.5x damage!
• ⚪ QUIET ZONE (HF + LF): WARNING! Crossing opposite frequencies creates a Gray Zone that completely nullifies all damage!

🏗️ Structures

Use your Data Fragments (DF) earned from defeating enemies to build your defense:

• Reflector (10 DF): Redirects an incoming signal to a new direction.
• Modulator (20 DF): Swaps the frequency of a beam (HF becomes LF, or LF becomes HF). Tip: Don't place this directly under an enemy, or it will create a 0-damage Quiet Zone!
• Refractor (30 DF): Splits a signal into two paths. (Halves the signal's strength).
• Amplifier (50 DF): Restores a dying signal back to 100% strength. (Limit 1 Amplifier per connected signal chain).

👾 The Enemies

Different enemies require different frequencies to defeat efficiently:

• Standard Unit: Normal enemies with no special traits.
• Armored Unit (Whale): Heavy hitters that deal 2 damage to your Core if they breach. They take 150% damage from LF (Red), but resist HF (Blue).
• Phase-Shifter: Tricky targets that absorb LF (Red) beams to gain a +30% speed boost. Hit them with HF instead!