Fathom

How to play Fathom online

• Steer the dolphin or seagull: arrow keys
• Swim (as the dolphin): hold the Space bar; let go to stop
• Fly (as the seagull): tap the Space bar once per wing flap; stop tapping to glide
• Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
• Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it

Gameplay

The Titans have locked up Neptina, Neptune’s mermaid daughter, at the bottom of the sea, and scattered the pieces of his trident. Every game starts with Proteus as a dolphin. Under water you touch sea horses for points and keep clear of octopuses and strands of seaweed. Touch every sea horse in one section before you swim out of it and a starfish may appear. Touching the starfish gives you a piece of the trident, shown at the bottom of the screen.

To change form you need a symbol. Touch enough sea horses and a bird symbol appears; then leap out of the water and you become a seagull. In the air you touch pink clouds for points and avoid black birds. Clear all the clouds in one part of the sky and a star may appear, which also counts toward the trident. Touch enough clouds and a fish symbol lets you dive back in as the dolphin. Once all three pieces are yours, dive to the sea floor and Neptina’s prison dissolves.

There are no lives. Instead your points work as your energy: every obstacle you hit costs points, and so does the clock, which counts down except when the dolphin and seagull are on screen together. The game ends when your points reach zero, or when the sea horses stop appearing before you have earned a fish symbol. Each rescue moves you up a level, and your points on that level are multiplied by the level number and banked. The map also grows by one section of sky, land and sea in every direction.

Tips

• Finish each section before leaving. Stars and starfish only appear if you touch every sea horse or cloud without leaving that part of the map.
• Leave the grey clouds alone. Pink clouds turn grey after a while, and touching grey ones costs points.
• Use the dolphin as a pause. The clock stops while both the dolphin and the seagull are on screen, so plan your next move then.

The story behind Fathom

Fathom began with a picture: artist Michael Becker drew a dolphin leaping out of the water, and the game was designed around that image. Rob Fulop, who also made Demon Attack and Cosmic Ark, wanted it to feel more like a cartoon than a typical video game. The 2600 version came out in August 1983. Wikipedia lists later versions for the Intellivision, ColecoVision, TI-99/4A and MSX, while planned Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200 and VIC-20 versions were cancelled.

Reviewers at the time praised the graphics but split on the gameplay, which some found dull once mastered. Years later IGN’s Levi Buchanan called it “perhaps his greatest achievement on the 2600”. Free Neptina seven times for a special ending, and look out for an Easter egg in which the three developers’ initials can replace the rocks thrown out by a volcano.