Gravitar
1982 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Gravitar is a 1982 multidirectional shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. Using the same "rotate-and-thrust" controls as Asteroids and Space Duel, the game was known for its high level of difficulty.
Deep Dive
Gravitar is a 1982 multidirectional shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. Using the same "rotate-and-thrust" controls as Asteroids and Space Duel, the game was known for its high level of difficulty. It was the first of more than twenty games that Mike Hally designed and produced for Atari. The main programmer was Rich Adam, and the cabinet art was designed by Brad Chaboya. An Atari 2600 version programmed by Dan Hitchens was released in 1983.
Developer Story
Gravitar was developed by Atari in 1982. Players navigated a spacecraft with realistic physics through cave systems, rescuing humanoids and destroying reactors while managing both fuel and gravity from a central star. The game was notoriously difficult — the physics simulation was unforgiving and the cave walls were instant death. It was admired by programmers for its physics engine and by masochists for its difficulty.
Did You Know?
- Gravitar featured one of the most realistic gravity simulations in any arcade game — the pull from the central star was always present and had to be counteracted.
- The game was so difficult that Atari created a "Novice" version by adding more fuel — even the easy mode was considered hard.
- Cave walls were instant death — a single touch destroyed the ship regardless of speed.
- The reactor explosion sequence, after successfully destroying a base's reactor, gave a brief respite of satisfaction before the next challenge.
