Atarimania

Atari 2600 - Imagic - 1982

Sky Patrol

Sky Patrol — screenshot 11 / 9
Genre
Simulation - Air
Year
1982
Controls
Joystick
Publisher
Imagic
Players
1
Country
USA
Programmer(s)
Stewart, Brad
Medium
Cartridge
Format
NTSC
Rarity
Dump
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Serial
720106-1A / IA3409

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Sky Patrol was supposed to be a hot air balloon simulator and was the only Imagic title for the Atari 2600 never to be released. The prototype for this game was shown at the 1982 CES, complete with a mock-up of what the production box and label would have looked like. According to programmer Brad Stewart, the original object of the game was to attempt to get your balloon from point A to point B in as fast a time as possible. However, as time went on the design of the game changed into something a bit more action oriented. According to the new story line the player is now piloting a WWI observation balloon and trying to avoid being shot down by the German army. This prototype appears to be of the 'action' version of the game, rather than the earlier 'race' version. The final version of the game would also have introduced enemy planes, dirigibles, rockets, and possibly trains into the enemy mix, making the game far more challenging. However development of the game was stopped before any of these could be implemented (although parts of the enemy dirigible graphics appear in the game code).
Hidden in the code of Sky Patrol are unused graphics of Shootin' Gallery.
The cart and box are mock-ups (notice the glued on artwork and Riddle of the Sphinx serial number).
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Cartridge 1

ADS (2)

VIDEOS (2)

Making of Atlantis
Just Kidding - Imagic