Genre: Shoot ’em up (Horizontal scrolling)
Developer: Atari, Inc.
Publisher: Atari, Inc.
Year: 1983
System: Atari 8-bit
Moon Patrol is a horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up game developed and published by Atari, Inc. in 1983 for the Atari 8-bit family of computers. It is a home port of the 1982 arcade game originally created by Irem. The Atari 8-bit version was programmed by Scott D. Smith, with graphics by Courtney Granner and music composed by Robert Vieira.
In the game, the player controls a lunar rover that constantly moves forward across the Moon’s surface. The player must navigate obstacles such as craters, rocks, and mines while defending against attacks from flying UFOs. The gameplay is structured around 26 checkpoints labeled A to Z, which serve as respawn points. Each checkpoint introduces new enemies and terrain hazards, increasing the challenge as the player progresses. The game ends when the player loses all lives, but continues from the last reached checkpoint are possible if lives remain.
The Atari 8-bit version provides a faithful adaptation of the arcade original with some graphical simplifications to suit the home computer platform. It supports single-player and two-player alternating modes and was released on cartridge for Atari 400/800 series computers.
Moon Patrol was noted for its smooth horizontal scrolling, engaging gameplay, and challenging obstacles, making it a significant title in the Atari 8-bit software library.
