Published by First Star Software in 1983 and designed by Alex Leavens and Shirley A. Russell, Boing! is an action-arcade game for the Atari 2600. Taking cues from stepped-grid jumpers, you guide a bouncing bubble across a 36-tile pyramid, attempting to touch and light every platform while avoiding persistent hazards.
How to Play
Hop onto every unlit tile in the 6×6 grid to activate it and complete the screen. A chaser called the Bubble Eater pursues you around the playfield, while Pins drop vertically from the top of the screen. If you lure the Bubble Eater directly under a falling Pin, the collision temporarily incapacitates your pursuer. In later stages, board requirements become stricter, requiring specific tile sequences or multiple steps per platform to turn them on.
Default browser controls map to standard keyboard inputs:
- Movement: Arrow keys (↑, ↓, ←, →)
- Action / Trigger: Spacebar
- Game Select: F11
- Game Reset: F12
Tips
- Lure hazards together: Watch the top of the screen for falling Pins and position yourself so the Bubble Eater steps directly into their path to earn breathing room.
- Plan your route: Avoid getting cornered at the edges of the grid; keep central tiles open as escape routes when the Bubble Eater closes in.
Leave a Comment / Review: