Duck Attack!

Duck Attack!
Developer(s)	Will Nicholes
Publisher(s)	AtariAge
Designer(s)	Will Nicholes
Platforms	Atari 2600
Release date(s)	2010
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

Duck Attack! is an action-adventure video game developed for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was created by Will Nicholes and released by AtariAge in July 2010 at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.

Plot

A mad scientist has created mutant, fire-breathing ducks that lay radioactive plutonium eggs. The player must collect the eggs to prevent the scientist from using them to build a doomsday device, while avoiding the ducks and other obstacles.

Gameplay

The player facing a duck and a tank

The player uses the joystick to control a robot that explores the scientist's lair, picking up eggs, weapons, and other useful objects. When two eggs are found and brought to the appropriate exit, the player advances to the next level.

The player starts with three lives (robots) and loses a life when eaten by a duck or hit by the ducks' fire or another deadly object. Additional lives and various power-ups can be earned by picking up colored balloons. The player can choose to play with all objects either in a predetermined location, or randomly distributed throughout the rooms in the game.

Design

File:DuckAttackTitleScreen.png

Duck Attack! title screen

Blue duck

Duck Attack! was originally conceived as a ROM hack of the Atari 2600 game Adventure, but was then rewritten as an original title. Like most Atari 2600 games, Duck Attack! uses 128 bytes of RAM to hold all game variables and program call stack. The game uses an unusual 3-line kernel technique to produce sprites that are larger and more detailed than those usually seen in Atari 2600 games.

Reception

French retrogaming magazine Pix'n Love offered a positive review in a July 2010 issue, complimenting the game's originality and depth.

In April 2011 1UP.com included Duck Attack! as one of "31 Homebrew Games Worth Playing", saying "It's like someone took Adventure and mixed it with Resident Evil 3. Only with more ducks."

The A.V. Club described the game as "an oddity: It's a wholly modern 2600 game that's actually fun and as awesomely weird as old 2600 games like Frankenstein's Monster."

See also

• Atari 2600 homebrew

External links

• Official Duck Attack! site: play online, download ROM
• Duck Attack! at AtariAge: announcement and development history
• Racketboy Podcast Interview with Will Nicholes