The platform game Mr Run and Jump will soon be available on all current platforms. However, the publisher surprises us by also bringing it to the Atari 2600!
Atari already has a well-supplied catalog of new cartridges, these being designed as much for the equipment of the time as for its very chic, but shunned, updated version: the VCS.
Already a collector’s item?
The Atari 2600 is a legendary console, having actively participated in the democratization of video game consoles in homes. She is also infamous for her role in the video game crash of 1983, which rocked the industry and bankrupted many companies. However, it is also on this occasion that a new era was able to emerge, with the installation of new major players in the West, such as the Japanese Nintendo accompanied by its NES.
Released in 1977 in the United States and in 1981 in France, the 2600 hosted major licenses such as Centipedes and Adventure. Today, these games are released on cartridge again, thanks to a favorable climate for retro consoles, and Mr Run and Jump fits perfectly into this approach. Well almost…
Indeed, it is not a classic of the 80s, but a title imagined, developed and published in our time for modern game consoles. Atari is thus offering a new game in physical format on the 2600, a first since 1990. The publisher pays strong homage here to its origins, perhaps more interesting than its next consoles announced at the start of the year.
Much fewer colors, but still full of levels
On current platforms, Mr Run and Jump offers gameplay and graphics firmly rooted in its time. Its porting on the 2600 therefore had to undergo some… lightening. Gone are the swarms of flamboyant colors and the frantic pace, make way for the era of 8-bit consoles and its aesthetics, to say the least austere. At least, from a current point of view and especially in comparison with the video games coming out this month.
This relief does not mean a sacrifice in terms of content. The game features six worlds, 80 levels, five enemy types, and a unique scoring system that reduces points when the player runs into baddies. Not bad, for a game designed for a console older than the author of this article.
The cartridge will be available for pre-order starting July 31 for the low price of $59.99. Contrary to what the music industry (sometimes) does when buying new vinyl, the acquisition of the game for Atari 2600 and VCS does not come with a code to download the version for current consoles . One game in 2600 is consumed like a good whiskey: slowly and without accompaniment.
Source : Engadget
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