Z-Tack is a shoot 'em up for the Atari 2600 from Asia-based developer Onbase Co. and published under its Bomb label in 1983.[1][2] The player controls an alien ship flying above a city with a goal of destroying bases nestled in the buildings. There are six different city-landscapes. The game received mixed reviews from critics and was described as an inverted version of Imagic's Atlantis.
The player is presented with an alien UFO-like spacecraft, which is tasked with destroying bases in a cityscape to advance to the next level. The player must avoid missiles, which include heat-seeking-type missiles, as well as flying skulls. There are six different cityscapes.[3] The game can be played in both single-player and two-player mode.[4] It is the reverse of the 1982 video game Atlantis, where a city must be defended.[4]
Reception
Contemporary reviews of Z-Tack were mixed. In 1983, TV Gamer magazine described it as "probably the second-best video game to come from this new company, BOMB, the best being Assault" and "not a world-beating game but well worth having a look".[3]Videogaming Illustrated gave it good marks for gameplay (B, B+) but marked it down for lack-lustre graphics (C−, D).[5] German magazine TeleMatch gave it 3/6 overall, describing it as a "relatively inexpensive shooting game" but criticizing its lack of originality.[6] The Australian magazine Score reviewed the game positively in their 1983 review, praising the "colourful" graphics and sound, though also noting that they were "simplistic".[7]
Writing in 2018 in The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 1, Kieran Hawken gave the game 7/10, praising particularly the graphics.[1]
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