''Space Duel'' is an

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

released in 1982 by

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

It is a direct descendant of the original ''

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

'', with asteroids replaced by colorful geometric shapes like cubes, diamonds, and spinning pinwheels. ''Space Duel'' is the first and only multiplayer

vector game A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...

by Atari. When ''

Asteroids Deluxe ''Asteroids Deluxe'' is a vector graphic multidirectional shooter released in arcades in April 1981 by Atari Inc. as the sequel to ''Asteroids''. It was followed by ''Space Duel'' in 1982 and ''Blasteroids'' in 1987. Key changes in ''Asteroids De ...

'' did not sell well, this game was taken off the shelf and released to moderate success.

Gameplay

The player has five buttons: two to rotate the ship left or right, one to shoot, one to activate the thruster, and one for force field. Shooting all objects on the screen completes a level. ''Space Duel'', ''Asteroids'', ''Asteroids Deluxe'', and ''

Gravitar ''Gravitar'' is a color vector graphics multidirectional shooter arcade video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1982. Using the same "rotate-and-thrust" controls as ''Asteroids'' and ''Space Duel'', the game was known for its high level of diffic ...

'' all use similar 5-button control system.

Legacy

''Space Duel'' is included within the ''

Atari Anthology ''Atari: 80 Classic Games in One!'', known as ''Atari Anthology'' on consoles, is a video game collection developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari Interactive. The title is a compilation of 80 video games previously published by Atari, I ...

'' for

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

, and

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

and the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

version of ''

Atari Anniversary Edition ''Atari Anniversary Edition'' is a video-game compilation of Atari arcade games. It was developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Infogrames. Features Atari Anniversary Edition features twelve Atari arcade games from over the years within an ...

''. A port of ''Space Duel'' was released on the

Atari Flashback 2 The Atari Flashback series are a line of dedicated video game consoles designed, produced, published and marketed by AtGames under license from Atari SA. The Flashback consoles are "plug-and-play" versions of the Atari 2600 console. They conta ...

, reproducing only the single-player mode. A ''Space Duel'' cabinet is featured on the cover for

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

's 1982 album ''

It's Hard ''It's Hard'' is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Who. Released on 4 September 1982, it was the last to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It was also the second and final Who studio album with drummer Kenney Jones ...

''. There is a poster for Space Duel hanging in the bedroom of Dustin Henderson in the TV show

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...

. David Plummer holds the official world record for this game with a maximum 623,720 points.

References

External links

*{{KLOV game, id=9647
''Space Duel''
at the Arcade History database
Owen Rubin's website
1982 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Atari arcade games Head-to-head arcade video games Multidirectional shooters Vector arcade video games Video games developed in the United States