Journey to the Planets
Journey to the Planets | |
---|---|
Publisher(s) |
JV Software Roklan Software |
Designer(s) | Jack Verson[1] |
Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit |
Release |
1982 JV 1983 Roklan |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Journey to the Planets is game for the for Atari 8-bit family. The player takes on the role of an interplanetary adventurer who has to solve various puzzles on the planets on which he lands. The game was originally released on disk and cassette in 1982 by JV Software. In 1983, Roklan Software published a cartridge version with some differences from the original.
Game overview
When starting the game, you find yourself on a strange planet where you can equip yourself with a weapon, refuel your energy, and blast off into space in a spaceship. From here you must pilot through space while avoiding comets and conserving energy until you come across a planet to explore. After skillfully landing on a planet you've discovered, you must fend off hostile aliens, solve puzzles, and recover various artifacts. Energy is consumed by your spaceship, your weapon, and upon dying. Your ultimate goal is to return to your home planet by exploring the universe and solving the various puzzles you're presented with.
Differences between versions
- Difficulty Setting: The cassette/disk version of the game allows you to change the landing difficulty from normal to hard. In the cartridge version, this is not available.
- Death Sequence: The cassette/disk version of the game displays concentric rectangles over the screen upon player death. In the cartridge version, the game displays horizontal lines over the screen instead.
- Take off/Landing: The cassette/disk version of the game displays miniaturized versions of the landscape and objects on a planet's surface as you approach the planet or are attempting to leave it. In the cartridge version, only a flat plane is displayed.
- Ending Music: The cassette/disk version of the game plays the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" during the end portion of the game. In the cartridge version, "Anchors Aweigh" continues to play, which is the song used throughout the game.
- Ending Difficulty: The cassette/disk version of the game makes completing the game much more difficult by forcing the player to solve a final, space-bound puzzle in order to enter the final planet's atmosphere. In the cartridge version, the player can enter the atmosphere of the final planet as normal.
- Ending Animation: The cassette/disk version of the game shows an end-game animation where a small, brown man carries a flag with the message "THE END" written upon it. In the cartridge version, the game ends with the text "Game Over" being displayed in the status bar.
References
- ↑ "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers". dadgum.com.
External links
- Journey to the Planets JV Software version at Atari Mania
- Journey to the Planets Roklan version at Atari Mania
- Journey to the Planets Walkthrough