Atari revives never-before-seen 1982 arcade game too hard for gamers

Atari is resurrecting Akka Arrh, an arcade game that was considered too hard until its release in 1982, a relatively complex and colorful wave shooter.

Atari is resurrecting Akka Arrh, a 1982 arcade game canceled because it was deemed too difficult by test audiences. For this remake of the wave-shooter-like game, the publisher has teamed up with developer Jeff Minter, whose psychedelic style seems perfect for what Atari describes as “hallucination at its best.”This remake will be available on PC, PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Atari VCS in early 2023.

Atari is resurrecting Akka Arrh, an arcade game that was considered too difficult until its release in 1982.

The original Akka Arrh machine used a trackball to target enemies, with the player controlling the Sentinel in the center of the screen to deal with the waves of attackers that keep coming. Around the Guardian is an octagonal field that you must guard. If an enemy gets in, you can zoom in to destroy it before returning to view to destroy the rest of the wave. Given the simplicity of most games in the early 1980s, it’s not surprising that this relative difficulty could score poorly in test groups.

Because Atari canceled the arcade version prior to its release, only three Akka Arrh machines exist today, at least as known. But the collaboration with Jeff Minter isn’t the game’s first public release: after the 2019 arcade ROM leak, Atari released the original this fall as part of its Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection.

Relatively complex and colorful wave shooter

Atari and Jeff Minter worked together in the 1990s, with his company Llamasoft making games like Tempest 2000 for the Atari Jaguar. Unfortunately, they parted ways in 2015 when Atari thwarted the release of the game’s spiritual successor, but in 2018 the two sides reunited with the release of Tempest 4000, a sequel that Jeff Minter was working on with Atari’s blessing.

Atari says this remake offers two game modes, 50 levels, and a save system so you don’t have to recommend everything when enemies eventually take down your Guardian. Additionally, the company explains that it offers accessibility settings to tone down colors for those who are sensitive to them.