One Btn Bosses is true to its name: all it takes is a single button press to take on tumultuous, hellish bosses.
The game was released on August 6 by developer Midnight Munchies, One Btn Bosses looks elementary: on a two-dimensional plane consisting mainly of shapes and lines, you control a diminutive spaceship (basically a miniature dot, à la Asteroid) automatically fires its own projectiles at the enemy, who simultaneously return fire — lots of projectiles, deadly shapes resembling a lava floor, and lasers.
Thanks to the view from above, One Btn Bosses places everything on the same plane, limiting the movement of the ship as you try to dodge projectiles. The ship moves forward or backward on a fixed rail in the shape of what is usually a circle, square, or curved line. A single button affects the movement of the ship. When you first start the game, the button changes direction; if your ship is moving forward, pressing the button reverses its course, which is helpful for avoiding enemy attacks. But as you change direction, the speed at which your weapon spits out projectiles slows down.
As you progress, you’ll unlock different abilities; for example, one early upgrade changes the button from a switch that affects changes in direction to a one-time dash that quickly blasts you through enemy projectiles. There are also attack upgrades for weapons, such as adding lasers to your ship, which, like abilities, can be swapped between levels.
The art style and design are immaculate and polished. The gameplay is elementary. The attack mechanics are of course restricted to a single button. But that’s within those limitations One Btn Bosses shines — makes a single button a bastion of opportunity in a world full of rules.
There are two modes to play through, the first of which is a low (around four hours) campaign where you’re a regular employee fighting literal corporate bosses who are attacking your ship. You’ll quickly unlock the second mode, a roguelite portion of the game called Rifts & Developments where you fight through procedurally generated levels. You can switch between modes at any time, but the campaign unlocks don’t apply to the roguelite mode. That’s because One Btn Bosses‘ roguelite is pretty customary in its structure: you start with nothing special and collect upgrades and abilities that change with each up-to-date round. It’s a fun way to try out a ton of different skills while blasting through fast-paced, seriously challenging levels.
Image: Midnight Munchies
One Btn Bosses makes the gameplay more engaging with each subsequent level by slightly adjusting boss attacks or the gameplay field. One Btn Bosses It’s never snail-paced, but starts out elementary, with enemies sending their projectiles straight at you — no complicated patterns to avoid. But it quickly escalates, adding more and more complexity and less and less room for error. Sometimes a level has a quirk — there’s a curved line of track that has portals at each end to mimic the continuous motion of a circle without being, well, a circle. It takes a mix of reflexes and strategy to keep your balance When you have to press that one button; pressing it, as I mentioned earlier, slows down your attack rate, meaning you’ll have to fight the boss — and stay alive! — longer. (The attack rate slows every time you press the button, regardless of your chosen skill.)
So what’s your priority? Well, that’s up to you. I’m the type of player who’s nervous and constantly pressing a button to avoid the boss; I don’t mind staying in a level for a while as long as I play it sheltered. But speedrunners will want precise thrusts that keep the attack tempo high to finish the level quickly. That’s the beauty of it One Btn Bosses — allows for complexity and different strategies even within the strictest rules.
One Btn Bosses was released on August 6 for Windows PC. The game was reviewed on Steam Deck using a download code provided by Midnight Munchies. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find more information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
