Darkish Chambers was launched in 1989, extraordinarily near the top of the 2600’s lifespan. Hah! Besides, not it wasn’t, as a result of Darkish Chambers is definitely only a rework of Dandy, a recreation initially launched in 1986 on early house computer systems. However wait, it will get stranger.

Going again to the start, Dandy was developed by John Howard Palevich. It’s a dungeon crawler impressed by Dungeons & Dragons. The truth is, the title is predicated on the abbreviation D&D. Dandy performs like a prototype of the favored arcade Gauntlet, and that’s as a result of it mainly is. A perpetuated gaming fantasy (as in, I can’t discover an authoritative supply) is that Palevich sued (or threatened to sue) Atari over Gauntlet taking Dandy’s primary gameplay, and in response to the rumor, this was settled out of courtroom.

Regardless, Dandy wasn’t initially launched on the 2600, so the sport needed to be scaled again for Darkish Chambers to suit the stricter {hardware} limitations. How a lot? Properly, it’s truly sort of a formidable try. 2-player co-op was retained, as was 8-directional taking pictures. Its graphics are pretty charming in a classic method. Is it any good? Depends upon your mindset. It’s a basic dungeon crawler, so that you both must be actually good at memorizing layouts or might want to make a map.

It’s a neat addition to the Atari XP lineup. The restricted version comes with a guide and is packaged in a silverbox. It additionally has a brand new cowl that includes “reimagined paintings by Brazilian pop artist Butcher Billy.” I dig it.

Right here’s hoping {that a} non-limited version is within the works. Particularly because it doesn’t ship to Canada as a result of Atari most likely hates maple syrup and poutine. For that matter, for the reason that Atari 2600+ will be capable of play 7800 recreation, perhaps we will see a reissue of that model as effectively. Oh gosh, whereas we’re on the subject, Atari ought to reproduce the Atari XEGS so we will play reissued Atari 8-Bit cartridges.

Anyway, Darkish Chamber’s Restricted Version is out there for preorder on Atari’s website. The shop web page says it’s going to ship in 3 to 4 months.

Zoey Handley

Workers Author – Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She received her begin running a blog with the group in 2018 and hit the entrance web page quickly after. Usually discovered exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her greatest to stay chronically uncool.

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