Win a high-end gaming rig by cracking the code in this game from OnePlus

OnePlus today released Crackables, a limited-period challenge based on several real life and digital puzzles. 

In collaboration with Google, OnePlus targets "tech-savvy users" with a series of Android-based crypto-puzzles, where anyone on the platform can participate. 

The game is already live, and the first challenge will surface on September 19 at 5:30pm IST. Only the first 1,000 players to crack the first three challenges will make it to the next phase where they'll receive a microcontroller to face upcoming challenges in the hardware round. 

The winner of the challenge will be awarded the grand prize, a high-end gaming setup valued at $30,000 (approx Rs 21 lakhs). 

That's not the only prize, and players will also have the chance to win prizes at multiple stages of the game.

How to play

Head over to crackables.oneplus.com to join the challenge. You don't need to install an app to play, as this is a web-based game which means you play it in your smartphone browser (such as Chrome, Opera or Mozilla).

Players need to sign in using their Google account to save their progress and don't forget to have headphones handy as Crax will feed you with critical verbal instructions throughout the stages. 

What's it like to play?

The challenge is intriguing from the very moment you enter. It begins with a mind-bending story of an animated character called Crax, with your end goal being to crack a series of puzzles in order to free Crax.

You need to have a certain degree of patience to pass through the stages, and while the game starts easy, it quickly becomes complex - a quick time-buster this is not.

The challenge tests your memory, speed and skill. You will need to combine all of it to solve mysterious puzzles. In Crax's words, "you need to decrypt the six Cube walls and take them down" to reach the final stage. 

Do this and you will free Crax and win the grand prize. 

Brains behind the challenge

OnePlus has collaborated with Google's Zoo team to develop the game, however there are no exact details on how the Google Zoo team is contributing to the campaign. 

The trippy challenges are written by Sleep Deprivation Lab and Davidson Cole. Sleep Deprivation Lab was founded by Christian Cantamessa, an award-winning game designer and filmmaker. The company provides writing, directing, and producing services for films, comic books, virtual reality and video games

Davidson is an alumnus of the Sundance Film Festival (DESIGN, 2002) and has written for tabletop and video games for over two decades. He has been a writer for several sci-fi/fantasy/horror universes including the classic cyberpunk setting Shadowrun, F.E.A.R. and most recently Eclipse Phase.

Sudhanshu Singh

Sudhanshu Singh have been working in tech journalism as a reporter, writer, editor, and reviewer for over 5 years. He has reviewed hundreds of products ranging across categories and have also written opinions, guides, feature articles, news, and analysis. Ditching the norm of armchair journalism in tech media, Sudhanshu dug deep into how emerging products and services affect actual users, and what marks they leave on our cultural landscape. His areas of expertise along with writing and editing include content strategy, daily operations, product and team management.