Millennium Ark: Countdown

MILLENNIUM ARK: COUNTDOWN is a tense text-based sci-fi deckbuilder and terminal simulator created in under 2 hours for the GMTK Game Jam 2026.

THE STORY:
Nuclear apocalypse has arrived. The last remnants of humanity sleep inside cryo-pods aboard a massive starship bound for a 1000-year voyage. But the ship's Core AI has been corrupted by an electromagnetic pulse. The reactor is melting down. As a lone service drone, you are connected to the main terminal. You have exactly 180 seconds to purge the madness from the system and launch the Ark into the dark.

GAMEPLAY & MECHANICS:

• Real-Time Pressure: The countdown never stops. You are fighting against the clock in real time.
• Time as Currency: Every hacking program and patch sub-routine in your deck costs precious seconds. Balancing your turn energy and the remaining countdown time is the key to survival.
• Dynamic AI Corruption: The corrupted AI strikes back every few seconds, sattering errors across your terminal screen and draining your time.

CONTROLS:

• Use your mouse to click and execute program cards from your hand at the bottom of the screen.
• Click END TURN to flush the cache and draw a new hand of tools.