Z-Tack
Developer(s)Onbase Co.
Publisher(s)Bomb
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player, two-player

Z-Tack is a shoot 'em up for the Atari 2600 from Asia-based developer Onbase Co. and published under its Bomb label in 1983.[1][2] The player controls an alien ship flying above a city with a goal of destroying bases nestled in the buildings. There are six different city-landscapes. The game received mixed reviews from critics and was described as an inverted version of Imagic's Atlantis.

Gameplay

The player is presented with an alien UFO-like spacecraft, which is tasked with destroying bases in a cityscape to advance to the next level. The player must avoid missiles, which include heat-seeking-type missiles, as well as flying skulls. There are six different cityscapes.[3] The game can be played in both single-player and two-player mode.[4] It is the reverse of the 1982 video game Atlantis, where a city must be defended.[4]

Reception

Contemporary reviews of Z-Tack were mixed. In 1983, TV Gamer magazine described it as "probably the second-best video game to come from this new company, BOMB, the best being Assault" and "Not a world-beating game but well worth having a look".[3] Videogaming Illustrated gave it good marks for gameplay (B,B+) but marked it down for lack-lustre graphics (C-,D).[5] German magazine TeleMatch gave it 3/6 overall, describing it as a "relatively inexpensive shooting game" but criticising its lack of originality.[6] The Australian magazine Score reviewed the game positively in their 1983 review, praising the "colourful" graphics and sound, though also noting that they were "simplistic".[7]

Writing in 2018 in The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 1, Kieran Hawken gave the game 7/10, praising particularly the graphics.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Hawken, Kieren (2018). The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 1. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1785386428. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "It's Bomb!". Videogaming Illustrated: 38. September 1983. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Z-Tack: New!" (PDF). TV Gamer: 40. Autumn 1983. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  4. 1 2 Weiss, Brett (2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. pp. 131–132. ISBN 978-0786487554. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Z-Tack". Videogaming Illustrated: 37–38. September 1983. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "Z-Tack Review". TeleMatch: 30–31. August–September 1983. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Against The Wall". Score. No. 1. 1983. p. 34. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
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