Nightwick

Night falls on an enchanted forest. Imps, mushrooms, bats and shamans crawl out of the dark, followed by slimes, wisps, beetles, spiders, ghosts and bombers that blow up next to you. All you have is a lantern and magic. You steer; the hero casts on his own.

Enemies drop crystals. Collect them, level up and pick one card of three. Fire runes circle you, wind arcs slice ahead, ice shards slow the horde, lightning chains from foe to foe.

Fusions are the heart of it. Raise two elements to level 3 and a fusion card appears: fire and wind make Firestorm, frost and wind make Blizzard, wind and lightning make Tempest. There are six fusions, and every one you find goes into the Book of fusions.

Shrines glow in the forest. Stand by one for two seconds and get a 20-second blessing: Fury (+50% damage), Haste (speed and faster cooldowns), Ward (blocks 3 hits) or Greed (+50% XP). Break urns for hearts, magnets, bombs and clocks; elites leave chests with a free upgrade.

When the horde closes in, use the lantern flash to clear everything around you. At minute seven the Lord of the Thicket arrives. Defeat him and greet the dawn.

Five nights, each harder than the last. Six heroes, each with a starting spell and a trait of their own: the Keeper, the Frostcaller, the Sparkweaver, the Windwalker, the Stonewarden and the Stargazer. New heroes unlock for fusions found and nights survived. A Daily night is the same for everyone each day. Fell in battle? Watch a video for a second wind and rise again. The game saves by itself.

How to play

Steer the hero: slide a finger on a phone, use WASD or the mouse on a computer. He casts his spells by himself; you dodge and collect crystals.

On each level up, pick one card of three. Raise two elements to level 3 and a fusion card appears: two spells become one much stronger spell. Fire, wind, frost and lightning give six fusions. The pause screen shows what you can fuse.

Stand by a glowing shrine for two seconds to get a short blessing. Break urns and open chests for extra help.

The lantern flash clears the enemies around you. When it is ready, press Space or tap with a second finger.

At minute seven the Lord of the Thicket arrives. Beat him and dawn breaks. If you fall, you can watch a video and rise again.