Gravitar is a gravity-based space shooter that Atari published for the Atari 2600 in 1982, ported from their arcade original of the same year. You pilot a spacecraft through alien solar systems, flying into each planet’s atmosphere to destroy enemy gun emplacements while the planet’s gravity constantly tries to drag your ship into the surface.
How to play
Rotate your ship left and right with the arrow keys and thrust forward with the up arrow; Spacebar fires your cannon. Each solar system contains several planets — fly into the atmosphere of each to hunt down and destroy the enemy bunkers inside. A reactor planet anchors each system; destroying it warps you to the next. Fuel is finite: look for fuel pods in the caves and hover over them to refuel. Running out of fuel costs a life.
Tips
- Use short bursts of thrust rather than holding it down — fuel is scarce and momentum carries you further than you expect.
- Clear the smaller planets before attacking the reactor; fewer active gun emplacements makes your escape from the reactor explosion much safer.
- Give yourself plenty of room before diving into a canyon — gravity accelerates quickly and recovery near the surface is often too late.
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