How to play Malagai online
- Move through the maze: arrow keys
- Start a game: Space bar, then press an arrow key to begin the action
- Restart a game in progress: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose strategy level and number of players: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Time limit (A = 15 seconds, B = 10 seconds): F4 (the difficulty switch)
Gameplay
You are Harrington “Harry” Crag, commander of the starship Endless Search. After landing on a Malagai starbase for repairs, you are held for ransom: the Malagai want your civilisation’s secrets. You may roam the base, but not stay away from your compartment for long. Your ship waits beyond three airlocks, and each key is held by one Malagai.
Three figures above the maze show the order, from the first key on the left to the third on the right. Touch the correct Malagai, then race to the airlock before it catches you, because once caught a Malagai turns and gives chase. A time line at the bottom of the screen shows how long you have. If time runs short or you caught the wrong one, return to your compartment: the Malagai become friendly again and you get another chance. Open all three airlocks to move on to the next starbase. Escaping the third, blue starbase earns an extra crew member, and the game ends when all your crew have been caught. Two players take turns, swapping whenever one loses a crew member.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Catch a friendly Malagai | 100 |
| Bonus if it holds the right key | 50 |
| Open an airlock | 100 |
| Open the last airlock of a starbase | 150 |
| Open the last airlock of the blue starbase | 250 |
Strategy levels
- Level 1: the three Malagai differ in shape and colour, and the airlocks blink when you have caught the right one.
- Level 2: same shape, different colours.
- Level 3: for experts. Same shape and colour, and nothing blinks to help you.
Tips
- Herd them. Friendly Malagai run from you, so chase the key holder towards the airlocks to shorten your escape.
- Move the moment you touch. Your head start is tiny; hesitate and you are caught at once.
- Retreat early. When the time line is nearly gone, head home. Losing time costs far less than losing a crew member.
History
Answer Software has just three known 2600 titles: Malagai, Gauntlet and Confrontation, the last of which never reached the shops. The Malagai manual calls it the first of a series of cartridges “designed specifically for user programmability”, without explaining what that meant. So few copies were sold that AtariAge rates the cartridge extremely rare.
