Genre: Fixed shooter
Developer: Players
Publisher: Players
Year: 1987
System: Atari 8-bit
Stratosphere is a fixed shooter game developed and published by Players for the Atari 8-bit family in 1983. The game is set five years after an alien invasion, where remnants of the alien forces—sixteen hyperspatial mothercraft protected by spherical shields—orbit Earth.
Players pilot a bi-wing fighter tasked with destroying the shielding around the mothercrafts and eliminating them to end the alien threat. The mission involves combating enemy “soul suckers” patrolling the area and avoiding the mothercrafts’ energy-bolt defenses. When a mothercraft glows, players must perform evasive maneuvers to avoid a high-speed energy-pulsar attack.
The fighter can sustain up to five hits before being destroyed, requiring careful management of damage throughout the mission. Stratosphere combines strategic shooting with reflex-based gameplay, challenging players to protect humanity by completing this critical objective.
