Y2k-Era Visual Design-Inspired Arcade-Style Puzzle Game CROSSNIQ+ Launches Q3 2019 On Switch

Developer MaxKriegerVG announced today that CROSSNIQ+ is bound for Switch in Q3 2019!

The speed-focused, arcade-style puzzle gameplay of CROSSNIQ+ is said to be easy to learn but is tough to master. The game features four modes namely the Endless Mode, Time Attack Mode, Versus Mode, and Chillout Mode.

CROSSNIQ+ is slated for release on Q3 2019 via eShop.

Check out the trailer and details below:

Description

CROSSNIQ+ is a speed-focused, arcade-style puzzle game inspired by “y2k-era” visual design – a tribute to highly polished, small-scope Japanese games from the late 90’s. In CROSSNIQ+, the name of the game is re-arranging a grid of tiles to form “crosses” – rows and column of the same color. You can move tiles up, down, left or right – but moving them off the edge of the grid makes them wrap back to the other side, offering a unique and brain-bending challenge. Make crosses quickly and set up multi-crosses to earn bonuses.

History

CROSSNIQ+ started life as CROSSNIQ, a free browser version of the game released in November 2017. CROSSNIQ was developed as a standalone game, but was envisioned as a slice of a hypothetical full game with more modes and features. The chance to make that came to fruition within the same month, when a viral Twitter thread brought in a large amount of traffic to both Max Krieger’s personal twitter and to CROSSNIQ itself. Striking when the iron was hot, a Kickstarter campaign for CROSSNIQ+ went online mere months later, in February 2018. The campaign was successfully funded, and full-time work formally began on CROSSNIQ+ in May 2018.

Artistically, CROSSNIQ+ is dedicated to making the future feel like something cool, exciting, and full of possibility – and for players to interact with menus and mechanics that evoke those emotions and dreams.

The game was visually inspired by a period of industrial/visual design in the late 90’s, known now as “y2k design” (popularized in the modern context by sites such as the Y2K Aesthetic Institute). This era was defined by cool “digital” colors, organic shapes, and visions of speculative technology focused on ergonomics and lifestyle integration – all combining to form an optimistic vision of the future where users had a symbiotic, empowering relationship with technology.

Features

• Speed-focused, arcade-style puzzle gameplay – easy to learn, tough to master.
• Sleek, futuristic visual design inspired by the “y2k” era.
• Four modes, to accomodate a variety of playstyles:
• Endless Mode: keep making crosses to keep your timer filled – let it hit empty, and your game is over.
• Time Attack Mode: your time is a set amount – earn as many points as you can before the buzzer sounds.
• Versus Mode: Battle against a friend in local multiplayer, complete with items and special moves
• Chillout Mode: simply relax to a variety of different, aesthetically striking playfields – there’s no score, timer, or game overs.