''Towering Inferno'' is an
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 microprocessor- ...
game designed by Jeff Corsiglia and programmed by Paul Allen Newell and released by
US Games
U.S. Games Corporation was a video game company founded by Donald Yu, which originally produced handheld electronic sports games. It pivoted to focus exclusively on video game software in 1981, and was acquired by cereal company Quaker Oats in 19 ...
in 1982.
The player controls a fireman going through a burning skyscraper to save victims and put out the fires. The game was produced under a licence obtained from
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
by
Quaker Oats
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.
History Precursor miller companies
In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...
, the parent company of US Games, for the video game rights
to the movie of the same name.
Newell also programmed ''
Entombed'' for the 2600 and the
Vectrex
The Vectrex is a vector display-based home video game console–the only one ever designed and released for the home market, developed by Smith Engineering. It was first released for the North America market in November 1982 and then Europe and ...
port of ''
Scramble
Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Scramble'' (video game), a 1981 arcade game
Music Albums
* ''Scramble'' (album), an album by Atlanta-based band the Coathangers
* ''Scrambles'' (album)
...
''.
[
]
Gameplay
On each floor of the building, the player must put out the flames and reach the panel that opens the doors to get back out. While doing so, there is a meter at the top showing how many people are on that floor. The longer it takes a player to open the doors and get out, the more the meter decreases. The object is to work as fast as you can while avoiding and putting out flames to open the doors and escape with the most people remaining on the meter. The game can be played by one or two players.
Reception
''Towering Inferno'' was reviewed in ''Video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
'' magazine in its "Arcade Alley" column where it was described as "an above-average, enjoyable cartridge hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
is a refreshing change from shoot-shoot-shoot". Reviewers emphasized the non-violent nature of the game, noting that it "achieves a respectable level of excitement without having a shot fired in anger", however they also cautioned readers that the game "may be a little too patterned and repetitive for some".
Reviews
*''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 ...
''[https://archive.org/details/games-34-1982-december/page/n53/mode/2up]
See also
*''Fire Fighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish conflagration, hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisd ...
'', another Atari 2600 fire fighting game from 1982
References
{{reflist
External links
''Towering Inferno''
at Atari Mania
at AtariAge
1982 video games
Action video games
Atari 2600 games
Atari 2600-only games
North America-exclusive video games
Video games about firefighting
Video games based on films
Video games developed in the United States
Video games set in 1974
Video games set in San Francisco
U.S. Games games