Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was released by Parker Brothers in 1982, bringing the Battle of Hoth to the Atari 2600. Piloting a Rebel snowspeeder, your mission is to defend Echo Base from an endless march of Imperial AT-AT walkers. The game translates the film’s iconic set piece into a tense, side-scrolling shooter where the enemy’s slow, relentless advance is your primary threat.
How to Play
You must destroy the walkers before they reach the Rebel base on the right side of the screen. It takes 48 shots to the body to bring down an AT-AT, but a single well-placed shot to its flashing bomb hatch will destroy it instantly. If even one walker reaches the base, the game is over.
- Move: Arrow Keys
- Fire: Spacebar
- Game Select: F11
- Game Reset: F12
- Pause: Alt+P
Tips
- Aim for the Hatch: The flashing pixel on an AT-AT’s body is its weak point. Hitting it instantly destroys the walker, saving you dozens of shots.
- Repair Your Speeder: As your snowspeeder takes hits, it will change color and eventually flash. You can repair it by flying low to the ground and landing in the bottom valley area for a few seconds.
- Use the Force: Periodically, your speeder will become invincible for 15 seconds while the Star Wars theme plays. Use this time to ram directly into the walkers without taking damage.
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