''Rainbow Walker'' is an

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...

Atari 8-bit computers The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bit MOS Technology 650 ...

and published by Synapse Software in 1983. A

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

port followed. The player hops along a rainbow, changing monochromatic squares to color, while avoiding dangerous creatures and gaps in the surface. Coloring the entire rainbow ends the level. There are bonus rounds between levels. The Atari version was part of a "Double Play" promotion, where some Synapse games had a second, complete game on the other side of the diskette. The Double Play re-release of ''Rainbow Walker'' includes the game ''Countdown'' by Ken Rose. Coleman also wrote another game published by Synapse in 1983, '' The Pharaoh's Curse''.

Gameplay

The player controls a small creature named Cedrick who hops on a flat rainbow curving into the screen, giving a

pseudo 3D 2.5D (basic pronunciation two-and-a-half dimensional) perspective refers to gameplay or movement in a video game or virtual reality environment that is restricted to a Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional (2D) plane with little to no access to ...

quality to the game. The rainbow consists of 8 arcs, each of which contains 16 squares. Hopping along an arc scrolls the rainbow and eventually wraps around to the starting square. Each level omits some parts of this grid to make it more challenging. At the start of each round the squares are gray, and moving onto them adds color. The goal is to color the entire rainbow. Falling off the rainbow costs one life. Holding the button while moving jumps over a square. Other creatures attempt to change the squares back to gray or to knock Cedrick off the rainbow. A shooting star moves along an arc then drops Cedrick off, possibly in a location without a square. A demon bird carries Cedrick into the clouds and undoes all of the coloring in the level. Fragile squares break if Cedrick stands on them for too long. One offensive opportunity is that if Cedrick steps on a fragile square, then it stops creatures moving for a few seconds during which time they can be stomped on and eliminated. The freeze effect is cancelled if the rainbow scrolls. There are twenty levels in all, with

bonus stage A bonus stage (also known as a bonus level, bonus round, or special stage) is a special video game Level (video games), level that awards the player a rapid windfall of benefits such as points, items, or money. The first bonus stage in video game ...

s between them, and then the game ends. After reaching level five, it is possible to start a new game at that level, though only in the current play session. In the bonus round, the player must stay on a short chain of squares which moves in four directions. Points are awarded for how long the player lasts without falling.

Reception

In a 1984 ''

Antic Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller (ANTIC) is an LSI ASIC dedicated to generating 2D computer graphics to be shown on a television screen or computer display. Under the direction of Jay Miner, the chip was designed in 1977–1978 b ...

'' review, Andrew Bell wrote, "''Rainbow Walker'', Synapse Software's latest arcade-style game, joins the company's previous games as one of the most imaginative, graphically stimulating and playable games on the market." Tracie Forman of ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

'' called ''Rainbow Walker'' "especially ear-pleasing” and concluded, "a pleasant game that has a way of growing on the player." In a review for ''

InfoWorld ''InfoWorld'' (''IW'') is an American information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a Web-only publication. Its parent company is International Data Group, and its sister pu ...

'', Scott Mace wrote, "as I played, I grew more and more infatuated with the game. Then it became an obsession. Finally, it had my respect". ''

SoftSide ''SoftSide'' is a defunct computer magazine, begun in October 1978 by Roger Robitaille and published by SoftSide Publications of Milford, New Hampshire. History Dedicated to personal computer programming, ''SoftSide'' was a unique publication wi ...

'' called it "an artistic masterpiece and a lot of fun to play." In 2014, ''

Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering Retrogaming, retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' ...

'' included ''Rainbow Walker'' on a list of the top ten Atari 8-bit computer games.

References

1983 video games Action games Atari 8-bit computer games Commodore 64 games Synapse Software games Video games developed in the United States Single-player video games

External links

* *{{MobyGames, id=/rainbow-walker