Edison Carter is an investigative reporter for Network 23 seeking to free his alter ego Max Headroom, a cybernetic construct of his mind that was stored after Edison was involved in a motorcycle accident and the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a "Max Headroom" sign going into a tunnel. Max lives in computers and can appear on any screen, television or any electronic device.

In the game, Max has been abducted by Network 23 and you must retrieve him from somewhere in the 11 top floors of their high-rise building starting at the 200th floor. Security systems protect each floor and you have to find and enter the correct codes to gain access from the elevators.