Intake is the new retro-futuristic drugstep arcade shooter from Cipher Prime. In this polychromatic love child of Dr. Mario and Ikaruga, you battle a never-ending barrage of pills, pushing your skill and reflexes to the limit to avoid a lethal dosage.
The game features a straightforward control scheme that is easy for players to pick up. Using the mouse, players left-click to shoot falling pills of one color and right-click to swap between the two available colors. This minimalist control setup allows players to focus on developing the quick reflexes necessary to succeed.
As players progress, the game rapidly increases in difficulty. More pills fall at faster speeds, and hazardous "flashbang" pills disrupt the player's vision. To counter these mounting challenges, the game provides a robust progression system. Players unlock power-ups, color palettes, and additional game modes that test their skills in new ways, such as "Acceleration," which ramps up the pill-dropping speed, and "Minefield," which introduces disorienting visual effects. The combination of simple controls and increasingly intense challenges creates a gratifying gameplay loop. Players can easily learn the basics but must continually improve their precision and focus to reach higher levels and scores.
A key draw of the gameplay is the scoring and combo system. Destroying pills in quick succession builds the player's combo, which multiplies their score. This encourages players to maintain their concentration, as a single missed shot can break their hard-earned combo. Chasing high scores and climbing leaderboards provides a strong motivational hook, further enhancing the game's replayability.
The game's neon-soaked, retro-futuristic aesthetic perfectly complements the fast-paced action, with colorful pill explosions and flashing effects amplifying the sense of chaos and intensity. The pulsing dubstep soundtrack contributes to the overall momentum, keeping players engaged and energized throughout their sessions. This seamless integration of gameplay, visuals, and audio creates a cohesive and captivating experience that players find difficult to step away from.