Chaser Tracer is a synthwave arcade game out now on iOS and Android

Chaser Tracer, an ‘80s action extravaganza developed by Adki Works, has now been released for iOS and Android devices.

It’s a half-racer, half-rhythm game as you race against time to decode thousands of alien symbols being transmitted from a mass extinction device called the Oblivion Orb. You must safely deactivate this weapon before it annihilates all life in the universe.

These alien symbols appear in the form of shapes that vary in size and complexity and can be decoded by tracing them with your fingers.

There’s also a nemesis trying to stop you and protect the Oblivion Orb called the Chaser, which will stop at nothing to carry out its mission. You must decode the symbols before the Chaser can, and it will get stronger the closer you get to deactivating the device.

If all else fails, you can also use your power-up slots to fend off the Chaser. Some of these power-ups include simplifying a symbol or slowing the Chaser down.

Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on

“At its very core, Chaser Tracer is a little trip down memory lane,” says Adam Zerlin from Adki Works. “The initial idea was based on a game we played as kids: Duck Duck Goose. This simple concept of being chased by something led to the idea of Chaser Tracer. To take things up a notch, we explored procedural generation of shapes – which was then incorporated as the core foundation for level creation, player hazards, and even the design of the power-ups.”

“Our first prototypes of Chaser Tracer consisted of a single shape outlined by a series of waypoints,” says Masaki Pierce, co-founder of Adki Works. “The objective was to reach all the waypoints before your opponent – the AI – caught up. To give players the full ‘80s experience, both sound effects and soundtrack were created using period-accurate (and totally rad) synths like the Yamaha DX-7 and CS-80; Roland Jupiter-8, TR-808, and TR-909; and Sequential Prophet-5.”

You can grab Chaser Tracer now from the iOS App Store or the Google Play for Android store. It’s a free to play game with in-app purchases.