Duck Attack!
Encyclopedia
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.
has created mutant, fire-breathing duck
s 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.
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.
of the Atari 2600 game Adventure
, but was then rewritten from scratch 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 sprite
s that are larger and more detailed than those usually seen in Atari 2600 games.
magazine Pix'n Love offered a positive review in a July 2010 issue, complimenting the game's originality and depth.
The Video Game Critic
gave the game a "C" rating and a mixed review, calling the game "a really weird homage to Adventure." The Video Game Critic praised the game's depth, "sense of discovery" and support for the AtariVox peripheral, but criticized the game's "confusing" mazes and "arbitrary rules."
Blistered Thumbs reviewer Justin Carmical ranked Duck Attack! number 4 in the December 2010 roundup "Top 5 New Games for Old Consoles", saying that "the graphics are pretty smooth, and it looks like a pseudo-clone of Adventure, but don't let that fool you. The gameplay is quick, and that darn duck just follows you everywhere."
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."
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
developed for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
video game console. It was created by Will Nicholes and released by AtariAge
AtariAge
Atari Age was a magazine distributed to Atari Club members from 1982 until 1984. It was published by The Atari Club Inc., a subsidiary of Atari, Inc.-History:...
in July 2010 at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
Plot
A mad scientistMad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
has created mutant, fire-breathing duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s that lay radioactive plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
eggs. The player must collect the eggs to prevent the scientist from using them to build a doomsday device
Doomsday device
A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon, or collection of weapons — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly the Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth...
, while avoiding the ducks and other obstacles.
Gameplay
The player uses the joystickJoystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
to control a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
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
Duck Attack! was originally conceived as a ROM hackROM hacking
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a video game ROM image to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to breathe new life into a cherished old game, as a creative outlet, or to make essentially new...
of the Atari 2600 game Adventure
Adventure (Atari 2600)
Adventure is a video game for the Atari 2600 video game console and is considered the first action-adventure game. Its creator, Warren Robinett, also introduced the first widely-known Easter egg to the gaming world.-History and design:...
, but was then rewritten from scratch as an original title. Like most Atari 2600 games, Duck Attack! uses 128 bytes of RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
to hold all game variables and program call stack
Call stack
In computer science, a call stack is a stack data structure that stores information about the active subroutines of a computer program. This kind of stack is also known as an execution stack, control stack, run-time stack, or machine stack, and is often shortened to just "the stack"...
. The game uses an unusual 3-line kernel
Kernel (computing)
In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources...
technique to produce sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s that are larger and more detailed than those usually seen in Atari 2600 games.
Reception
French retrogamingRetrogaming
Retrogaming, also known as old-school gaming, is the hobby of playing and collecting older computer, video, and arcade games. These games are played either on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations...
magazine Pix'n Love offered a positive review in a July 2010 issue, complimenting the game's originality and depth.
The Video Game Critic
The Video Game Critic
The Video Game Critic is a website focused on video-game reviews and run by David Mrozek. It was established in 1999, and is known for featuring comprehensive reviews on many early gaming platforms.-History:...
gave the game a "C" rating and a mixed review, calling the game "a really weird homage to Adventure." The Video Game Critic praised the game's depth, "sense of discovery" and support for the AtariVox peripheral, but criticized the game's "confusing" mazes and "arbitrary rules."
Blistered Thumbs reviewer Justin Carmical ranked Duck Attack! number 4 in the December 2010 roundup "Top 5 New Games for Old Consoles", saying that "the graphics are pretty smooth, and it looks like a pseudo-clone of Adventure, but don't let that fool you. The gameplay is quick, and that darn duck just follows you everywhere."
In April 2011 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
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."
External links
- Official Duck Attack! site: play online, download ROM
- Duck Attack! at AtariAgeAtariAgeAtari Age was a magazine distributed to Atari Club members from 1982 until 1984. It was published by The Atari Club Inc., a subsidiary of Atari, Inc.-History:...
: announcement and development history - Racketboy Podcast Interview with Will Nicholes