Thrust for Atari 8-bit computers | Review
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Inspired by the classic arcade game «Gravitar» (Atari, 1982), «Thrust» (Firebird, 1986) invites you to embark on a space adventure where precision of movement and strategy are fundamental aspects to achieve victory.
Your goal is simple but not easy: as a resistance pilot, you embark on a mission to seizeKlystron Pods, vital power sources for captured star warships from the Intergalactic Empire. You must navigate a thruster-powered spaceship through narrow caverns on planets with varying gravitational forces, avoiding obstacles and enemy Limpet cannons.
Your ship not only moves, but also has the ability to shoot, as well as use a shield and a limited-range tractor beam. The latter allows you to collect the fuel essential to keep the engines running; and, most importantly, to escape with the target pod. However, the connection between the ship and the pod is made by a rigid bar, which adds an element of risk to your space journey.
It's important to use fuel efficiently, so planning your flight path and avoiding indiscriminate use of boosters is crucial. The shield can protect your ship from collisions, but it has limited use - so it's also best to reserve it for critical moments.
Each level has its own gravity, which can be stronger or weaker than Earth's. This forces the player to adapt their play style, as well as adjust the speed and angle of the ship to navigate accurately. This is where the most unique and complicated part of the game comes in: how to play it. Although there is also a joystick-adapted version, made by František "Fandal" Houra and Robert "Bob!k" Petruzela at the retro party Forever 2006, the original requires us to use the keyboard. The Z and X keys are used to move the ship left and right, respectively. However, the other actions are performed with the function keys: START to accelerate, SELECT to shoot, and OPTION to activate the tractor beam and defenses.
Given the limitations of the Atari hardware to produce high-resolution graphics, the developers opted for the usual approach: multi-coloured graphics for terrain and objects, instead of vector graphics. Unfortunately, your spaceship is still a white wireframe object - present in all other versions - albeit thicker. To top it off, half of the interactive objects stay the same colour throughout the game; while the other half change with each level. In short, it's an unfortunate visual mix.
As for the sound, Thrust for the Atari 8-bit offers minimalistic sound effects with no background soundtrack. Such effects include engine noise, gunshots, collisions and the activation of the tractor beam. To be honest, most of them are just noises, some more unpleasant than others. Also noticeable is the absence of sound effects when entering or leaving a level; even when picking up the capsule, the only event that is accompanied by a clear "ping."
The Atari 8-bit version features a similar tune to the original, but with a few variations. Oddly enough, the music doesn't play on the title screen, but rather a few seconds after the top score table is displayed, so impatient gamers might miss it entirely. It's a nice tune, but it lacks the punch of Rob Hubbard's SID piece for the Commodore 64 version.
On the other hand, it happens that -sometimes- your shots do not hit the planetary defense systems, despite clearly hitting their target... and vice versa! Not to mention frequently losing control of the ship.
Overall, the Atari 400/800 version is pretty basic compared to other versions of the game on other platforms. While it's still playable and fun, don't expect the most dazzling graphical experience. Thrust isn't as complex or endlessly addictive as the original Gravitar, but it does offer a different kind of challenge.
Despite all this, Thrust is one of the most important games ever released by Firebird, and holds a prominent place in the history of video games. Indeed, the gravity-based cave-flying genre took off on its own on home computers, particularly on Amiga and PC in the early 90s; but it was with this title that it all began.
Overall, the Atari 400/800 version is pretty basic compared to other versions of the game on other platforms. While it's still playable and fun, don't expect the most dazzling graphical experience. Thrust isn't as complex or endlessly addictive as the original Gravitar, but it does offer a different kind of challenge.
Despite all this, Thrust is one of the most important games ever released by Firebird, and holds a prominent place in the history of video games. Indeed, the gravity-based cave-flying genre took off on its own on home computers, particularly on Amiga and PC in the early 90s; but it was with this title that it all began.
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