Thread by @IndieGamerChick

Welcome to #IGCvAtari Homebrew Weekend!

The Legends Forum with @kitchengarry & @PitfallCreator will be at 6PM PDT and have its own thread, but I'm leading off the review/gameplay thread with..

CIRCUS CONVOY

You can purchase it here: adgm.us/portal/index.h…

Circus Convoy is, at heart, a caper adventure. The idea is to pillage a series of semi-trucks carrying a circus. There's TONS of items that you have to figure out, almost like an action-based point 'n clicker.

As soon as I start, the puppy is like "oh hey, toe!" and bit, and a deaf puppy can't hear you scream in agony.

Ugh.. love it.

Anyway, items are scattered everywhere. Some are just laying around. Some you have to solve a puzzle to unlock OR perform a simple task..

Like, for example, jumping on this giraffe enough times gets you a gun with 30 bullets.

It's figuring out how to use the items. Like here, I had to take bricks I got elsewhere and stack them here so I could jump to the next caravan.

Or, you can parachute to the next truck over. But it's a one-way trip.

This one took me a while to figure out: you have to drop the fuel into the little white checkerboard thing to get the semi to move closer to the next car, at which point you can jump. BUT, fuel is limited and it will return to its starting-distance after you jump.

The platforming and item-fetchery is seasoned with minigames, many of which are call-backs to classic Atari games.

Look familiar? And there's even more.

The pint of this is to collect the stars. There's 80. There's also online leaderboards you sign into using QR codes! NEAT!

Putting my reviewer cap on, Circus Convoy does control moderately well. As a game from Activision's alumni, it handles just as well as their best games did.

Of course, the actual level design can result in some frustrating moments. Like here, weaving around the snake is tricky.

The part I struggled with the most was the inventory and item usage. Getting stuff in the right spot can be annoying. Like I *WOULD* have figured out the fuel thing sooner. I was close to the right spot, but wasn't in the exact right spot so it didn't take and I wandered around.

Also, I got stuck on the QR code screen once and couldn't figure out how to get off it. Pressed the button. And pressed the button several times. And pressed every direction. And pressed every direction with the button. I ended up having to reset.

BUT, overall, I had a lot of fun playing Circus Convoy. In fact, I'm not even done yet. But I told Garry I wouldn't spoil deep into the game. I think showing the Pitfall minigame might have been stretching it :P

Circus Convoy is like an N64 Rare Ltd collect-a-thon for Atari.

Take my word for it: play it blind. Because "ta-da!" moments where you figure out what to do with a stack of bricks, with a hamburger, are awesome.

Every new item pick-up, awesome.

This a tremendous game. We'll be talking with its creators in about 70 minutes!

YES pile! NEXT!!

A lot of the best Atari 2600 homebrews are actually hacks of existing games that add features, levels, or improve the existing gameplay.

One that I kept hearing to check-out is Adventure Plus.

Check it out at @AtariAge!

atariage.com/store/index.ph…

Same game, new mazes, and improved visuals. Like, the dragons look like dragons, not ducks.

And hey, I immediately slew a dragon! I'm awesome!

And another! HOT DAMN, I'm like St. George, only dottier!

I've racked-up three dragon kills. Nice!

The bridge is easier to use too and harder to maroon and thus soft-lock yourself.

But I'm lost.

Welp, I'm lost.

WOot, found the key!

BOOM!

Found the chalice!!

BAM! Beat the maze!

Okay, so here's the deal: Adventure Plus is for fans of the original. I'm not a huge Adventure fan, so this isn't for me at all. For those of you that wish you could get even more content with the Atari original, this is for you.

NO pile for me.

How about one last game before we begin the legends forum?

Someone named Bluswimmer made Balloon Trip for the Atari! Yes, as in Balloon Fight!

Pick it up here: atariage.com/store/index.ph…

It's a Balloon Trip demake alright.

The physics are a lot stiffer-feeling and the gravity feels heavier too, but if you're a huge fan of Balloon Fight, a completist for it, you'll want to add this to your collection.

And yes, you can be eaten by the fish too.

It's an interesting concept and the fact that it works is really cool, but I'm just not a huge fan of Balloon Fight. So regretful NO pile.

Make sure to head over to the Legends Forum thread here:

https://twitter.com/IndieGamerChick/status/1395906536564695042

Keep the Q&A in that thread. More games still to come here!

Alright, let's play some more Atari!

Eric Ball's Skeleton+ is one of the more famous Homebrews for the 2600.

Like many of today's games, you can buy it at @AtariAge: atariage.com/store/index.ph…

It's a first-person 3D Maze, and it came recommended because I was such a fan of Tunnel Runner, the #1 ranked game of #IGCvAtari last year.

It's the same concept: survival horror for Atari.

The unique feature here is stereo sound to help know when the Skeletons are coming. There's 80, and you must kill them without being killed.

This actually came out when I was just thirteen years old. That's how thriving the Atari homebrew community is.

It is visually dark.

Like, can YOU see the skeleton here?

But, to the game's credit, it is genuinely spooky to hear the "DUN DUN" increase in volume as you get closer to the Skeletons.

And I somehow screwed up the thread.

Here. Can YOU see the skeleton? Shouldn't the skeleton be white? It's not like it maxed-out the colors.

That's the one weakness, because this is a genuinely spooky and scary game. Are you kidding me? The Atari actually does horror very well.

When the Skeleton is close, you attack, and it dies. When you kill 5, you move on to the next level.

After I got the hang of it, I was actively hunting the Skeletons instead of running away.

The #speedrunner community should check this out, as it's up their alley.

A solid premise well-executed. Skeleton+, a nearly twenty-year-old Atari 2600 Homebrew, is still a winner.

YES Pile. NEXT!!

Crazy Balloon, an Atari 2600 port of the Taito cult classic.

I'm sort of surprised that this game didn't really happen.

If you've never played Crazy Balloon, it's basically a dexterity tester. A balloon sways back and forth, and you must not let it touch the walls. It's that simple.

It's sort of a precursor to the Irritating Maze or the (almost) Japan-only Nintendo franchise Kururin.

This is a very impressive port. Manuel Rotschkar should be proud of it. It controls very smooth, which obviously a game like this absolutely needs to be perfect.