Fathom (video game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- MSX
- Interphase Technologies Inc.
- MSX
- Toshiba EMI
| Fathom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers |
|
| Publishers | Imagic
|
| Designer | Rob Fulop |
| Artists | Michael Becker,[1] Wilfredo Aguilar |
| Platforms | Atari 2600, Intellivision, TI-99/4A, ColecoVision, MSX |
| Release | |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Mode | Single-player |
Fathom is an action-adventure game designed by Rob Fulop, and published by Imagic in 1983. It is his final design for Imagic,[1] and one of the last games Imagic published before its closure. Fathom was initially released for the Atari 2600 in August 1983.[2] It was later ported to the Intellivision, ColecoVision, and TI 99/4A.[5] The player controls both a dolphin and a seagull to collect the missing pieces of a broken trident and save a mermaid trapped at the bottom of the ocean.
Players assume the role of a shapeshifter named Proteus, and must navigate distinct underwater and aerial screens. The dolphin gathers seahorses while avoiding octopi, and the seagull collects pink clouds while avoiding volcanic eruptions. Fulfilling these tasks yields the starfish needed to acquire trident shards.
Development of Fathom was uniquely driven by a single animation of a jumping dolphin created by artist Michael Becker, which inspired Fulop's cartoon-like design. Upon release, contemporary reviewers highly praised the game's vibrant visual presentation and animations, though critics were divided on the repetitive nature of its gameplay loops. Retrospective reception has been generally positive, highlighting the game as a technical and artistic achievement for the Atari 2600 hardware.
The goal is to free the mermaid Neptina, daughter of Neptune, who has been trapped at the bottom of the sea by the Titans. The player character is a shapeshifter named Proteus who must recovered the shattered pieces of Neptune's trident to break Neptina's cage.[6]
The player starts the game in the form of a dolphin and can swim freely between several different ocean screens. The player has a limited amount of time to collect all three shards of the broken trident and return them to the mermaid's cage at the bottom of the map. As a dolphin, the player must collect all the seahorses that appear on a certain screen, while avoiding octopi and seaweed beds. Once all seahorses are collected, they can collect a starfish which will give them one piece of the trident. Collecting enough seahorses will also cause a bird icon to appear at the bottom of the screen. Returning to the top of the screen with this icon will allow the player to start controlling a seagull above the water.[7]
As a seagull, the player must fly around a different set of screens above the water while avoiding black birds and volcanic eruptions. Collect enough pink clouds and more starfish will appear which grant the player one more trident piece each. Collect all three trident pieces and enough clouds to make a fish symbol appear at the bottom of the screen, and the player can transform back into a dolphin and swim down to Neptina's cage to complete a loop.[8] Every time one game loop is completed, the number of screens on the game's map increases and the player must travel farther to complete their objectives. Once the player completes seven loops the game is over and a secret ending is revealed.[9]