How to play Fatal Run online
- Accelerate / brake: up and down arrow keys (leave the stick centred to coast)
- Steer: left and right arrow keys
- Shoot: Space bar
- Power surge: hold Space while pressing the up arrow
- Start a new game: F12 (the consoleās Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0ā9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0ā9 loads it
Gameplay
It is the year 2089, and a comet collision has left Earth poisoned by radiation. You drive an armoured car from city to city with a vaccine for the survivors, and along the way you collect the pieces of a launch code for a satellite that can save the planet. There are 32 levels. Enemy cars, oil slicks and roadside obstacles wear down your engine, tyres and armour, and you also have to watch your fuel and ammunition.
Along the road, yellow diamonds repair your engine and armour, green dots refill your ammunition and blue dots add fuel. Destroying enemies and passing cars earns bonus points, which you spend in each city on repairs, better tyres and other upgrades. After every fourth run the game gives you a seven-character code, so you can come back later and continue from that point.
The NTSC prototype and the PAL release
The game began life under the working title āUltimate Drivingā. Atari had no ready-made 32K circuit board for the 2600, so the cartridge was produced on a modified 16K board. Atari released it only in Europe, and the reason it never came out in North America is not documented. Reviews of the PAL release were mixed: the password system and cut-scenes were praised, while the gameplay was called repetitive. In 2024 Atari announced a modern remake called Fatal Run 2089.
