Evo Pit

Twenty fighters, no exits

Each round drops twenty fighters into the same closed pit for three minutes. You begin on the lowest rung, a grub armed with nothing but a shiv, and the forms above you read like a food chain. From the grub you move up to rat duelist and then hound, boar knight and ogre, then troll champion and wyrm, with the Pit God at the very top. That is eight forms in all, and each one hits harder than the last. Climbing means filling your evolution bar, which you do by collecting orbs and scoring kills.

Bigger is not safer

Every evolution brings more power and more mass, and it costs agility in return. A larger form lands heavier blows but turns more clumsily, which is why the game is blunt that size and safety are not the same thing. Growing makes you stronger, not safer.

How to spend three minutes

The description offers a simple plan. When the pit is crowded, concentrate on gathering orbs. Choose battles you can actually finish. And keep an eye on the champion, because beating them before the bell is what puts you on the podium. Since your attack fires automatically whenever an enemy is in range, most of the skill lies in movement: closing in on the fights you want and steering clear of the ones you do not.

A forgiving death

Losing a fight costs you a form, sometimes two, but it never removes you from the round. That softens the risk of an ambitious attack. A failed attempt pushes you back down the chain, and you can keep climbing for as long as the round lasts.