Secret Quest

Secret Quest is an action-adventure game developed by Axlon for the Atari 2600 and published by Atari Corporation in 1989. The player controls a humanoid character that fights monsters and gathers items on a series of space stations. It was one of the last games released for the console.

Secret Quest
Developer(s)Axlon
Publisher(s)Atari Corporation
Programmer(s)Steve DeFrisco[1]
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release1989
Genre(s)Action-adventure

Plot

The player controls a hero trying to stop several alien space station attacks. He is dressed in a space suit fighting aliens released from the space stations. He is trying to defuse a bomb set by the aliens, and detonate bombs in the space stations using codes.[2]

Development

The game was originally inspired by Nintendo's The Legend Of Zelda (1987) for the Nintendo Entertainment System,[3] with the final space-themed concept developed and programmed by Steve DeFrisco.[2] Chris DeFrisco was hired to complete the artwork. A save-game mechanic was incorporated due to the design concept of having many locations in an adventure-style format. The development team faced data-size issues when trying to fit the game onto the cartridge ROM.[4]

According to Vintage Games, the game was created as a final attempt to prove the 1977 console could compete with more modern hardware.[5] The cartridge is expanded with 256 bytes of RAM and 16 kilobytes of ROM.

Reception

NexGam believed the graphics were simple yet respectable.[6] The A.V. Club thought the title was surprising and abstract in the wake of the Atari 2600's final days.[7] Classic Home Video Games called the game ambitious, almost to a fault.[8] Classic Videogame Hardware Genius Guide described it as a "final swan-song" and a way of squeezing the last money out of the console.[9]

Legacy

Secret Quest included in the Atari FlashBack 2 and subsequent consoles in the series with the exception of the FlashBack 4. It was not re-released in other Atari compilations.

References
  1. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. Weiss, Brett (April 4, 2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. p. 103. ISBN 9780786487554.
  3. [http://www.gooddealgames.com/interviews/int_Steve_DeFrisco.html Good Deal Games interview with Steve DeFrisco
  4. "Atari Compendium". www.ataricompendium.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  5. Loguidice, Bill; Barton, Matt (August 21, 2012). Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time. CRC Press. ISBN 9781136137587.
  6. www.neXGam.de. "Secret Quest". www.nexgam.de (in German). Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  7. Wanserski, Nick. "The last licks: 14 surprising games from a console's dying days". The A.V. Club Games. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  8. Weiss, Brett (April 4, 2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. ISBN 9780786487554.
  9. Publishing, Imagine. Classic Videogame Hardware Genius Guide. Imagine Publishing. ISBN 9781908222220.
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