How to play Jawbreaker online
- Move the jaws: arrow keys
- Stop moving: hold the Space bar; let go and the jaws carry on in the same direction
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose a game variation (1–6): F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Difficulty: F4 toggles the Player 1 difficulty switch (F9 for Player 2)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
The screen is made of horizontal rows of candy separated by walls with sliding openings, which you have to time to slip from one row to the next. Touching one of the wandering smiling faces costs you a set of jaws. A vitamin pill appears three times per screen and briefly lets you eat the faces.
Each screen, called a frame, holds 135 candy bars worth 10 points each. Clearing them all earns 500 points and a quick tooth-brushing. Faces eaten while you are powered up are worth 200 points each. There are eight frames, and the faces get faster as you go. You start with three sets of jaws and earn one back after every second frame, up to three. The game ends when your last set is eaten.
Variations and switches
Odd-numbered games are for one player, even-numbered for two taking turns. Games 1–2 have fast faces, 3–4 medium and 5–6 slow. The manual says difficulty B is normal speed and A a slower speed for harder play.
Tips
- Use the stop button. Holding fire lets you wait safely next to a gap until it slides into place, instead of running past it.
- Save the vitamin for a crowd. It comes back three times per frame, so there is no need to rush for it when the faces are far away.
History
John Harris first wrote Jawbreaker for the Atari 8-bit computers, published by On-Line Systems (later Sierra On-Line) in 1981. Atari thought it was too close to Pac-Man; after licensing talks failed, Harris gave it a dental theme, and Atari’s attempt to get a court order against it did not succeed. The 2600 could not handle the computer version’s maze, so Harris built a new design around rows and sliding doors. Later computer versions were based on this 2600 design and sold as both Jawbreaker and Jawbreaker II, which still causes confusion.
Similar games to play next
- Pac-Man – Atari’s own 1982 conversion of the arcade maze game
- Ms. Pac-Man – a smoother and more faithful arcade conversion
- Lock ‘n’ Chase – a maze game with doors you can close behind you
- Mouse Trap – eat cheese in a maze full of cats and changing doors