How to play Cosmic Creeps online
- Launch the Orbinaut, or release the next Kid: up arrow
- Steer the Orbinaut: arrow keys (all four directions)
- Move the space station: left and right arrow keys
- Drop a bopper on the Creeps: Space bar
- Start the game: F12 (the consoleâs Reset switch); after that, Space starts a new game
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0â9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0â9 loads it
It is a one-player game, and according to the manual the difficulty switches have no effect.
Gameplay
The Voyage. The planet sits at the bottom of the screen and the space station at the top. In between, bars of red plasma sweep across the screen, and creatures called Space Skeeters travel through the gaps. You launch your Orbinaut straight up from the planet and then steer him through the gaps to the stationâs flashing white portals. If he touches plasma or a Skeeter, he spins away into space and you have to send another one.
The Rescue. Once the Orbinaut reaches the station, you control the station itself. A Cosmic Kid sets off from the lower left of the screen towards the upper right, with Creeps close behind. Kids move on their own; your job is to drop boppers that send the Creeps back down to the planet, without hitting the Kid by mistake. There can only be one Kid and two Creeps on screen at a time. If a Creep gets through to the upper right corner, the game is over.
The planet is the timer. Every new Orbinaut and every new Kid you release drops it one notch, and after 12 notches it disappears. If that happens before you reach 5,000 points, the game ends. Pass 5,000 and you move on to a new planet, with a faster voyage and rescue.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Creep bopped | 100 |
| Kid rescued | 1,500 |
Tips
- Time the launch. The Orbinaut flies straight out from the planet, so wait until the lane above him is clear before pressing up.
- Every notch counts. Losing an Orbinaut costs a notch, which leaves one fewer Kid to rescue. Go slowly in the Voyage.
- Rescues pay the most. One Kid is worth fifteen Creeps, so shoot only as much as you need to keep the Kid moving.
- Aim just behind the Kid. Creeps follow closely behind, so line the station up just behind the Kid, not on top of him.
History
Telesys, based in Fremont, California, released six Atari 2600 games, all in 1982, under the slogan âFun in gamesâ. Don Ruffcorn also programmed its eating game Fast Food. The company planned to grow into a full software house for home computers, but it went out of business during the video game crash of 1983, and its cartridges ended up in bargain bins. Reviews of Cosmic Creeps have always been mixed: Keita Iida of Atari Gaming Headquarters found it simple and not very demanding, though pleasant enough for casual players, while other reviewers have rated it more warmly. The game was later re-released in Brazil and Argentina on several local labels.
