| Tempest | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Tempest_arcade.png) North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Dave Theurer[2] |
| Programmer(s) | Dave Theurer |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | October 1981: Arcade[1] 1985: Spectrum, BBC 1987: Amstrad 1989: Atari ST |
| Genre(s) | Tube shooter |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
Tempest is a 1981 arcade video game by Atari, Inc., designed and programmed by Dave Theurer. It takes place on a three-dimensional surface divided into lanes, sometimes as a closed tube, and viewed from one end. The player controls a claw-shaped "blaster" that sits on the edge of the surface, snapping from segment to segment as a rotary knob is turned, and can fire blaster shots to destroy enemies and obstacles by pressing a button.
Tempest was one of the first games to use Atari's Color-QuadraScan vector display technology. It was also the first to let players choose their starting level (a system Atari called "SkillStep"). This feature increases the preferred starting level, which could also be used to let the player continue the previous game if they wished. Tempest was one of the first video games that had a progressive level design where the levels themselves varied rather than giving the player the same layout with increasing difficulty.
- ^ Vendel, Curt (1980–1982). "ATARI Coin-Op/Arcade Systems". Atari Museum. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
- ^ Hague, James (1992). "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers". Retrieved 16 April 2019.