ZIQ, the frenetic sci-fi arcade runner from Midnight Sea and 3D Realms, zooms onto PC and Mac today.
An ancient, malevolent AI named Swarm wages war on all organic life and narrowly escapes his own destruction. To prepare for his revenge, he diverts all resources into the construction of his unstoppable armies, including his latest prototype: Z series IQ nanite (ZIQ). Poor ZIQ exists solely to suffer through Swarm’s constant experimentation in the form of deadly obstacle courses.
Drive ZIQ to perfection through continuous, dangerous tests designed to challenge even the most advanced neural network. More than 25 different obstacles dot his path, creating hundreds of possible configurations through seven themed procedurally-generated stages. Quick reflexes and ZIQ’s ability to switch between two polarities helps him bypass traps specifically designed for his downfall. Swap polarities at just the right moment to avoid destruction by way of threats including deadly pools of acid and tricky pop-up walls.”
The best-performing ZIQs gather charge cores to garner favor with Swarm in the form of extra points. Continue to chain charge cores seven times to become Overcharged, gaining the ability to crash through traps of any polarity for even more points. Show just how good ZIQ is, from good to perfect, by grabbing pickups at the right time to score even more points. Perfect ZIQ and snag a spot on the global leaderboard atop the pile of crushed nanites!
While ZIQ may seek approval from his creator, Swarm doesn’t care. Voiced by YouTube’s Dash Star, Swarm just can’t stop insulting the little guy. One would think Swarm would want ZIQ to do well! But no, if ZIQ performs too well, Swarm cranks up the nanite-squishing powers of his insidious levels! Survive the constant berating with expressive dark synth music and traverse the wondrous, but unforgiving, sci-fi stages.
“In addition to making an addictive runner that was easy to pick up and play, we wanted to create a world that justified the gameplay,” said Josh Ryan, co-founder of Midnight Sea. “We think players will really enjoy ZIQ’s tenacity and Swarm’s propensity for put-downs.”
ZIQ is available digitally in English on Steam for $9.99 USD.
