8 characters, 8 completely different build ideas

ROBO: Extremely focus on the first 5 upgrades to gain passive stats, at the cost of delaying active skill unlocks.
LUNA: Repeatedly clicking the same cell type grants stat bonuses, but cells of that type can never form a line of three to unlock active skills.
RUFF: Balance means you can unlock more active skills, but RUFF provides numerical compensation for extreme min-maxing.
BRUIN: A smooth character – unlocking active skills at a normal pace grants small rewards.
CLAWDIA: No one would pick the same cell twice in a row, except CLAWDIA.
FENNEL: Focus on overall topological beauty – gain huge bonuses through central symmetry.
LAPIN: Under specific topological conditions, stat-less cells can still grant stat bonuses.
BAMBOO: And our favorite simple and straightforward Panda.

Gold corners, silver edges, grass belly

An indie game that combines a nine-square grid design on the foundation of a survivors-like. The developer hopes to incorporate a construction with mathematical beauty.

Each time the player levels up, a nine-square grid panel appears with three random cells, from which the player must choose one to upgrade. Only by completing a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of three can the player unlock an active skill.

It is easy to see that if you have the chance to choose the center cell (position 5), the probability of forming a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of three is the highest. Corner cells (1,3,7,9) come next, and edge cells (2,4,6,8) are the lowest.

To balance this resource conflict caused by topology itself, the developer gives different passive traits to different cells. Simply put, if you want a higher probability to quickly form a skill, choosing the center cell (position 5) will likely come with some numerical loss. If you are willing to choose edge cells (2,4,6,8), you will have a lower chance of forming a line of three in the short term, but you will receive some numerical compensation.

How can you win without being greedy?

Besides trying to form a line of three as soon as possible, you should also know that in the first five upgrades, the numerical rewards given by edge cells (2,4,6,8) are far greater than those in the mid and late game. If you want to survive for 5 minutes at high difficulty, take the risk and go for edge cells (2,4,6,8). Even if the price you pay is failing to form a line of three and being about to die!