Elematter is a compact tower defense game built around four elements. Enemies come in Earth, Water, Air and Fire varieties, and so do your towers. Every tower hits one element 50 percent harder, so the key question is never just where to build but what to build. You need to get through twenty waves on a long, twisting path while keeping as many of your thirteen lives as possible. Jack Rugile made it for the 2014 js13kGames contest, where entries had to fit in 13 kilobytes.
How to Play Elematter
Click an empty square next to the road to open the build menu, then choose an element. Earth costs 200 fragments, Air and Fire cost 250, and Water costs 300. Hover over each choice to compare damage, range and fire rate. Press Play when you are ready, and the first wave starts walking in from the left.
Each tower can be upgraded twice for more damage, range and speed. A white marker lights up on a tower when you can afford its next level. You can also reclaim a tower to get back 75 percent of everything you spent on it.
Every enemy that reaches the end of the road takes one life. Enemies get tougher and faster each wave. Waves 5, 10, 15 and 20 each bring a large boss of one element, with far more health but half the speed. Clear the last wave to win and see your score. If your lives hit zero, the game resets for a new try.
Elematter Controls
| Action | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Open the build menu | Click any empty gray square beside the path | Tap an empty square |
| Build a tower | Click Earth, Water, Air or Fire in the menu (hover to see its stats) | Tap the element |
| Upgrade or reclaim a tower | Click the tower, then the upgrade or reclaim button | Tap the tower, then the button |
| Start or pause the game | Click Play at the top | Tap Play |
| Change game speed | Click x1, x2 or x3 | Tap x1, x2 or x3 |
| Send the next wave early for bonus fragments | Click Send Next at the bottom right | Tap Send Next |
Tips and Strategies
- Read the Next counter. The bottom bar shows how many of each element the coming wave holds. Build the tower that counters the biggest group.
- Open with Fire. The first wave is eleven Earth enemies and the second is mostly Earth, so two Fire towers pay off right away.
- Plan for each boss. The bosses come as Earth, Water, Air and Fire in that order, so have an upgraded Fire, Air, Earth and then Water tower ready in time.
- Put Water on long straight stretches. Water slows what it hits and picks random targets, so it spreads its slow across a crowd.
- Use Air on the bends. Air has the longest range, and a tower inside a curve can reach several rows of road.
- Send waves early when you are safe. The bonus is biggest right after a wave starts, so tap Send Next quickly if your defense is holding.
Features
- Rock-paper-scissors elements: four towers and four enemy types, each with one weakness.
- Twenty set waves with a boss every fifth wave.
- Three speeds: play at normal, double or triple pace.
- Generated sound effects: every blip and hit is made in code, with no audio files.
Tested and updated:
