ROMiniscing: Adventure (Atari 2600)
Superior [ Epic ] Legendary
Naturally, Atari games set the standards for every style of video game we’ve come to love. Pitfall! is many people’s first Platformer and River Raid their first console shmup, but even these icons can’t claim as many “firsts” in gaming as the subject of today’s ROMiniscing: Adventure.
Adventure is an incredibly simple game: get the chalice back to the gold castle. Depending on your game mode, this could entail killing between 1 and 3 dragons, dealing with a thieving bat, navigating a light-restricted catacomb (much like what you’d see in today’s games), and\or unlocking and exploring other castles. During the course of this adventure, you’ll use a sword, a movable bridge, and a magnet that can pull items through walls. Already for a 1979 Atari game, this is a lot, but to then randomize item placement on game mode three and make all of this run simultaneously is quite a feat for the time. Obviously, “for the time” is the operative phrase, because even by the NES era, this game was severely dated.
So why play it? History! Adventure was the first action-adventure game, the first to have a “continue” feature (albeit rudimentary), the first to break away from Atari’s policy of no developer credit via the first in-game Easter egg, the first console questing game, and the originator of a handful of standards of action, adventure, and role playing games including dimly-lit mazes, castle dungeons, keys, dragon slaying, and weapons. If you’re still not convinced, play through mode 2 or 3 until the bat swipes your sword and gives you a live dragon instead. If I see that fucking bat one mor- run run run! You’re about to get chomped by Grundle!
Pure, simple, unadulterated fun – that’s what this game’s about. It’s no surprise that this designer went on to found The Learning Company, creator of Reader Rabbit and Oregon Trail. The total play time can be measured in minutes, and Atari could care less about you emulating something from 1979, so why haven’t you played Adventure yet?
Expecting some linkage here?
A link to my SIXAXIS post for a game that uses 1 button and directional keys? A walkthrough of a 15-minute game? Screenshots of pixel-block Atari graphics? You have to be kidding me. Just go play it already!
Tags: company-atari, emulation, erdtirdmans, platform-atari, reviews-buy, ROMiniscing-epic, single player