The roguelike is a genre that's in no shortage of entries among indie games. Recently released on Steam, Benjamin Soulé's Tower of Archeos approaches the roguelike from a different angle, blending the procedurally-generated levels of monsters and danger with a matching puzzler mechanic.

Choosing from a different starting classes, each equipped with unique items and perks, you fight your way level-by-level through the titular tower. Each floor is a cluster of monsters, doors, chests, and traps; selecting groups of same enemies clears them from the screen. Group size doesn't inflict damage based on the number of enemies, so clearing the largest groups early is crucial in surviving later stages. Defeating enemies earns you gold to upgrade, refilling and increasing your health with each level.
However while group size isn't an immediate danger, the types of enemies are. Each enemy has a unique perk that forces you to tactically clear the board, from the poison-dealing snake to the armored turtles that must be weakened by attacking surrounded enemies. Others foes multiply with each enemy cleared, leave behind bear traps, teleport across the board, among other effects. Various items you can buy from merchants such as health potions, flaming swords, venom staffs, or grapple hooks to skip floors let you strategic dole out damage, manage your health, and survive a little bit longer.

Tower of Archeos is available for $12.99 on Steam. You can also find a demo on itch.i...