The gameplay is simple and mostly revolves around tapping icons. Each run begins on a map made up of grid based tiles. You tap on a tile to travel there and deal with whatever event it contains. Some tiles trigger battles, while others contain terrain that either does nothing or blocks your path. You can also find chests that let you choose an additional skill from a random selection of three, campfires that restore a small amount of health, shops, altars where you sacrifice health in exchange for a stat increase, and various other events.
Moving your character to a tile reveals all directly adjacent tiles, although diagonal tiles remain hidden. Some events can only be used once, while others, such as shops, can be revisited as often as you like. You can also move freely between any revealed tile that you have not yet visited, with no limit on how many moves you can make.
Certain tiles require keys to access. There are several types of keys, and while some can be found on the map, the more valuable ones have to be purchased from shops. If you want to fully explore everything on a map, you can end up spending quite a lot of money on keys, which can make investing in skills a more appealing option.
Skills are divided into passive and active abilities. You start with five slots, while another five can be unlocked by spending money. Chests provide random skill choices, while shops give you more control over which abilities you want to obtain. Each skill can also be upgraded several times, improving its effectiveness.
Passive skills are generally the most appealing because they remain active throughout battles. Getting the right combination can make a huge difference. For example, one passive skill can deal damage to all enemies at the start of every battle, and another passive can cause it to activate twice. However, the game can also throw some nasty surprises at you. Certain tiles can contain enemies or events capable of killing you in a single hit, potentially ending a promising run without much warning.
Battles take place on a separate screen where you click on your main attack and any active skills you have collected during the adventure. Attacks and abilities consume action points, with more powerful options generally costing more. Some abilities cost no action points but can only be used once per turn. Once you have used your available actions, you end your turn and allow the enemies to act.
One useful feature is that enemy actions are clearly displayed above their heads. You can also hover over them to see exactly what they are going to do, giving you a chance to plan your turn accordingly. Your action points are restored at the start of each turn, and battles continue until either you or all of the enemies are defeated.
The main objective on each map is to defeat a boss and then find the exit. Bosses are usually manageable as long as you have prepared properly, and defeating them generally rewards you with a significantly better skill. You can either explore the entire map for additional loot or head straight for the exit once the boss is defeated. Either way, you eventually reach a transition map where you can heal, spend your money, and prepare before moving on to the next environment. Each new area introduces its own enemies and unique tiles.
Luck can take you a long way, but eventually it will run out and send you back to the main menu. There is no currency or other major reward system for long term progression, although your character does level up and earn talent points. Talents provide small bonuses that can make the early stages of a run easier, such as increasing a stat, giving you some starting money or keys, or providing a new skill.
Besides the starting character, you can also find six additional characters by visiting and unlocking specific tiles on certain maps. This gives you another reason to explore areas rather than simply rushing toward the exit.
Overall, the game is fun for a few runs, especially when you get lucky with your skill choices and manage to build a powerful combination. However, the randomness can also be one of its biggest frustrations. Getting killed unexpectedly by a random enemy can be particularly annoying when you have already built an excellent set of skills and made it through several difficult encounters. The lack of meaningful meta progression may also limit its long term appeal, but for a few enjoyable runs, there is enough variety and unpredictability to keep things interesting.
