''Fireball'' is a ''Breakout'' clone video game developed by Arcadia (whose name changed to "Starpath" during development) for the Atari 2600. The game was released on

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

and required the

Starpath Supercharger The Starpath Supercharger (originally called the Arcadia Supercharger) is an expansion peripheral cartridge created by Starpath, for playing cassette-based proprietary games on the Atari 2600 video game console. The device consists of a long car ...

add-on to play.

Gameplay

The game is similar to breakout in that the player uses a ball (a fireball, hence the name) to break-up walls made of bricks by hitting the bricks with the ball, with the shape of the walls changing as the player progresses. The game differs from breakout, however, in that rather than just being a bat, the player controls an animated juggler who can catch and throw the ball at the bricks. The game also differs from the traditional ''Breakout'' format in that six fireballs may be kept in the air at any one time, and the brick that are to be destroyed in each level are arranged in varying shapes/patterns. Five different modes of play are provided, including "Firetrap", "Knock-a-block", "Marching Blocks", "Migrating Blocks", and "Cascade", and as many as six balls may be on-screen at any given time. The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where each player takes turns.

Reception

The contemporary reception to the game was broadly positive. The British ''TV Gamer'' magazine described it as "very similar to other ''Breakout'' games" though they also noted that the game was "challenging and entertaining". The German ''TeleMatch'' magazine gave it a positive review, praising its gameplay and graphics, and criticising only its "monotone" sound. ''Vidiot'' magazine described it as "the best variation on the ''Breakout'' theme yet". The 1984 ''Software Encyclopedia'' was broadly positive about the game, giving it 7/10. Later reviewers have been more positive about ''Fireball''. In ''Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide'', Brett Weiss described in in-game action as "fun, hectic, and more than a little challenging". Writing for ''Atari HQ'', Iida Keita also gave the game a positive review, describing the game as "very derivative and familiar to most classic videogame enthusiasts" whilst also saying that "the design does provide for some challenging and exciting play".

Reviews

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Games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fireball 1983 video games Atari 2600 games Atari 2600-only games Breakout clones Video games developed in the United States