Konamitober- The big break… Scramble

Hey Arcaders!

The next game we’re talking about this Konamitober, is the one that put Konami on the map to the world- and for good reason: it was the worlds first scrolling space shooter. Let’s check out  the tough as nails arcade game from 1981, Scramble!

The player controls a futuristic aircraft, referred to in the game as a jet, and has to guide it across a scrolling terrain, battling obstacles along the way. The jet is armed with a forward-firing weapon and bombs; each weapon has its own button. The player must avoid colliding with the terrain and other enemies, while simultaneously maintaining its limited fuel supply which diminishes over time. More fuel can be acquired by destroying fuel tanks in the game.

The game is divided into six sections, each with a different style of terrain and different obstacles. There is no intermission between each section; the game simply scrolls into the new terrain. Points are awarded based upon the number of seconds of being alive, and on destroying enemies and fuel tanks. In the final section, the player must destroy a “base”. Once this has been accomplished, a flag denoting a completed mission is posted at the bottom right of the screen. The game then repeats by returning to the first section once more, with a slight increase in difficulty.

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Just look at that cabinet- I always loved 70’s/ early 80’s art on arcade games…

Let’s take a look at some gameplay- and see where it gets it’s reputation for it tough difficulty.

Sadly- there were few home ports.

Fans of the game were surprised the last few years with two amazing homebrew ports- one for the Atari 2600, and another for the Atari 7800!

You can now play the arcade original on your modern systems through the Arcade Archives. No relation.

Have you ever Played Scramble? Have you ever ran through the “Scramble System” and finished the game? Only to have to go through it AGAIN?

Let me know in the comments!

Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!