Task: Play a New First Person Shooter on an Atari 8-Bit Computer
Needed: Web Browser, emulator, or real hardware with SD card device
Time: 10-15 mins
Introduction
Castle Wolfenstein (3D) and Doom were my first experiences with first person shooters (FPS). I also loved Rise of the Triad (ROT). I was blown away when I played these for the first time. These types of games were not available in the early 1980s on the 8-bit computers because the graphics requirements were beyond the limits of the hardware. For this reason, the game Final Assault generated some buzz when it was released in 2021 as a new homebrew FPS for the Atari 8-bit computers. There are some details about the game and developer credits on their web page. The basic plot is that you are an elite soldier sent in to battle rogue AIs.
Instructions
You can download the XEX file here. It will run on any 64K machine (e.g. 800XL).
You can boot this file with the Altirra emulator to play on your PC or load it on an SD card for play on original hardware using a device such as FujiNet or an Atarimax Maxflash cartridge.
Comments
I love the intro screen and music. Well done! The gameplay is very pixelated as you can imagine, but it works pretty well. There is no question I would have lost my shit over this game in 1983. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Here is an AtariAge thread about the game.
Here is a review of the game.