Stick Merge

Stick Merge cleverly combines two popular mobile genres: the "Merge" puzzle mechanic and the rail-shooter action game. It is a game about evolution and economy. You don't just find better guns; you manufacture them. You play as a stickman agent tasked with eliminating bad guys, but your success depends more on your preparation in the lab than your reflexes on the battlefield.

⚗️ The Merge Mechanic Explained

The core loop takes place in your inventory screen.

• Level 1 + Level 1 = Level 2: You start with basic pistols. Dragging one pistol onto another identical one merges them into a higher-tier weapon (e.g., dual pistols).
• Exponential Power: A Level 1 gun might do 10 damage. A Level 5 gun might do 150. The goal is to constantly buy low-level guns and merge them up the chain to create sniper rifles, assault rifles, and futuristic energy weapons.
• Slot Management: You have limited space in your inventory. Managing your grid space is a puzzle in itself. You need to balance holding onto upgrade materials vs. keeping space open for new drops.

🎯 The Combat Phase

Once your loadout is ready, you enter the shooting phase.

• On-Rails Movement: Your character moves automatically between cover points. You focus entirely on aiming and shooting.
• Click to Shoot: The controls are simple. Move the mouse to aim, click to fire. Headshots deal critical damage.
• Enemy Scaling: As you progress, enemies start wearing body armor and helmets. A Level 1 pistol becomes useless against a Level 10 armored enemy. This forces you back to the merge screen to upgrade.

🧠 Economic Strategy

Money (Gold) is the fuel of the game.

• Passive Income: Even when you aren't shooting, your highest-level gun generates a small amount of passive income every second.
• Reinvesting: Don't hoard gold. Immediately spend it on buying more base weapons to merge. The faster you cycle your inventory, the faster you get to the powerful weapons.

🌟 Visual Style

The game uses the classic Stickman aesthetic, which is timeless in browser gaming. The animations are smooth, and the weapon designs become increasingly ridiculous and cool as you level up. It’s a satisfying loop of "Merge -> Shoot -> Profit -> Repeat."