VELOCLASH

What is VELOCLASH?

VELOCLASH is a browser-based arena game where the whole loop hangs on one small object: a spinning top that starts tiny and ends up filling the screen. Before any fighting happens, the player builds RPM by drawing circles around the top, then swipes upward to send it into the arena. From there the top behaves like a guided missile with a timer, hunting enemies on its own while each collision takes a bite out of whatever spin time is left.

Coins earned from smashing targets feed a branching upgrade map, and the elemental options on those branches cover lightning, fire, frost, meteors, spikes and vines, which can be woven together inside a single run's build. There are 20 arenas to push through and three tops, each with different strengths and a separate map of upgrades. VELOCLASH is free to play, was made for Slapjam #2, an event themed around speed, and its pixel-art look keeps the action readable at phone size.

How to play

A run opens with the spin phase. Dragging a circle around the top in either direction, clockwise or counterclockwise, builds RPM; on supported phones, small circular movements of the handset do the same job without touching the screen. When an upward arrow appears, the launch gesture is a swipe up that travels past the circle and releases, and the two motions are designed to chain so circling flows straight into the swipe without a pause.

Once launched, the top fights on its own. It pursues enemies automatically, and the player's job becomes steering with the on-screen joystick and deciding when to correct course, because every steering input spends extra spin time. Impacts chip away at that same reserve, so a run ends when the top has nothing left to give, and smashing targets pays out coins.

Between runs, coins go into the upgrade map. Effects stack, each top has its own map, and investments can be refunded so a build can be moved to a different top. Clearing the campaign unlocks Endless, where the goal shifts to hunting rare supplies, avoiding boss attacks and beating a personal best stored on the device. Supplies stay manual: move close, tap PICK UP to carry one, then tap USE when the moment is right.

Controls

The scheme splits cleanly between the ritual and the fight. Building speed is a drawing gesture: circles around the top, in either direction, made with a finger. Launching is a swipe, timed to the appearance of an upward arrow and finished beyond the circle's edge. On supported phones an alternative to drawing is simply moving the handset in small circles, and motion is never required, since touch controls work without motion sensors.

During combat, an on-screen joystick redirects the top, and tilt steering can be switched on in Settings for players who prefer leaning to tapping. On a computer, the mouse covers the circles, the swipe and the joystick, so the same three-part flow works without a touchscreen. The game is built to be played in portrait orientation. Volume controls and an optional save reset also sit in Settings.

Tips for your first run

The opening runs are about learning the rhythm rather than chasing distance. Momentum is the resource being managed at every stage: it is earned before launch, drained by collisions and spent again by steering.

• Chain the gestures. Finish the circling motion and roll immediately into the upward swipe instead of lifting off and starting over.
• Steer less than instinct suggests. The joystick costs extra spin time, so short corrections usually beat constant pressure.
• Treat the upward arrow as the launch cue, then swipe beyond the circle and release cleanly.
• Remember that effects stack and refunds are allowed. If a different top looks better, move the investment rather than starting from nothing.
• In Endless, handle supplies deliberately: tap PICK UP only when carrying one makes sense, and save the USE tap for a moment that matters, because nothing is collected or spent automatically.

Content and replayability

Twenty arenas form the campaign spine, and the branching upgrade map gives each of the three tops its own route through the same fights. Because effects stack and refunds are permitted, the interesting question after a clear is which top suits the elemental mix currently favoured, with lightning, fire, frost, meteors, spikes and vines all available to combine on one build. Coins drive progression, so even a short run still contributes something.

Endless is the post-campaign mode and changes the texture of play. Rare supplies become the objective, boss attacks have to be dodged, and the score chase runs against a personal best kept on this device. Progress and Endless scores are stored locally in the browser, which means clearing browser data or switching browsers can produce a separate save rather than a shared one. The optional save reset in Settings is there for a clean start.

Presentation and performance

Pixel art carries the visual side, and the screen-filling top is the central spectacle: what begins as a small sprite becomes a storm that covers the arena. Sound effects and music are part of the package, and volume controls sit in Settings for anyone playing quietly or in company.

The build runs in the browser, and the layout is portrait-first, which suits a game meant to be handled with a thumb. Touch is the primary design target, but the mouse path preserves the same three gestures — circles, swipe, joystick — so nothing is lost when the game moves to a desktop. Circular phone movements are an optional extra on supported hardware, not a requirement for play.

Who should play it

Players who enjoy a game with a physical warm-up will find plenty here: the circle-then-swipe launch is a ritual, and the payoff is watching a small top turn into an arena-wide hazard. Incremental players get stacked upgrades with refunds, so experimentation stays cheap, and three tops mean the same 20 arenas can be attacked from different angles.

It also suits anyone who wants a browser game that respects a phone screen: portrait orientation, touch-friendly handling, no motion sensors required, and a save that lives locally. Endless adds a score chase for players who finish the campaign and want a reason to keep launching. The focus throughout is single-player arcade repetition built around a top that gets stronger between runs.