Twilight Towers: Merge Defense is a strategy game about defending a kingdom from a spreading dark mist. You place towers, merge them to make stronger versions, and hatch dragons that join the fight as defenders.

Each dragon has its own elemental power, and different towers are better against different enemies, so you need to choose your setup carefully. Combining merge mechanics with tower defence gives you decisions about both where to place things and how to upgrade them.

It is free to download and suits players who like tower defence with a collectible element. Matching your defence to the kind of enemy you face is the main skill.

Each stage has paths that enemies follow, and you place towers along them. Two identical towers can be merged into a stronger one, so deciding when to merge and when to place new towers is an important choice. Dragons add special abilities, and their elements can counter certain enemy types.

Tips for beginners include keeping a mix of tower types, saving merges for the most threatened spots and learning which dragon suits which wave. It suits players who like tower defence and collectible heroes, and who enjoy trying different team combinations.

Things to consider: as a free game with collectible dragons, optional purchases are likely, so set limits on shared devices. It is also a new release with few reviews.

Listing details: this game in the Strategy category is developed by Fortis, LLC and available as Twilight Towers: Merge Defense.