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DISCLAIMER: AtariQuest is unofficial fan content, not approved or endorsed by Atari or anyone else. I do not own and make no claim of ownership of any Atari games, names or characters that appear in AtariQuest. It is non-commercial, offered for free, and just for fun.

Friday, July 10, 2026

Chapter 79: Ultimate Frisbee

After what seems like an endless tower of I/O Channels, you finally pop out into a place not swarming with grid bugs and recognizers, and you breathe a sigh of relief. That is, until you see where you are: in some kind of large arena with a slate gray floor, and dark purple walls. Thousands of programs are in the stands, cheering, and you hear the announcer say, “WHAT’S THIS? A NEW CHALLENGER? CHALLENGER, YOU HAVE NO COMBAT SUIT! NO DISC! ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE READY TO CHALLENGE OUR CHAMPIONS?” You stare into the blinding spotlight, not sure what to say, as you see several fierce warriors in light green combat suits standing near the walls. The voice waits, and the crowd starts booing. Just then, Melvin pops up from the I/O channel.

“Melvin,” you ask frantically, “what do I say?”

“Tell them you’re ready,” whispers Melvin.

“But I’m not!” you whisper back.

“You will be in a minute,” says Melvin.

“I am ready,” you say as boldly as you can muster, which isn’t very boldly at all.

“THE CHALLENGER IS READY!” booms the voice, and crowd starts cheering wildly.

“Grab me with both hands,” says Melvin. You do so, and suddenly you have a strange feeling, like electricity coursing through you. You look down and notice you are turning blue.

“Melvin, what’s happening?” you ask, alarmed.

“I’m reprogramming your wardrobe. This blue combat suit will protect you if you get hit. With each hit, it will change colors. If it turns red, look out!” The warriors are starting to circle you, and hurl their discs your way. “Okay, done!” says Melvin. “You are good to go! Throw me towards the warriors to knock them out.”

You narrowly duck a light green disc. “Melvin, why are we doing this?” you whisper.

“Because we have to get to the light cycle grid. That’s where the Proteus is. Chuck me at those doors when you get a chance. One of them will lead there… but… probably not until you score 10,000 points… it’s some kind of bug in the fifth digit that a bit told me about.” Another disc whizzes past your ear. You’re scared, but you can’t help smiling. You look at the warriors, the arena, your glowing blue outfit, and as you hurl Melvin, who is now a blue disc, at the line of digital warriors, you think, “I always wondered what it would be like to be Tron! I guess I’ll find out today!”

Place the Tron: Deadly Discs game into your Atari 2600. Set the left difficulty switch to b. Play until you score 10,000 points. Post a link to a video in the comments section of yourself completing the challenge.

2 comments:

  1. I noticed sometimes the auto resolution on a Youtube video defaults to 144p or a lower resolution causing the video to appear blurry, not sure if thats the problem on your end though you can access that setting with the gear icon on the bottom right of. Each video you have seen the blurriness I have rechecked and looks clear enough but its set to 720p for me?

    Anyhow, sweet game and could push this score further if I was more patient and got the diagonal figured out better. Best death sound effect ever to me in a 2600 title!! ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa9bM8ABQyU

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You unlocked that fifth digit alright! That will break you through to a true Atari classic! (Also, this video definitely looks very clear!) (Also also, you are right, that little death glissando is pretty cool!)

      Delete

If you make a video of yourself completing the challenge, leave a link to it below! Other thoughts about the story are also welcome. Please keep it friendly - AtariQuest is for everyone.