Top Secret Kid's Interface Escape is the first game I designed as the Chief Gaming Officer for the Supernating Superdudes.

Top Secret Kid gets himself sucked through a wormhole in his laptop left there as a trap by Interface, a member of the Nemesii and enemy of the Superdudes. He finds himself stranded a long way from home, with only his trusty Jet Pack to save him.

Using the radar unit, players select both angle and power then launch Top Secret Kid by clicking the mouse. The goal is to jump safely from platform to platform.

There are 3 worlds to explore, with 55 levels of game play plus one boss level. Below we see Top Secret Kid as he tries to get to the top of Interface's headquarters, known as the Monolith. The platform he is standing on is about to fall apart, and the platform he is trying to jump to is moving. If the player times it right, he can pick up some extra Knowledge Knuggets on his way down.

Points are awarded for safely completing a jump, for landing directly in the center of the platform, for making the jump on the first try, and many other factors. Players who want to get their name on the high score board will have to master the double ricochet, bouncing off both sides of the board before landing safely on the target platform.

In world 3, Top Secret Kid finds himself in the middle of Interface's headquarters. It is a world made of pure data, where everything is constantly shifting underfoot. Both these platforms will disappear unless the player jumps quickly and accurately.

Jumping through electrified security fields can be hazardous to one's health.

In the final boss level, the player confronts Interface himself. It's a deadly game of cat and mouse, and you're the mouse.

The game engine started out as a Flash demo by Chris Rhodes, featuring a little Superman-type character with a cape.

I had previously designed an interactive game banner for Penguin Computing that incorporated similar mechanics. Written in Java, the banner pitted the Linux penguin versus a Windows machine.

Combining mechanics from the old computer game Artillery with elements of a side-scrolling platform game, Interface Escape is proving to be quite an addictive mix! I've already started working on the sequel.

Interface Escape Credits

Flash Programmer: Chris Rhodes Producer for Superdudes: Tom Jacobson Producer for SayDesign: John Say Artwork and Animation: Brad Ferguson, Artimus Maximus, Chris Rhodes Sound Design: Deadmau5 Level Design: Tom Jacobson

©2002 Tom Jacobson. All rights reserved.