How to play Bermuda Triangle online
- Steer the mini-sub: arrow keys
- Fire: Space bar
- Use the tractor beam: at the lowest point the sub can reach, keep pressing the down arrow
- Start a new game: F12 (the consoleās Reset switch), then Space
- Choose a game variation: F11 (the consoleās Select switch)
- Beginner or advanced: F4 toggles the left difficulty switch
- Second player: T/F/G/H to move, A to fire
Gameplay
Your research ship waits on the surface and the sunken city lies at the bottom of the screen. To pick up an artifact you dive as deep as the sub will go and then push further down: this switches on a tractor beam, shown as a column of light, and a deep tone plays. A quick series of beeps confirms the pickup; then you carry it back up. The research ship blinks twice when it receives the cargo, but you only get the points once it has crossed the screen safely.
Sharks, giant squid and saucer-shaped drones donāt sink you, but touching one freezes the sub for a moment and makes you drop whatever you are carrying. Mines are far more dangerous: one touch and the sub is destroyed. Leave the Bermuda bomb in the city alone, because it explodes if you try to pick it up, and keep away from the enemy ship on the surface, which steals cargo and destroys subs that come too close. You have three subs, and the game ends when all of them are lost.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Shark, giant squid or drone | 50 |
| Mine | 200 |
| Artifact delivered to the research ship | 600 |
| Cargo lost on the way up | ā100 |
You earn an extra sub every 10,000 points, up to a maximum of three at a time.
Variations and switches
There are four variations. Games 1 and 2 (one or two players) switch on the cityās laser defences once you reach 10,000 points: the city lights up in many colours and laser beams shoot up, sometimes hitting the ships on the surface, and you too if you are in the way. In games 3 and 4 the lasers are active from the start. Two players take turns. The left difficulty switch sets beginner (B) or advanced (A) play; the right one does nothing.
Tips
- Clear the way before you climb. Losing cargo on the way up costs points as well as the 600-point delivery, so shoot the creatures above you first.
- Shoot the mines. Touching one destroys your sub, and at 200 points they are worth four times as much as a shark or squid.
- Once the lasers are on, donāt wait under the surface ships. That is where the beams strike.
History
Data Age was a 2600 publisher based in Campbell, California. The Bermuda Triangle manual includes a page on the real legend, mentioning the five Navy bombers that vanished on a training flight from Fort Lauderdale in December 1945. In Europe the game was also sold under the Gameworld label. A fan-made hack of the game, Yellow Submarine, was later created by Kyle Pittman.
Donāt confuse this game with Bermuda, which is an unofficial relabelled copy of River Raid.
