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About io - The Plot
The Nautilus-114, a rather expensive interstellar research spacecraft now lies marooned in the orbit of Jupiter's moon, io. The status of the crew is unknown.
Now, 5 months later, a recon unit (Norton and Ned) of the Federation One’s IAR team has arrived to study the causes behind the mysterious events and at all costs bring the craft back home. Once aboard they realize that the atmosphere is hostile and that failure is not an option.
The Game
In io your mission is to bring the Nautilus-114 spaceship back home. However, the task isn’t easy thanks to the many robotic minions that now inhabit the ship. In order to accomplish your mission, you have to play evasively (hide in the dark, walk don’t run), avoid detection and carry out your objectives. You are also accompanied by your robotic friend and constant help, Ned. Together, you will take enemies down, gather data pertaining to the destruction of the ships human crew and bring the ship back home (or will you?)
- io does NOT have a save feature.
- Player moves: Io is a side-scroller game, however you can also move the player in and out of the screen, to hide in dark nooks, pick up secret items, etc.
- Point and shoot mechanism: Touch on the screen and Norton will orient himself to look or shoot at the pointed spot.
- Equipment: Thermal vision cameras, cloaking gear, weapon add-ons, etc
- Weapons: Machine gun, Rail gun, Rocket launcher, Displacer and a Flamethrower.
- Bots: different bot types to engage with.
- Gameplay Duration: If you are one of those super-smart-gaming-ninja types, you could probably finish it under an hour, else... :)
io is a short game much in the spirit of old classics such as John Romero’s Dangerous Dave.
Frequently Asked Questions
io – Gameplay
I can’t save the game. Do I have to start all over again?
Yes. Io does NOT have an option to save your games.
io is a short game with short maps, an alright story, alright music and interesting tech at an interesting price. Although io does not feature a save option, it does contain Stimpaks. Stimpaks can replenish your health completely when you choose to. Io also features Moto Soda dispensers that can boost your health by 20 points.
But if you manage to complete the game, you are rewarded with a 16 page “behind the scenes”.
Some of the times, some of the monsters walk past me, although I am clearly visible.
Not all monster bots are created equal. Clearly some of them are mean killing machines while others are less destined and have retired themselves to a life of cannon fodder existence.
I hear noises, although I don't see anyone.
You should consider yourself lucky compared to that kid who could see dead people.
Alright, speaking seriously, that's a bug and will be addressed in a future patch.
The character moves too slow!! Can't he move any faster?
Make sure the character is not in 'crouch' mode. Use the scroll wheel on your mouse to change the characters stride. Also make sure you go through the primer menu in the game to acquaint yourself with the game's control mechanics.
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io – Miscellaneous
How do you pronounce io?
io is pronounced eye'-oe or e-oe)
Who are the people behind io?
Thomas Kuriakose - design, programming, modeling and art.
Soundrangers - Music
What game engine powers io?
io uses a proprietary 3D game engine developed in-house at Atman Software.
What tools/software were used to develop io for the iPhone?
Code side - Xcode, Shark, Instruments.
API's - OpenGL ES, OpenAL, Cocoa.
Content side - Photoshop CS2, 3DS Max.