How to play Elk Attack online
- Steer the yo-yo: arrow keys
- Fire button: Space bar
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
No instructions are known for this prototype, so try the arrow keys and the fire button to get a feel for how the string latches on.
Gameplay
It plays a bit like Pac-Man without a maze. Your yo-yo latches its string onto a block and pulls itself over to destroy it; clear every block to finish the screen. Worm-like creatures try to stop you. Power squares make the yo-yo briefly invincible and faster, but touching a worm then only gives points and does not destroy it.
Once the string has latched on, you cannot let go until you reach the block. Most lives are lost by grabbing a block on the far side and being dragged into a worm.
Tips
- Clear the blocks in a pattern. Working through them in order stops big empty gaps from opening up, and long pulls across empty space are the dangerous ones.
- Don’t hunt the worms. Power squares only give you points for touching worms, so it is better to use the time to clear blocks.
Why it was never released
The prototype is missing an important part of the arcade game: an enemy that cannot be destroyed or stunned and keeps chasing you around the screen. Without it, Elk Attack is quite easy: the enemies do get faster from level to level, but with so many power squares around, an average player can get through many levels without losing a life. Atari never picked the game up for release, and it was left in this state.
