Blasteroids
Third Asteroids entry with raster graphics and power-ups.
Blasteroids, released in 1988, is a multidirectional shooter for arcades, developed and published by Atari Games. It is the third main installment in the Asteroids series, coming after 1981's Asteroids Deluxe. A key difference from its predecessors is that Blasteroids uses raster graphics rather than vector graphics, and it adds power-ups and a boss fight. Home computer ports were handled by Image Works for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, MS-DOS, and ZX Spectrum. An emulated version of the game appears as an unlockable mini-game in Lego Dimensions.
The core gameplay stays close to the original. The player pilots a spaceship viewed from a top-down perspective in a 2D space environment, rotating the ship and using thrust to build momentum. To slow down or stop, the player must turn the ship to face its direction of travel and apply the right amount of thrust to cancel out momentum. The ship has a limited fuel supply, represented as "Energy," which also powers the ship's Shields that protect against collisions and enemy fire. If all Energy is depleted, the ship is destroyed. The ship can be transformed at will into three versions: the Speeder (highest speed), the Fighter (most firepower), and the Warrior (extra armor).
The game offers Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert difficulty settings, each containing several galaxies made up of 9 or 16 sectors. Clearing a sector of all asteroids causes an exit portal to appear, leading to a galactic map screen. Each sector consists of a single visible screen with wraparound edges. The goal is to destroy all asteroids, which travel at a fixed speed. Asteroids come in different sizes; shooting a large one breaks it into smaller pieces, and only the smallest ones are permanently removed. There are several asteroid types: normal ones contain nothing, red ones release Power Crystals (which decay over time) when fully destroyed, Popcorn Asteroids expand and stop spinning after multiple hits (they cannot be destroyed, but stopping them is enough to clear the sector), Egg asteroids release leeches that home in on the ship and drain its energy, and Seeker asteroids home in on the player after being shot.
The alien boss, Mukor, appears once all sectors are cleared. He tries to ram the player and sends miniature enemy ships to help. Mukor has tentacles, each requiring multiple shots to destroy. Defeating him (by d
- Developer
- Atari Games
- Publisher
- Atari Games
- Release Year
- 1988
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Multidirectional shooter
- Series
- Asteroids series (third main entry)
Lore & Background
Blasteroids retains the core gameplay of the original Asteroids: the player controls a spaceship viewed from above in a 2D representation of space, rotating and using thrust to build momentum. To stop, the player must rotate to face the direction of travel and apply counter-thrust. The ship has limited Energy used for both thrust and shields; when Energy is depleted, the ship is destroyed. The ship can transform at will into three versions: Speeder (greatest speed), Fighter (most firepower), and Warrior (extra armor).
The game features multiple difficulty settings (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert), each with several galaxies containing 9 or 16 sectors. Each sector is a single screen with wraparound. The player destroys all asteroids to complete a sector, then exits through a portal to a galactic map. Asteroids come in various sizes and types: normal, red (containing power-up crystals), Popcorn (require multiple hits, cannot be destroyed), Egg (release leeches that drain energy), and Seeker (home in after being shot). The alien boss Mukor appears after all sectors are cleared; he has tentacles that must be shot multiple times, and he reappears in each galaxy with more tentacles. Defeating Mukor in all galaxies wins the game.
A second player can join at any time by pressing Fire, using one credit. Players can cooperate by docking their ships: a Speeder and a Warrior can dock, turning the Speeder into a stationary Turret and the Warrior into a Spiaret. They undock when either player transforms. The first player to exit a sector portal receives a large bonus and control of the galactic map.
Reader's Guide
Blasteroids marks a significant departure from its vector-graphics predecessors by adopting raster graphics, which allowed for more detailed visuals and the inclusion of power-ups and a boss enemy. This entry expanded the Asteroids formula with ship transformations, multiple asteroid types, and a cooperative two-player mode with docking mechanics. The game was ported to numerous home computer systems by Image Works, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. Its legacy includes an emulated version as an unlockable mini-game in Lego Dimensions. In 1989, Computer and Video Games magazine awarded Blasteroids the 'C+VG Hit' award, reflecting its positive reception at the time. The game stands as a transitional title that modernized the classic arcade shooter while retaining the core gameplay that defined the series.
Did You Know?
- Blasteroids uses raster graphics instead of the vector graphics of previous Asteroids games.
- The ship can transform into three versions: Speeder, Fighter, and Warrior.
- The alien boss Mukor has tentacles that must be shot multiple times to be defeated.
- An emulated version of Blasteroids is an unlockable mini-game in Lego Dimensions.
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