''Assault'' is a 1983 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Bomb for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocess ...

. Controlling a spaceship fixated at the bottom of the screen, gameplay involves the player shooting projectiles towards an enemy mothership that deploys smaller ships to attack the player. The player must also prevent enough projectiles from touching the bottom of the screen. ''Assault'' was produced by Bomb, a video game developer based out of Asia. It received lukewarm reviews from critics upon release, many referring to it as a rip-off of games such as ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...

'' and '' Demon Attack'' and criticizing its graphics. Some reviewers did state that despite being unoriginal, was still fun to play, labeling it one of Bomb's better releases for the 2600.

Gameplay

The player is presented with an alien

mother ship A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bomber aircraft, bombers converted to carry e ...

, which continually deploys three smaller ships during play. The mother ship and the smaller vessels shoot at a weapon the player is in command of, and the player's aim is to eliminate the opposition while preventing the weapon from receiving enough fire to destroy it. The player uses a

joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

to operate the game, and only one player at a time can play.

Reception

On release the game was positively reviewed by TV Gamer magazine, which described it as "all in all, a very good game" and as the best ''Bomb'' game. ''Computer and Video Games'' magazine also gave the game a positive review, praising particularly the fact that the game allowed both shooting directly up the screen as well as to left and right. The German computing magazine TeleMatch gave this game 3/6 in its August/September 1983 edition, indicating a middling score. ''Videogaming Illustrated'' described it as "''Demon Attack'' revisited". Critical reaction to the game by non-contemporary reviewers been mixed. Keita Iida, marked the game as unoriginal, concluded that the gameplay is unimaginative, and described the graphics as "drab visuals". He also said that ''Assault'' is a rip-off of ''

''. However, Iida opined that the game is better than some other Bomb products. "Classic Video Game Reviews" gave the game a B+ grade, saying that it is a "little gem," noting that though he did feel it is a rip-off of '' Phoenix'' or '' Demon Attack'', it is fun and employs a good colour scheme. In ''Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide'' this game is described as "repetitious, though fairly entertaining".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assault (1983 Video Game) 1983 video games Atari 2600 games Atari 2600-only games Fixed shooters Video games developed in Japan Single-player video games