In the video game craze of the early 80’s, there were numerous classics in the making, from Pong, the now beyond primitive progenitor of the technology, to SPACE INVADERS and Pac Man, early 80’s video arcades were a gold mine of cyber warfare and competition on a galactic level.
My own personal favorite game of the era was Sega/Gremlin’s ASTRO BLASTER, a unique variation on the SPACE INVADERS theme. ASTRO BLASTER featured one ship that was pitted against wave after wave of alien invaders, meteor showers, asteroid fields, as well as the ever present threat of overheated lasers (leaving the player defenseless), or running out of fuel, which would end the game even if you had extra ships remaining.
The game play is simple. You control a ship at the bottom of your screen, much like the more well know CALIGULA, fighting off several waves of alien attackers, navigating an asteroid field, and finally docking with a mother ship for refueling. The laser can overheat if fired too rapidly, and will not function again until it has time to cool down. You also have a “warp” button that reduces the speed of the alien attackers for a brief time. You are also operating against a fuel countdown that continues throughout the various encounters.
Ironically, the biggest adversary in the game was the fuel consumption. I routinely lost the game by running out of fuel far more often than destruction by an alien attacker.
I found ASTRO BLASTER to be a cut above the other invaders-from-space games on the market at the time, along with GORF (another seldom seen gem from the golden age of video games), with incredible graphics, unique sound effects, and levels of play that were truly difficult to master.
Unfortunately, the only place I came across this game was at the Outer Limits video arcade in my hometown of Thomasville, NC. I’ve never seen the game again since my last time playing it sometime back in 1984. There appears to be quite a bit of interest online when it comes to this vintage game, proving the adage “what’s old is new again”.
ASTRO BLASTER remains one of the forgotten gems of the early 80’s video game revolution, but remains one of this author’s fondest arcade memories.
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