How to play Circus Atari online
The game uses paddle controllers; the emulator switches to paddle mode automatically.
- Move the seesaw: left and right arrow keys
- Launch a clown / flip the seesaw: Space bar
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose a game variation: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Clown speed: F4 toggles the Player 1 difficulty switch
- Switch between paddle and joystick mode: Alt + L
Gameplay
Three rows of balloons drift across the top of the screen: red at the top, blue in the middle and white at the bottom. One clown sits on one end of the seesaw while the other bounces in from a trampoline. When the falling clown lands on the empty end, his partner is thrown into the air, and every balloon he touches pops. Your job is to keep the seesaw under the falling clown.
A clown who misses the seesaw, or lands on the end where his partner sits, crashes. You have five clowns; press the button to send in the next one. Pressing it while a clown is in the air flips the seesaw, swapping which end is free.
| Target | Points |
|---|---|
| White balloon (bottom row) | 2 |
| Blue balloon (middle row) | 5 |
| Red balloon (top row) | 10 |
| Clearing the bottom / middle / top row | 20 / 50 / 100 bonus |
| Each bounce off the trampoline or seesaw | 1 |
Clearing the whole red row also earns an extra clown, shown by an “X” in the top right corner. The score counter has only four digits, so it rolls back to 0000 after 9999.
Game variations and switches
There are eight variations. Games 1 to 6 are for one or two players; games 7 and 8 are two-player only.
- Games 1 and 2 – Breakout Circus: the clown bounces off balloons, and a popped row is replaced by a new one. Game 2 adds barriers below the balloons.
- Games 3 and 4 – Breakthru Circus: the clown ploughs through the balloons instead of rebounding. This is the easiest mode for beginners. Game 4 adds barriers.
- Games 5 and 6: rows do not come back until every balloon is gone. Then three new rows appear, with a 170-point bonus and an extra clown. Game 6 adds barriers.
- Games 7 and 8: two players share one wall of balloons and keep separate scores. Game 8 adds barriers.
On difficulty A the clowns bounce faster after hitting balloons or the seesaw. B is slower and easier to control.
Tips
- Catch clowns near the end of the seesaw. The manual says an edge landing gives the highest bounce, and higher balloons are worth more.
- Flip early. If a clown is heading for the occupied end, press the button while he is still high up.
- Clear the red row. It pays the biggest bonus and gives you an extra clown.
The story behind Circus Atari
The idea comes from Circus, a 1977 arcade game by Exidy designed by Edward Valeau and Howell Ivy. That game was itself a re-themed Breakout, and it was widely copied. AtariProtos notes it is unknown whether Atari ever licensed it from Exidy.
One clever detail is where the clowns come from. Many 2600 games show a row of short black lines at the side of the screen, a side effect of how the console positions moving objects. Players call it “the comb”. Lorenzen grouped these lines into blocks and made each new clown jump out of them.
