Blue Max (video game)

Did You Know?

• A futuristic sequel, Blue Max 2001, was released in 1984 for Atari 8-bit computers and Commodore 64.
• Author Bob Polin made the assembly language source code of Blue Max publicly available in 2016.
• The game sold 10,000 copies.

Gameplay

The game begins with the player's aircraft on a runway as "Rule, Britannia!" plays. After selecting options and pressing start, the plane speeds down the runway; the player must push the joystick to take off only after reaching a minimum speed. The screen scrolls diagonally using oblique projection, similar to Zaxxon. The player moves left, right, forward, backward, or adjusts altitude with the joystick. The fire button shoots machine guns continuously; pressing down while moving the stick drops a bomb. The game is divided into areas, each ending with a runway for landing. The first area features a river on the left and grassy terrain on the right. In the second area, the river gives way to land with tanks and enemy airbases. The third area is a city with skyscrapers and bunkers, whose destruction is the goal. Targets include warships firing flak, tanks, bridges, buildings, and enemy biplanes that appear and shoot. The aircraft can suffer four types of damage from enemy fire: gun damage, bomb gear damage, fuel leak, or decreased maneuverability; a fifth shot destroys the plane. Colliding with the ground or an enemy plane, or running out of fuel, also causes death. A beeping sound warns of an approaching friendly airbase; landing there refuels, repairs damage, and replenishes bombs. To advance to the next area, the player must destroy a certain number of special targets: flashing cars, planes, and buildings or bridges marked with a flashing cross. If insufficient targets are destroyed, the plane flies through the same area again. The ultimate goal is to bomb three bunkers in the final city and reach the airfield. Upon finishing, the player receives a numerical rank based on performance.

Reception

SoftSide described the Atari version as remarkably well implemented, very playable, and a lot of fun. The Addison-Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984 gave it an overall A rating, calling it very enjoyable with a realistic sensation of flying and great depth of play. InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers cited it as innovative and a winner. Softline praised the graphics, calling the game "River Raid for real and Zaxxon with meat on it" and stating that if Zaxxon deserved to be a hit, this deserved to be a monster. In 1984, Softline readers named it the second most-popular Atari program of 1983, after Archon. Compute! wrote that it may make standard two-dimensional eye/hand games obsolete and called it the best action game, noting improvements over Zaxxon such as the functional instrument panel and the need to land, refuel, and take off. The Commodore 64 port received similar praise; Compute!'s Gazette stated it has far more depth than Zaxxon and successfully combines strategy with arcade play. Ahoy! approved of the sound and 3D graphics but criticized the unrealistic plane shadow, and while wishing for bigger action, concluded the game is really addictive. In 1996, Computer Gaming World ranked the C64 version the 142nd best game of all time.