[7] High Voltage Software's goal in creating the engine was to make The Conduit a competitive experience visually comparable to games on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

A shadow government organization called the Trust sends newly inducted agent Michael Ford into the area initially to disrupt a terrorist threat, but he quickly becomes embroiled in the fight to stop the invasion and save the capital from destruction.

A high definition port titled The Conduit HD for Android was released, initially for devices with Nvidia Tegra chipsets, on March 14, 2013.

[7] The Conduit offers user customizable control features, such as the ability to alter the size of the bounding box, the speed at which the player can move the camera, and cursor sensitivity.

The developer also included the option for the player to change the control layout, so that any gameplay function can be mapped to any button or motion on the Wii Remote.

A unique feature of the game is a device known as the "All-Seeing Eye", or ASE, which is recovered by the player early on and used to solve various puzzles.

[18] The ASE can detect hidden traps and enemies scattered throughout a level, and reveal secret features in the environment that can help the player to progress, such as uncovering invisible doors and platforms and other interactive objects.

[22] In addition, as the player explores the game more subtle clues in the environment, such as a precisely placed object in a certain historical location, can be discovered which are meant to provoke questions about elements of the story.

[30] Voice chat for the online multiplayer is included through implementation of the Wii Speak peripheral, and is available only between players who have exchanged friend codes and are on the same team.

A mysterious flu-like disease known as "the Bug" has swept across the region through local water sources, resulting in high-security locations being left understaffed as government workers are afflicted.

Prometheus (voiced by Kevin Sorbo)[32] is introduced as the terrorist leader, but becomes the sole supporting character and assists Ford's efforts against the Drudge.

[10][18] Agent Michael Ford regains consciousness in a collapsed Washington Metro tunnel, some time after the invasion of the alien Drudge.

The story then flashes back to five days earlier, before the invasion, as Ford is contacted by John Adams, leader of the mysterious Trust organization.

Emerging from the bunker near the now combat-damaged Jefferson Memorial, Ford eliminates a Drudge force and is airlifted to safety by Prometheus' helicopter.

After fighting his way through the last of the Drudge, Ford enters a Conduit to escape the self-destructing Trust headquarters, determined to find and kill Adams.

[35] The Wii MotionPlus attachment, revealed by Nintendo during Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, was originally intended to be compatible with The Conduit,[36] but the developer later decided against incorporating it due to unresolvable technical issues and the lack of features in the game that could take advantage of the accessory.

The developer drew inspiration for the story from the books The Sirius Mystery by Robert Temple and Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken, as well as the films Cloverfield and They Live, among other works.

[19][25] Following E3, High Voltage Software updated the Quantum3 engine with several new features, including a depth of field effect, heat distortion, and specularity.

[40] Composer Diego Stocco was chosen by Audio/Video Director Michael Metz to provide the musical score for The Conduit,[5] with guitarist Rick Nielsen also being hired after expressing an interest in the game.

High Voltage Software obtained permission to use recordings from the Wilco album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot taken from the Conet Project on these different stations.

Nofsinger continued, "I think people are going to feel like they got their money's worth [with The Conduit], but we've got a big ol' universe of stories that we want to tell.

[47] The contest ended with three winners being chosen; the results were announced by Lead Designer Rob Nicholls in a video overview of the game released on January 15, 2009.

[40] In May 2009, a video mashup contest for The Conduit sponsored by the creator of the software program ACIDPlanet and in association with the game's developer was announced.

However, since the game disc and manual is the same in both releases, the codes are not unique, and thus purchasing the Special Limited Edition is not necessary to unlock the bonus in-game content.

[50] Set three weeks after the events of the game's single-player campaign, Orange Lights chronicles the efforts of conspiracy radio host Gordon Welles to disseminate incomplete, raw footage of Michael Ford's actions, captured by news reporter Heather Hampton, to the public.

[51][52] Nintendo Power praised the game as proof that first-person shooters work well with the Wii console, and further complimented the customization allowed by the control system, calling the experience "seamless".

"[61] Official Nintendo Magazine criticized some campaign levels as repetitive and "a chore", and asserted that "the Drudge aliens are aptly named."

The multiplayer mode was called a welcome addition to the Wii's online shooter lineup, however, and the reviewer noted that the plot was "a lot of fun" due in part to cut scenes that helped tie events in the game together.

The reviewer noted that the game was "very much a straightforward, linear FPS focused on simple run-and-gun gameplay" but that "the gunplay in High Voltage's project is no less intense or enjoyable" as a result.

The voice work for the campaign mode was praised as "stellar", but the reviewer described the overall storyline as "a shell of rather vanilla conspiratorial intrigue."