Devlog 004 — Four Icons, Four First Impressions

DEAD 2048: Last Hope · Devlog 004 · October 28, 2026

A tiny square with a big job

A giant zombie is easy to notice. A 2048 tower-defense game is harder to explain in one tiny square.

In Dead 2048: Last Hope, you merge towers on a numbered board, then see how your fortress holds up against zombies. I want the icon to make that strange idea inviting—and give you an expectation the game can live up to.

A — The current icon: lead with the danger

The giant comes straight at you. There is motion, scale, and an obvious threat.

The tower is much smaller. That makes the zombie the first thing you notice, but leaves the defense side of the game harder to recognize. This version asks: “Can you survive that?”

B — Tower against giant: show what you defend

Here, the tower gets the foreground. The giant is still there, but now there is something between you and it.

We first tried this direction with a numbered base. Then I wanted to see a larger tower without the number. That gives the defense more room, while giving up an explicit clue about 2048. This version asks: “Can your tower hold?”

C — The fortress tile: make the puzzle visible

A tower on an 8 tile brings the numbered board into the picture. The hands around the edges add pressure without filling the whole icon with a giant.

This is the most direct attempt to connect the puzzle and the fortress in one image. The tradeoff is whether those smaller details survive at phone size. This version asks: “What will you build from this tile?”

D — The giant face: make the enemy memorable

One face. One expression. Fewer competing details.

The giant has a recognizable silhouette, and this direction lets the character do the work. It says much less about merging or building defenses. This version asks: “Who is that thing?”

Where I am leaning

B is the candidate I have chosen to explore next. I like seeing the tower take up space, with the giant close enough to make its job feel difficult.

That is a design preference so far. We have not established that it brings in more players. These illustrations are four ways of introducing the same game; the real board still needs to deliver on that introduction.

Which one fits the game?

Watch the gameplay, then choose A, B, C, or D: which icon best matches the game you would expect to play, and why?

Tell me your pick and reason on X, @teamcogoo. I am especially interested in what each image made you expect before you saw the board.

Watch: How a 2048 board became a zombie fortress →

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