# Steam & Bullets — Merge Tower Defense on Rails

> Merge Tower Defense on Rails (iPhone/iPad app by Rodrigo Laiz.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steam-and-bullets/id6762451724 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Rodrigo Laiz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884082694)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Simulation, Strategy
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 219 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-05
- Data updated: 2026-08-17
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/steam-and-bullets/id6762451724/reviews.md

## What is Steam & Bullets?

STEAM & BULLETS

Defend a moving train across a ruined world. Spawn defenders, merge them into unstoppable units, and survive wave after wave of raiders, climbers, brutes, and drones or watch the locomotive fall.

MERGE TO WIN

Tap to spawn random defenders on your 3×3 wagon grids. Drag identical units together to merge them into stronger, deterministic level-ups — no random type switches. Stack up to Level 5 for game-ending firepower.                            
   
  BUILD YOUR CREW                                                                                                              
  Gunners -> reliable DPS on every wave                          
  Snipers -> long-range burst elites
  Flamethrowers -> short-range area burn
  Shields -> absorb hits and protect the grid                                                                                 
  Bombers -> slow fire, massive splash
                                                                                                                               
  DEFEND THE TRAIN                                                
  Three wagons. 27 cells. One locomotive. Each wagon has its own HP bar — let it burn and every defender on it is lost, enemies
   march through the husk, and your merge space shrinks. If the locomotive falls, it's game over.                              
   
  PATCH & PREP BETWEEN WAVES                                                                                                   
  The train never stops. Between waves, spend scrap on:           
  Repairs to restore wagon HP                                                                                                
  Armor plates & spikes to harden defenses
  New wagons for more merge space                                                                                            
  Locomotive upgrades -> HP, ram, speed                                                                                       
  One-shot abilities -> airstrike, shield burst, EMP
                                                                                                                               
  WASTELAND ENEMIES                                               
  Raiders flanking on motorcycles
  Climbers boarding and marching for the engine
  War-rig brutes crashing through armor
  Drones flying straight for the locomotive                                                                                  
  Swarms that overwhelm by numbers
  Unique bosses on every route                                                                                               
                                                                  
  KEY FEATURES                                                                                                                 
  Deterministic merging — strategy over RNG
  Dual-phase gameplay: combat + upgrade shop                                                                                 
  Dramatic loss spirals — every cell matters                    
  No forced timers — you choose when to trigger the next wave                                                                
  Portrait, one-handed, 2–5 minute runs

The rails stretch on. The horizon is on fire. Patch your wagons. Prep your crew. Keep the train moving because stopping means dying.

Download Steam & Bullets. Defend the rails.


## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 0.0.3 — 2026-08-14

NEW IN THIS UPDATE

Five Worlds to Conquer
The journey now spans five distinct worlds, from the desert frontier
to burning lava fields and ruined cities, each with its own enemy
roster and difficulty curve.

Dozens of New Levels
Worlds 2 through 5 add 18 hand-tuned levels, plus rebuilt early
levels with new boss finales.

New Lobby
Swipe through the worlds in the new lobby carousel and track your
progress across the whole campaign at a glance.

In-Battle Unit Upgrades
Spend mana mid-wave to boost the damage and fire rate of any
defender type you have on the field. A new tutorial step walks you
through it on your first run.

Critical Hits and Damage Numbers
See exactly how hard you are hitting with floating damage numbers
and satisfying critical hit feedback.

Balance Pass
Reworked wave scaling, coin and mana rewards, spawn costs and boss
pacing across the campaign. Later worlds now offer a genuinely
stronger roster than World 1.

Fixes and Polish
- Bosses can no longer be permanently frozen or held off the train
- Knockback no longer locks enemies in place
- Fire rate upgrades no longer round down and get lost
- Locomotive now shows its armor bar
- Wagon health bars hide correctly when a wagon is destroyed
- Many UI, shop and tutorial fixes

### 0.0.2 — 2026-08-03

Six new defenders to command. The Blaster knocks enemies clean off the train with a sonic cone, the Freezer locks them in place with ice, the Poisoner melts them slowly with toxic splash, the Thunderer chains lightning between targets, the Trapper scatters traps along the ground, and the Melter leaves burning acid puddles behind.                        
                                                                            
  Build your own squad. You now choose which defenders ride with you into battle. Swap units in and out from the Defenders screen and take the loadout that fits your playstyle.                                         
                                                                            
  The Evolution Track is here. Earn XP from every match and spend it on permanent perks that make your train, your heroes and your economy stronger run after run.                                                   
                                                                            
  Pick your power mid battle. Level up during a fight and choose from a deal of upgrade cards to shape each run on the fly.                            
                                                                            
  New enemies and five new bosses. Face the Sapper, the Grappler, the War Chief and the Pig Brute, then survive the Juggernaut, the Lich King, the Warlord, the Steam Titan and the Zeppelin, each with fully animated attacks.                                                                  
                                                                            
  Better rewards. Wins pay out card bundles with new celebration effects, and losing a level now grants consolation cards and XP so no run is wasted.                                                                   
                                                                            
  Rebuilt early levels. Levels 1 to 5 have been redesigned with a smoother enemy introduction curve, per level bosses and a fully retuned difficulty.
                                                                            
  Fixes and polish. Knockback no longer freezes enemies or holds bosses away from the train, the Mega Laser hits harder and no longer stalls the game, armor and health bars display correctly, the shop gives clearer feedback, and dozens of smaller UI and balance issues have been cleaned up.         
                                                                            
  Thanks for playing. Keep the train running.

### 1.0 — 2026-05-06

No release notes.

## More apps by Rodrigo Laiz

- [Stack Flow 3D](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stack-flow-3d/id6760356059)

All apps by Rodrigo Laiz: https://appshunter.io/developer/1884082694

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-17.*
