Avalanche is an arcade video game designed by Dennis Koble and released by Atari, Inc. in 1978.[1] The object is to catch falling rocks with a controllable set of paddles that diminish in number and size as the rocks fall faster and faster.[3] The concept gained a much wider audience after Activision released an unauthorized adaptation in 1981 as Kaboom! for the Atari 2600.[4] The only official home port of Avalanche was released for Atari 8-bit computers in 1981. In 2025, Atari released an official port for the 2600 and 7800 consoles.[5]
Avalanche is for 1 or 2 players, alternating turns. There are six rows of rocks at the top of the screen. The game starts with a six-storied platform and the player loses one platform per row of rocks cleared. The player scores points for the rocks they prevent from reaching the ground. The further the row of rocks, the smaller and faster they become. The ultimate goal is to get enough points so that the player can continue the game should they lose their first one.
Development
According to the manual for the Atari home computer version, Avalanche started out as a game about eggs and baskets called Catch.[2] The game tested poorly, but was better received when the theme was changed to falling rocks.
Avalanche is housed in a custom cabinet that includes two large lit start buttons and a rotary controller. The side art and bezel feature groupings of rocks with extending lines meant to convey the motion of falling rocks. The screen is black and white with two colored strips to provide colored rows of graphics as in Breakout.
The circuit board is based on the 6502 CPU, with game code stored in multiple ROMs.[6] All game text is selectable to 4 different languages: English, French, German, or Spanish. Avalanche also has a built-in self-test diagnostic program that displays all microprocessor and memory functions, including the operator switches and functions.[3]
Release
Avalanche was shipped to the public in April 1978.[7] Dennis Koble's official port of Avalanche for Atari 8-bit computers was published through the Atari Program Exchange in 1981 instead of official Atari channels.[2] It requires the paddle controller.
In 2025, Atari released Avalanche for the Atari 2600. The game was originally an Atari 2600 homebrew programmed by John Champeau. The Atari published version includes a expert skill level added and new gameplay options.[8]
Legacy
Avalanche inspired the game Kaboom! (1981) designed by Larry Kaplan. Kaplan was open about the influence in later interviews, saying "I just ripped off Avalanche."[9][10]Kaboom! went on to be one of the best-selling games for the Atari 2600.[11]
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