| Fort Apocalypse | |
|---|---|
Fort Apocalypse cover art (U.K. edition, distributed by U.S. Gold) |
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| Developer(s) | Steve Hales, Joe Vierra |
| Publisher(s) | Synapse Software |
| Designer(s) | Steve Hales |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | action |
| Mode(s) | single player |
| Media/distribution | floppy disk, cartridge |
| System requirements
computer, disk drive |
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Fort Apocalypse is a 1982 computer game for the Atari 8-bit series created by Steve Hales and distributed by Synapse Software. Joe Vierra wrote the Commodore 64 version the same year. Combining features of the arcade game hit Scramble & Super Cobra with the Apple II game Choplifter, Fort Apocalypse is a 2-D side-scroller that requires the player to navigate an underground Kralthan prison in their Rocket Copter, destroying or avoiding enemies while rescuing the prisoners.
Like Scramble & Super Cobra, Fort Apocalypse is played within a side-scrolling "cave", and the player's helicopter will be destroyed if it touches the walls. Unlike Scramble & Super Cobra, in Fort Apocalypse the player is free to move in any direction they want, and are not dragged along as the map scrolls, beyond player control. The map is divided into sections by walls that can be broken open by firing on them. Other sections of the map include moving walls and other traps.
As in Scramble & Super Cobra the player has two weapons, a gun and bombs, but only one button on the joystick. Fort Apocalypse solves this problem by having a brief time when the helicopter is turning around where it faces directly forward, at which point the button drops bombs (similar to the interface in the classic Choplifter). Enemies are similar to scramble, but add a number of twists. Missiles will track the player's movements for a short time before running out of fuel and dropping back to earth, and the map is populated by a number of enemy helicopters similar to the player's own.