Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown heading to App Store later this week

National Spork’s Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown is heading to the iOS App Store on Thursday.

Inspired by the Atari classic Chip’s Challenge, players use multicoloured hazmat suits for protection against the hazardous environment as they face chemical spills, giant viruses and other undesirable lab accidents. Then there are the “Cleaners”, misguided individuals who have kidnapped your pet fox and pose a greater threat to you within the facility. It's your job to keep them at bay as you set out to rescue your fur baby.

There are 100 levels to beat, equalling around 25 hours of content, but National Spork has also included some hidden secrets and easter eggs for keen players to keep a watchful eye out for, including multiple endings and even a puzzle that can only be solved in real life.

Hazmat Hijinks is inspired by Chip’s Challenge, a launch title for the Atari Lynx that was later ported to Windows, Amiga and Commodore 64. The game had you play as a high school nerd navigating through a clubhouse collecting chips in order to gain entry to an exclusive club.

National Spork was founded by Tod Powers with the goal of making elaborate, artsy video games. To accompany the release of Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown, Powers has also released a small magazine filled with information on the game with maps and hints for anyone who wants to get a head start on it.

Hazmat Hijinks: Total Meltdown will release on the iOS App Store this Thursday, 1st October for $1.99. It’s unknown yet if the game will eventually make its way over to Google Play for Android, but a more expensive version is coming to Steam and the Mac App Store on the same day, priced at $9.99.