Communist Mutants from Space
Encyclopedia
Communist Mutants from Space was a video game created in 1982
by Starpath
(formerly known as Arcadia) for the Atari 2600
home video game console and the Starpath Supercharger
cassette accessory.
Communist Mutants from Space is a typical 80s-era Space Invaders
-inspired space shoot-em-up. The player starts off with three reserve cannons. The object is to destroy the mutants aliens and, most importantly, the Mother Creature. The mutants hatch from moving eggs at the top of the screen. Because the Mother Creature replenishes eggs when they hatch or are destroyed, it must be defeated before the player can advance to the next wave. If a mutant or a bomb thrown by a mutant comes into contact with the cannon, the cannon will be destroyed and a reserve must be called up. A new cannon is awarded on every other wave.
The menu also allowed for multiple players (up to four) to be entered into the game. Players one and three shared the first joystick while players two and four shared the second.
, Steven H. Landrum, the project's programmer, hid an easter egg in the game in which holding fire and the power switch of the Atari 2600 would cause the "HI" on the high scores screen to change to "SHL."
1982 in video gaming
-Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....
by Starpath
Starpath
Starpath was a U.S. company known for creating the Starpath Supercharger in 1982. The company was founded in 1981 under the name Arcadia Corporation, but it changed its name to Starpath shortly after for trademark reasons...
(formerly known as Arcadia) for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
home video game console and the Starpath Supercharger
Starpath Supercharger
The Starpath Supercharger was an add-on module created by Starpath to expand the game capabilities of the Atari 2600 video game console. The device resembled a long game cartridge with a handle on one end. The Supercharger interface multiplied the Atari 2600's RAM 49-fold, from its meager built-in...
cassette accessory.
Story
Aliens from the communist planet of Rooskee are invading peaceful, democratic planets and turning their inhabitants into "Communist Mutants." The communist mutant armies are controlled by the Mother Creature, a strange alien who has gone mad due to irradiated vodka.Gameplay
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
-inspired space shoot-em-up. The player starts off with three reserve cannons. The object is to destroy the mutants aliens and, most importantly, the Mother Creature. The mutants hatch from moving eggs at the top of the screen. Because the Mother Creature replenishes eggs when they hatch or are destroyed, it must be defeated before the player can advance to the next wave. If a mutant or a bomb thrown by a mutant comes into contact with the cannon, the cannon will be destroyed and a reserve must be called up. A new cannon is awarded on every other wave.
Game menu
The menu allows a variety of gameplay changes; for example, the player may toggle the shield option on or off. If activated, "shield" mode allowed a player to press down on the joystick to become invincible for a short period (only one shield was allotted per level). Another feature was the "time warp," which allowed the player to press up on the joystick to temporarily slow down the passage of time for his opponents (i.e., they move slower than usual). Additionally, the type of shot fired could be changed by activating the "penetrating fire" option (which enhanced the beam fired so that it could withstand hitting two mutants rather than a single one) and/or the "guided fire" option (which caused the beam to be moved with the joystick rather than firing in a straight line).The menu also allowed for multiple players (up to four) to be entered into the game. Players one and three shared the first joystick while players two and four shared the second.
Easter egg
Communist Mutants from Space was released back in a time when programmers were very rarely allowed credit for their work. In the tradition of AdventureAdventure (Atari 2600)
Adventure is a video game for the Atari 2600 video game console and is considered the first action-adventure game. Its creator, Warren Robinett, also introduced the first widely-known Easter egg to the gaming world.-History and design:...
, Steven H. Landrum, the project's programmer, hid an easter egg in the game in which holding fire and the power switch of the Atari 2600 would cause the "HI" on the high scores screen to change to "SHL."
External links
- Communist Mutants from Space at AtariAgeAtariAgeAtari Age was a magazine distributed to Atari Club members from 1982 until 1984. It was published by The Atari Club Inc., a subsidiary of Atari, Inc.-History:...
- Communist Mutant from Space at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...