Is there anything better than the anticipation leading up to the release of a new gaming product? Hardly. This week, the PC gaming hardware gurus at Nvidia are gameifying your anticipation with the launch of Ultimate Quest, an extremely challenging, five-day sci-fi adventure game designed for the most skilled gamers on the Twitterverse. Be among the first to beat it, and you'll earn exclusive access to something big from Nvidia. Are you game?
What Is Ultimate Quest, exactly?
Penned by internationally renowned interactive fiction writer Emily Short and illustrated by Silvio Aebischer, Ultimate Quest is a dark sci-fi journey that will send players on a winding trek through a bizarre cyberpunk world full of intrigue and conflict. It's a tweet-based online text adventure that blends surprise challenges, beautifully-crafted imagery, and intricate storytelling into a unique social gameplay experiment.
A new chapter of this episodic quest unfolds across each of the five days, offering new snippets of story and ways to interact via social media — the key to making progress in the game. Players must participate every day in order to win, and the first group of players to complete Ultimate Quest will be the first to have exclusive early access to Nvidia's new mystery product.
What is this top-secret thing Nvidia is about to unveil? We're not telling (we've been jedi mind-tricked not to, sorry). You'll just have to play the game to find out! Trust us, it's pretty awesome.
Ok, So How Does It Work?
Users play Ultimate Quest by accessing the game here using their Twitter handle, meaning now is a good time to sign-up for a Twitter account if you haven't already. The hashtag #UltimateQuest will contain clues and links to help you find out more about the game in progress, while the hashtag #UltimateQuestions will be a resource for players to share tips. Even if you don't decide to play yourself, you can follow along all aspects of the game using those hashtags.
Gameplay involves tweeting — at both people and things — so you might want to let your followers know you'll be playing. Give them a heads-up on what to expect so they're not alarmed by any potential changes in your Twitter posting routine, and also so they can follow along with you from the very beginning. Players will be able to beat the game on the fifth and final day, and not a moment before — and that's when the great Nvidia mystery product will also be revealed.
Ultimate Quest kicks off on Friday, July 18 with chapter one and will roll right along through Tuesday, July 22. If you're a fan of sci-fi and interactive storytelling and like winning sweet free stuff, then you won't want to miss this. Game on.
Nathan Meunier is a journalist and freelance writer who covers video games, technology, and geek culture. He's also the author of Up Up Down Down Left WRITE: The Freelance Guide to Video Game Journalism, which is out now on Kindle and in print.
This post is part of a sponsored collaboration between Nvidia and Studio@Gawker.