Writer Ernest Cline may be best known for his 2011 sci-fi novel Ready Player One (with a Steven Spielberg-directed film adaptation in the works), but his most recent book — 2015’s Armada — is full of similar, self-aware geeky fun. The paperback version of Armada comes out today, and to celebrate the fact, publisher Penguin Random House has released a web browser version of the mysterious in-novel video game Phaëton.
Compete to set the high score in this game based on Ernest Cline’s Armada
The game has been available as an app since last year, but the new web version introduces high-score prizes. The overall winner will get an Oculus Rift, a replica US Air Force joystick, and signed copies of Cline’s books. However, anyone who gets better than 525 points on the game can get a embroidered patch for the Earth Defense Alliance — the group of gamers in Armada tasked with defending Earth from an alien invasion. There’s even a fake tie-in commercial for Phaëton complete with ‘80s styling.
Update January 10th, 2018, 9:10AM ET: The publisher has since ended this contest, and has discontinued the game.
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