Super Circus AtariAge!

 

Programmed by Bob DeCrescenzo (PacManPlus) and now available on the AtariAge store, this 32k game is loads of fun!

Back in the late 70’s when I would hang out at my local arcade with my older brother, I remember seeing Circus by Exidy.   I really enjoyed the gameplay of bouncing clowns off of a teeter totter to pop balloons.   I would later buy Circus Atari for my 2600 and Clowns for my Astrocade.   Now here in 2017 we get Super Circus AtariAge!

This game features two modes of play:

  1. Classic Mode – Which looks similar to the old arcade game
  2. Super Mode – All new updated graphics with extra features!

The game has lots of nice options to choose from:

  1. Refill – you can choose to refill each row of balloons as they are cleared or wait to refill the screen after all the balloons have been popped.
  2. Difficulty – Three levels – Easy, Normal, Hard.   Easy level the clown stays bouncing at one speed, in Normal he starts to slowly increase speed and in Hard he gets moving rather quickly.
  3. Players – 1 player, 2 player alternating or 2 play simultaneous
  4. Controller – Joystick, Paddle or Driving Controller

This game also has enhanced sound via a Pokey chip!  However in order to get a cartridge with the Pokey chip, you would need to sacrifice a Ball Blazer or Commando cartridge.

Super Circus AtariAge is also loaded with power ups!  As you play the game power ups will drop from the balloons.  Some may eliminate a row of balloons while others will give you a safety net.   There is also another mode (by flipping the difficulty switch) to put blocker bars on the screen that move back and forth.   As you play the game you may also see other surprises appear, such as the Golden Chalice from Adventure, the AtariAge logo and so forth.

The graphics and colors are very vibrant with really nice detail on the clowns themselves.  The Pokey chip shines with really well done background music that plays during a gaming session.  The game comes packaged in a beautifully designed box with a full color manual.  I really like the box art, it invokes a sense of fun just by looking at it.

Pros:

  1. Great sound via the Pokey Chip
  2. Lots of game options
  3. Two game modes
  4. Controller options
  5. Graphical details
  6. Great packaging

Cons

  1. Have to sacrifice a original 7800 cartridge for a Pokey Chip

Overall the gameplay is quite fun, I found using the Paddle Controller is the best method to play.  The Joystick option only allows the teeter totter to go side to side at one speed.   The Driving Controller option works quite well, but you really have to get the controller dial spinning to play the game (can take up to 3 full turns of the controller to get the teeter totter to the opposite side of the screen).  Although the Driving Controller provides accuracy, the Paddles are the most responsive.   The only other wish I have for this game is to include one more difficulty mode (Teddy Bear) that cuts the clown speed in half for younger players (or myself :P)

For details on the game  and how to obtain one,  information can be found at the AtariAge Store.

https://atariage.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1102

Rating (5 out of 5 MiniCades)

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