Mission Ionosphere
- Brand
- IONOS
- Year
- 2021
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Tech & Telecom
- Mechanic
- Adventure & Quest
- Platform
- Web
Objective
IONOS wanted a highly visible way to deepen its ties to the WordPress community it already sponsors through WordCamp and its WordPress hosting products, using the community's own mascot, Wapuu, as the connecting device. The brief called for something low-barrier and privacy-friendly that would work equally well online and on a trade-show floor: no sign-up, easy to share, and able to draw a crowd to the IONOS booth.
Solution
You open a link and you're straight into the game — no account, no form. You guide Wapuu upward from Earth through five sphere-shaped levels toward the ionosphere, and at each level Wapuu is carrying a different IONOS gadget that transforms into a stronger version as you climb higher. Along the way you grab power-ups like a shield and a tornado to keep the run going. When you finally reach the ionosphere, other Wapuus are waiting there. Each run ends with your score dropping into a public top-100 leaderboard, which you can share to challenge friends to beat it. At events like OMR Hamburg and WordCamp Europe Porto, the same game ran on a big screen where the controller was a balance board — you leaned your weight side to side to steer Wapuu instead of touching a mouse or keyboard.
- 1
The player opens the game in a browser; on an unsupported browser it shows a warning screen and asks for a common browser instead.
- 2
On a supported browser the run starts immediately, with no registration, form, or data collection.
- 3
The player controls Wapuu with mouse and keyboard.
- 4
The run begins on Earth as Wapuu lifts off and climbs upward through the atmosphere and space, the core loop being a continuous vertical ascent.
- 5
Each level gives Wapuu a distinct magical IONOS gadget that grows more powerful than the last, marking visible progress as the climb continues.
- 6
While climbing, the player collects power-ups such as shields and tornadoes that add dynamic moments to the run.
- 7
Levels are built from procedural blocks, so each ascent looks different and runs are short, built for repeated attempts.
- 8
The climb spans five levels, one per sphere, ending in the ionosphere where other Wapuu characters await.
- 9
After a run, the score is posted to a public top-100 leaderboard, letting the player see their ranking in an asynchronous competition with no accounts.
- 10
From the results screen, the player can share their score to challenge others to beat it.
