Task: Purchase and Play the New Circus Convoy Game for the Atari 2600
Needed: Web Browser, Atari 2600 Console or Emulator
Time: 30-60 mins
Introduction
The homebrew scene has been active for years developing new games for the Atari 2600. Many of these are really fun to play, and some are put on cartridges and sold through venues such as AtariAge with professional looking boxes and instruction manuals. Most homebrew game developers are people like myself who grew up the 2600 and have a passion for coding. What would happen if some of the developers from the early 1980s got back into game development for the 2600? This happened and resulted in Audacity Games started by David Crane and Gary Kitchen. David Crane’s programming work included Kaboom! and Pitfall! for Activision. Gary Kitchen’s programming work included Keystone Kapers and Pressure Cooker for Activision.
Crane and Kitchen collaborated recently to produce a new game for the 2600 called Circus Convoy (released in 2021). This is a beautiful game which is really fun to play. The premise is that a competing circus has sabotaged their gear and you, the circus strongman, must fix everything so the show can go on. The action takes place on a series of semi trucks rolling down the highway. The graphics are stunning and very reminiscent of Activision games as you can imagine. The game also includes QR codes for registering high scores.
The game can be a little frustrating at times given the number of puzzles which must be solved. However, this means that many hours of fun can be had. Definitely worth the purchase!
Instructions
Navigate to Audacity Games and purchase the game! The standard edition costs $60. A collector’s addition is available for $100. This one includes a digital version you can play on an emulator.
Comments
Here is a trailer on YouTube.
Here is an AtariAge thread on tips and spoilers if you need some help.
