<s>
Ziggurat	B-Application
,	O
stylized	O
as	O
ZiGGURAT	B-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
retro-style	O
arcade	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Action	O
Button	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
last	O
human	O
fighting	O
off	O
incoming	O
alien	O
freaks	O
from	O
atop	O
a	O
ziggurat	B-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
uses	O
touch	O
controls	O
to	O
charge	O
and	O
shoot	O
the	O
enemies	O
away	O
,	O
and	O
dies	O
if	O
hit	O
by	O
an	O
enemy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Action	O
Button	O
designer	O
Tim	O
Rogers	O
developed	O
the	O
game	O
idea	O
based	O
on	O
his	O
experience	O
with	O
Angry	B-Application
Birds	I-Application
,	O
which	O
later	O
led	O
to	O
his	O
forming	O
Action	O
Button	O
as	O
a	O
company	O
with	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
as	O
its	O
first	O
release	O
on	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
praised	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
nuanced	O
controls	O
and	O
minimalism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
magazine	O
picked	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
for	O
the	O
then	O
new	O
high-resolution	B-Operating_System
third	B-Operating_System
generation	I-Operating_System
iPad	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player-character	O
,	O
stationary	O
atop	O
a	O
mountain	O
peak	O
(	O
ziggurat	B-Application
)	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
and	O
end	O
of	O
time	O
,	O
attacks	O
incoming	O
mono-eyed	O
alien	O
freaks	O
and	O
dies	O
upon	O
the	O
first	O
hit	O
from	O
any	O
enemy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Slingshot	O
,	O
like	O
Angry	B-Application
Birds	I-Application
,	O
players	O
draw	O
back	O
their	O
shots	O
like	O
slingshots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
integrates	O
"	O
pro-social	O
"	O
features	O
like	O
GameCenter	B-Operating_System
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ziggurat	B-Application
uses	O
retro-style	O
16-bit	O
graphics	O
and	O
an	O
8-bit	O
chiptune	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
consists	O
of	O
Rogers	O
,	O
Brent	O
Porter	O
,	O
Michael	O
Kerwin	O
,	O
and	O
Nicholas	O
Wasilewski	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
built	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
four	O
games	O
from	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
through	O
Videoball	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
cited	O
Angry	B-Application
Birds	I-Application
as	O
the	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
riding	O
the	O
Bay	O
Area	O
Rapid	O
Transit	O
from	O
Oakland	O
to	O
San	O
Francisco	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
,	O
Rogers	O
watched	O
a	O
man	O
play	O
Angry	B-Application
Birds	I-Application
as	O
he	O
perfected	O
a	O
level	O
,	O
whereupon	O
Rogers	O
decided	O
to	O
make	O
his	O
game	O
idea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
asked	O
his	O
friend	O
and	O
indie	O
developer	O
Adam	O
Saltsman	O
for	O
advice	O
,	O
who	O
confirmed	O
and	O
encouraged	O
Rogers	O
's	O
interest	O
in	O
trying	O
Flixel	O
,	O
the	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
tools	O
used	O
to	O
make	O
Saltsman	O
's	O
Canabalt	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
continued	O
to	O
work	O
as	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
design	O
consultant	O
and	O
met	O
Bob	B-Application
Pelloni	I-Application
(	O
of	O
Bob	B-Application
's	I-Application
Game	I-Application
)	O
at	O
the	O
2010	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
worked	O
on	O
games	O
(	O
including	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
)	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
put	O
out	O
a	O
call	O
for	O
artists	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
with	O
a	O
submissions	O
request	O
of	O
"	O
fan	O
art	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
box	O
art	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
Action	O
Button	O
artist	O
Brent	O
Porter	O
replied	O
in	O
under	O
an	O
hour	O
with	O
an	O
entry	O
Rogers	O
called	O
"	O
incredible	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
friend	O
,	O
QWOP	B-Application
creator	O
Bennett	O
Foddy	O
,	O
deemed	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
sort	O
of	O
interesting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
he	O
applied	O
a	O
concept	O
he	O
called	O
"	O
sticky	O
friction	O
"	O
from	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
3	I-Application
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogers	O
explained	O
that	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
add	O
a	O
pause	O
option	O
because	O
he	O
did	O
not	O
want	O
non-game	O
icons	O
in	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
because	O
(	O
like	O
in	O
Contra	B-Application
)	O
players	O
would	O
die	O
too	O
soon	O
after	O
resuming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
saw	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
simultaneously	O
a	O
"	O
snow	O
globe	O
of	O
an	O
electric	O
toy	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
gosh	O
darn	O
airtight	O
hardcore	O
video	O
game	O
"	O
homage	O
to	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
called	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
a	O
descendant	O
of	O
his	O
hobbies	O
:	O
Ibara	O
:	O
Black	O
Label	O
and	O
the	O
Rubik	O
's	O
Cube	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
platforms	O
on	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
Freshuu	O
,	O
then	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
,	O
signed	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
as	O
the	O
first	O
client	O
for	O
Gimme	O
,	O
an	O
in-game	O
achievement	O
to	O
"	O
real-life	O
rewards	O
"	O
incentive	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
won	O
a	O
Destructoid	O
Editors	O
 '	O
Choice	O
Award	O
,	O
and	O
Time	O
magazine	O
picked	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
for	O
the	O
then	O
new	O
high-resolution	B-Operating_System
third	B-Operating_System
generation	I-Operating_System
iPad	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
a	O
more	O
pleasurable	O
version	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Reach	I-Application
final	O
scene	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
also	O
compared	O
the	O
feeling	O
of	O
prioritization	O
as	O
a	O
swarm	O
of	O
enemies	O
appear	O
to	O
the	O
feeling	O
of	O
clutter	O
when	O
stacking	O
Tetris	B-Device
blocks	O
haphazardly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joseph	O
Leray	O
of	O
TouchArcade	O
noticed	O
how	O
the	O
guitar	O
sound	O
in	O
Gears	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
was	O
reaffirming	O
but	O
the	O
opposite	O
in	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
noted	O
that	O
nuances	O
such	O
as	O
gravity	O
's	O
influence	O
on	O
the	O
arc	O
of	O
uncharged	O
shots	O
make	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
more	O
of	O
a	O
basketball	O
or	O
golf-like	O
sport	O
skill	O
than	O
a	O
"	O
2D	O
Halo	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
awarded	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
9	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
adding	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
prized	O
immediacy	O
"	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
that	O
matched	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
Martin	O
Robinson	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
made	O
him	O
nostalgic	O
for	O
a	O
score	O
attack	O
game	O
from	O
the	O
early	O
90s	O
that	O
does	O
not	O
exist	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
called	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
finer	O
simple	O
score-attack	O
shooters	O
...	O
on	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
"	O
and	O
an	O
expression	O
of	O
the	O
golden	O
age	O
of	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
chained	O
explosions	O
and	O
shot	O
charging	O
as	O
"	O
satisfying	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Missile	B-Application
Command	I-Application
in	O
its	O
allure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robinson	O
of	O
Eurogamer	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
deserving	O
peers	O
were	O
Geometry	O
Wars	O
and	O
Robotron	B-Application
for	O
their	O
refined	O
play	O
styles	O
that	O
make	O
players	O
predict	O
what	O
enemies	O
are	O
about	O
to	O
act	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joe	O
Bernardi	O
of	O
Paste	O
put	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
in	O
a	O
lineage	O
of	O
iOS	B-Application
games	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
tries	O
to	O
do	O
a	O
fun	O
thing	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
possible	O
before	O
dying	O
,	O
including	O
Canabalt	B-Application
,	O
Bit	O
Pilot	O
,	O
and	O
Super	B-Application
Crate	I-Application
Box	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
connected	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
mechanics	O
to	O
Rogers	O
's	O
longstanding	O
interest	O
in	O
"	O
infinite	O
mode	O
"	O
without	O
external	O
rewards	O
,	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
charge	O
time	O
mechanics	O
as	O
"	O
excellent	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
perfect	O
awkward	O
length	O
to	O
confuse	O
muscle	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
noted	O
its	O
"	O
extremely	O
focused	O
shallowness	O
"	O
as	O
defining	O
,	O
like	O
a	O
Dorito	O
,	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
iOS	B-Application
games	O
[	O
he	O
had ]	O
ever	O
played	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
for	O
ActionButton.net,	O
indie	O
developer	O
Adam	O
Saltsman	O
called	O
Ziggurat	B-Application
"	O
French	O
New	O
Wave	O
action	O
videogame	O
fan	O
art	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
