Devolver's Minos is coming to Steam on April 9

Devolver Digital and developer Artificer will launch their maze-building tower defense game Minos on Steam on April 9. The release brings a mix of grid-based labyrinth construction and real-time top-down combat to PC players.

The game flips the traditional Greek mythology script. Instead of playing as a heroic Theseus navigating a dungeon to slay a beast, you control the Minotaur. Your job is to defend your sanctuary from waves of adventurers looking for loot and glory. Since they are actively breaking into your house, you are well within your rights to drop a ballista on them.

Building the kill box

Artificer is a Warsaw-based studio with a history of tactical games. They previously developed the dystopian game show tactics title Showgunners and the stealth strategy game Sumerian Six. Their background in tactical combat is visible in how Minos structures its defense phases. Both of their previous games relied heavily on positioning and environmental hazards. Minos takes those same concepts but gives you complete control over the environment itself.

The gameplay loop operates in distinct stages. First, you drag and drop walls, gates, and corridors onto a grid. You dictate the exact path the intruders must take. You can build long, winding corridors or use rotating passages and shifting gates to split enemy groups apart.

Once the layout is set, you place your defenses. You spend resources to populate the corridors with hazards. Available tools include basic spike pits, poison gas emitters, heavy ballistas, and luring devices. You can chain these together for maximum damage. A luring device can pull a group of heroes directly into a poison cloud just as a ballista fires down the hallway.

A tactical Gauntlet

Tower defense games usually keep the player at a distance as an omniscient architect. Minos requires you to get your hands dirty. When the wave begins, you control the Minotaur directly in top-down combat. It looks a lot like a tactical version of Gauntlet. You swing a massive axe and charge into groups of enemies right alongside your own arrow traps. You have a dedicated dash ability to close the gap on ranged attackers or escape a bad situation.

This adds an element of spatial awareness to the maze design. You have to build a labyrinth that kills enemies but also leaves you enough room to maneuver and fight without stepping on your own spikes.

Upgrades and progression

The game is structured as a roguelite. You survive through successive nights of defending the labyrinth. Between waves, you visit a camp tent to upgrade the Minotaur. Players have discrete stats for health, combat, and traversal. You spend accrued resources here to improve your chances in the next round.

Every run introduces new enemy types and trap options. The narrative unfolds across these attempts. You slowly uncover the backstory of the man who became the beast and learn what drove Daedalus to construct the labyrinth in the first place.

Devolver previously released a small taste of this concept in December 2025 with Minos: Home A-Labyrinth. That was a free holiday promo game. The full release next month will expand on those core mechanics with the complete roguelite progression system.

Letting the architect walk down into the kill box and swing an axe directly is a welcome change of pace for the genre. The game's store page is live on Steam ahead of the April launch.