Pushing The Limits: Solaris
If you thought Star Raiders on the 2600 was impressive, then you’ll be blown away by its spiritual successor
Discover why this incredible Atari 2600 game made you question what system it was running on
When Atari announced it had cancelled the release of its games based on The Last Starfighter movie, due to the sci-fi movie bombing in the box office, fans of the cult film were all in mourning. Thankfully, with the games complete, Atari chose to resurrect them with a new name to save paying out on royalties associated with the licence. While the Atari
8-bit version became Star Raiders II, the Atari 2600 iteration turned into the wonderful Solaris, which is widely regarded as the console’s most technically impressive commercial release.
The game was programmed by Doug Neubauer whose previous achievements has included the development of the Atari 8-bit computer’s POKEY sound chip and he had both designed and programmed Star Raiders for the same machine, too. With this impressive resume it’s easy to understand just how accomplished Solaris is. Doug managed to create a huge universe, which is all linked together via a series of star maps. This includes planet sections, open space, black holes and even enemy strongholds that must be infiltrated. Each galaxy within the universe contains a home planet that you must protect at all costs. Not just because you are trying to save the people who live there from an impending attack, but also because these worlds are used for refuelling your vessel.
The alien forces you encounter along the way vary greatly – from small bird-like creatures reminiscent of the enemies from Namco’s Galaxian arcade game to huge motherships that send out small drone ships to take you down. In a nod to another classic arcade game, Williams Electronics’ Defender, you are also tasked with saving people from the planets you visit, too. When you finally get to attack one of the many alien bases you also need to watch out for the force fields. The only way to destroy these is by collecting a key that allows you entry to the final section where you can blow it to smithereens.
The real feature of Solaris that will make your jaw drop is the visuals. You would have never thought it was possible for the 2600 to display high-res graphics in so many colours. It will come as no surprise to learn that the graphics engine was later reused in two more games – After Burner clone Radar Lock and Super Football.