Centipede (Arcade) Home Page
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Release Data
Developer/Publisher: Atari
Release Date: August 1981
System: Arcade
Genre: Shoot ’em Up
Players: 1
Description
Centipede is a single screen arcade title which was released in 1981. Players control the Bug Blaster, a small creature or possibly a spaceship, using a trackball and button. The player can move around freely on an area that occupies the bottom fifth of the screen using the trackball. The button fires the Bug Blaster’s gun. A centipede appears at the top of the screen and makes its way downward by running back and forth. Shooting the centipede will destroy one of its segments. If the player destroys all of the segments, the screen color will change and a new centipede will spawn. Destroying segments aside from those at the front and back, will cause the centipede to break into two and speed up.
Spiders and other creatures also appear on screen. Spiders move erratically and award bonus points when destroyed. Players also earn points from the centipede as well as any of the other creatures.
Touching a creature will cause the player to lose a life. A credit buys the player 2 lives. The game ends when the player runs out of lives. The game will award the player with an extra life for every 12,000 points he or she earns.
Mushrooms that serve as obstacles to both the player and centipede are scattered around the screen. These mushrooms can be removed with several shots, but respawn when the player destroys a segment of the centipede. There are also smaller creatures that run down the screen, creating mushrooms in their path as they go.
The action becomes more intense as the player destroys centipedes. Creatures speed up their movements, new enemies appear, and the centipede will begin moving erratically. Players who manage to survive long enough to rack up enough points can enter their initials on the high score board.
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Further Reading
Want to learn more about Centipede for Arcade? Check out these resources.
Review:
https://www.honestgamers.com/1887/arcade/centipede/review.html
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