• Tag Archives Lucasfilm
  • Rescue on Fractalus (Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari 8-bit)

    Rescue on Fractalus (Commodore 64, Atari, Apple)


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    Though it may not be as true today, in the 1980s you could almost always count on a Lucasfilm game (or Epyx game for that matter) to be of high quality. Rescue on Fractalus is no exception. It was initially developed for the Atari 8-bit line of computers (and the Atari 5200 which is essentially the same thing internally anyway) and later ported to other popular computers such as the Commodore 64, Apple II and even the Tandy Color Computer 3 (a rare high profile 3rd party title for that system). It was developed by Lucasfilm Games and distributed by Epyx, Activision or Atari depending on the version and location it was released.

     
    Commodore 64

    In Rescue on Fractalus, you pilot a spaceship through mountainous terrain looking for downed pilots to rescue. Once found, you must land close enough so that the downed pilot can make it to your ship before dying in the acidic atmosphere. To make matters more difficult, aliens take pot shots at you during you search. In addition, they will sometimes impersonate downed pilots in an attempt to get aboard your ship. One unique aspect of this game is that the terrain is generated using fractals (hence the name).


    Atari 8-bit

    This is definitely a challenging game but one that is well worth playing. Both the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 versions are good and are easy enough to find for emulation purposes if you can’t track down an original (or don’t have the equipment). This game would make for a great modern remake but alas there have been none. The most “modern” versions are a slightly expanded Atari XE/XEGS version with more levels and an unfinished Atari 7800 prototype that was discovered in 2004.

    A strategy guide and a little bit more info about the game can be found here: http://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2017/03/15/rescue-on-fractulus-atari-xe-strategy/





  • Rescue on Fractalus! (Atari XE) – Strategy

    Strategy guide for Rescue on Fractalus! for Atari XE based systems (Atari 130XE, Atari 65XE and Atari XEGS) from the October 1989 issue of Atarian.

    atarian_issue3_22

    Source: Atarian – Issue Number 3 – September October 1989

    This is a strategy guide for Rescue on Fractalus for Atari XE based systems, including the Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE and Atari XEGS from the October 1989 issue of Atarian.

    The first thing you may notice is that they spelled the name of the game wrong. It is supposed to be “Fractalus” not “Fractulus”. It is spelled fine in the body of the article, just not in the title. This does not bode well for the rest of it…

    But actually, the rest of it does give a good overview of the game. I remember trying to figure this game out on my Commodore 64 without instructions and I never could. While it doesn’t tell you what buttons to press, this article does tell you what actions you need to take and gives you a couple of strategies to be reasonably successful at it.

    There are a number of interesting things about this game. It was first released in 1984 for a number of systems, including the Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Tandy Color Computer 3, and others. At first this would seem like a pretty late guide for the game but the Atari XE version was an enhanced version that came out in 1987 on cartridge that was specific to only Atari XE based computers and the XEGS video game system. It had thirty levels to choose from instead of the sixteen of the original release. Even at that, this was a pretty late guide.

    The graphics were generated using fractals, hence the name of the game. An Atari 7800 version was under development but never released that would have used the more advanced capabilities of that system for smoother game play. An unreleased prototype was discovered in 2004.

    Finally, George Lucas had some personal input into this game, suggesting that some of the pilots to be rescued should really be the enemy in disguise. This actually added a pretty significant element and a scare factor to the game.